Episode 21 - A Week of Grassroots Rugby - From Gosport to Millbrook with the Flaming Unicorns

The conversation covers various topics related to grassroots rugby, including charity games, pre-season friendlies, team structure, sponsorship, mental health, and youth development. The hosts discuss their experiences at Millbrook and Gosport rugby clubs, as well as their interactions with the Flaming Unicorns, a team focused on promoting men's mental health. They also mention upcoming games and events in the rugby community. Millbrook Rugby Club is focused on creating an inclusive and supportive environment for players of all levels. They prioritize community engagement and have seen significant growth in their women's section. The club aims to provide equal opportunities for all players and offers free games and discounted memberships to encourage participation. They have a strong social aspect, with regular events and a welcoming clubhouse. The club is financially stable and has plans to tap into the youth system in the future. Their main goal for the season is to see their first team promoted.

Transcript

Carl (00:16)
Hello and welcome to another episode of Rugby Through the Leagues podcast. This week, as you can still see, still out and about. Not quite settled back down yet, still not back in Spain. So we're having to make do wherever we can. So we've made the perfect opportunity for us to get out and see some grassroots rugby. For this episode, we managed to make it out over to Millbrook. So Millbrook invited myself over when they reached out on our TikTok platform.

So thankfully they had a game against Gosport. So coincided that with a little trip down on Tuesday night to watch training, get a little pre -interview with Polly who we had on before right at the first episode of the pod. So he's back for this episode. We also managed to make it over to Newbury. So Newbury and Swindon played. That's gonna be lined up for the next episode. But for this episode, we managed to make it over to Gosport ones played against Millbrook.

And we bumped into the flaming unicorns, completely unplanned. The great interview, great cause, obviously hopefully gonna line up a bigger episode out of that because they're doing great things, great bits for the game. Spreading the word for men's mental health as well, so can't sort of promote that any further without obviously getting it on the pod and carry on. So the call also went out. They didn't have enough players for their charity game, so.

this melted wheelie bin, rolled himself out and managed to make the game, a game, still feeling it now. We are on Wednesday, probably a sign that I'm getting a little bit too old for the game, but love it. It was an absolute honour, some great group of lads as well, so really looking forward to hopefully getting them lined up for a proper episode for himself later on down the line. Millbrook obviously played against Gosport.

We managed to sit down with the club captain, the co -club captain as well down at Millbrook, got invited along for a league lunch. Their hospitality was absolutely phenomenal. They'd done an amazing family sort of charity rugby day as well. Four games, they managed to get a women's team set up. They managed to play their first game as well against the Flaming Unicorns, which was amazing to see. So this one's been an absolute blind and we managed to make it out.

to actually see some Grassroots Rugby. There's gonna be a few more of these episodes while we're stuck back in the UK as well. So it's gonna be some really nice raw and sort of underground Grassroots Rugby stuff for a few episodes. So we're gonna get out. We've got some others lined up as well in the coming weeks while I'm stuck back here. So it's great to see Grassroots Rugby out there.

trying out the new fancy camera as well. So we can actually see how that works. So kind of learning and I'm doing. We are releasing the competition that I mentioned in the other week. So on the start of next week, so Monday, the 9th of September will be the start of the competition. So I'm gonna start releasing that over this weekend. So look out for that, because that's another sort of tip to grassroots rugby. And...

getting them to change the backdrop. Obviously once the backdrop's finally sorted and we're back into the normal piece, we've got some bits to really sort of push this pod and create some more aethestics around it. I am sat in a winged back chair. I'll hopefully be able to get one of them as well for the new backdrop, because I love a chair like this. This week, some really, really good, humble grassroots rugby. So thanks for joining. I hope you enjoy it and make sure you share and like it. Keep promoting the pod.

Don't forget Rugby Europe Super Cup starts this week as well. It will be available on rugbyEurope .tv. So the Spanish teams, Portuguese, the Georgian Black Lions, they're all out playing, started playing this weekend. So unfortunately we won't be out there to go and see some of the games like I planned, but they're gonna be available. Obviously the Red Roses play as well. So make sure you join on the old telly. Make sure you can get some tier two and women's games as well mixed up into your telly watching this.

Cheers everyone!

Rugby Through The Leagues (04:24)
We've actually made it down to Gosport Rugby Club and as people might have recognized from our first episode we've got Polly. Polly, thank you very much for letting me come and gatecrash a training session with a couple of interviews. me I'm just more excited about watching you train later rather than sort of stand there and interview me. Wow, I managed 60 minutes in the charity game the other day so I might be able to make 10 minutes before I start throwing up tonight. I wouldn't call it 60 minutes. Well I had a couple of beers brought.

out to me during the game so I survived. That's alright then isn't it? And then the night after we got a little bit tasty didn't it? But that's part of rugby isn't it? That's the whole thing isn't it? It's not just the game on the Saturday, it's the art. It's social afterwards yeah. We pretty hit that art boat didn't we?

Yeah, good. It was good. You guys have obviously got a pre -season game at the weekend at Millbrook. We're going to pop along, do a little bit of a recording and I've reached out to Millbrook as well because they reached out to the pod before so they want to jump on and talk about what they're doing.

You guys got a game against their ones, correct? Yeah, our first team are scheduled to play against their first team this weekend. We're hopefully trying to get ones and twos, but they've got a whole charity event on, which is absolutely fantastic. I think they've got four games. think their ones, their twos. I think their women's are playing a game as well. So hopefully it should be really busy down there, which is kind of what you want to see. know, everyone talks about their own clubs, but sometimes it's about supporting the other local clubs as well. Yeah, because you said their twos are playing a charity game against them. I it's flying unicorns. Yeah, was when you sent me that.

name the other day I thought, that's a strong name. I don't know a lot about them but I know a few of the lads down here are massive fans of their and they love their One of the lads is itching to get his hands on a bit of kit. We might have to see if we can get him. We love a stash.

How's pre -season gone? It's been OK. I think we've consolidated where we were at the end of last season. We came back a bit early. We've got different approach this year. Seniors are training with the Colts, coinciding hand in hand. How's that working out? It's good. It's allowing them to develop, but it's also allowing us, the senior lads, see a little bit more pace here, a little bit slendier. So different style of a...

game, a different approach to it as well. to adapt the tackle stuff? Yeah, so no contact, obviously there's no physical contact between seniors and colts, okay, because of the RFU regulations which is perfectly understandable, so any tackle situations, any tackling drills, we split the colts off and they stay together in a group and then we put the seniors in together as well, so you've got to be really careful with safeguarding as well. At this earlier stage in the season where the ground's still reasonably hard, you don't want to get into that.

Hopefully it will allow them to progress into senior rugby as we move through the season. So when can they adapt in? Is it 16 with a permission slip or is it 17? So the RFU regulation states 17 when they turn 17 with approval from the club, from their parents and from their union or our governing body which would be Hampshire as long as all of the things are in place.

all safeguarding is in place then they can start playing up and start playing some senior rugby, stand fast front row players. You have to be 18 to be able to play in the front row. It's one of those things, through the days from when I was 16 years old, we're shorter lads this weekend, I'll eat you, fancy running around for the fours. We are good at looking after our players and that's the whole point. The RFU are  driving that as well, so it's not bad.

That's positive. Many lads out there that you reckon might get a run out this season? Anyone that's sort of put themselves in the shot window from training? What, from the Colts? Yeah, they've got some really good players. Last year I think they had five represented in Hampshire on the 17 side. That did really, really well. Been keeping an eye on them. unfortunately, they'll all turn 18 at end of March and quite late on in the year.

There's some other guys who stepping up this season who have turned seniors from Colts last year. That's really good, so we've got a few of them stepping into the fold and hopefully get them amongst it and get them involved in some senior rugby. How's numbers been? Good? Steady? it's been steady. Nothing to write home and go, let's have a third team. It's enough to keep us sustained and hopefully when the start of the season comes.

know for ones and twos a few more people come out the woodwork nobody likes pre -season training do they? They just like turning up for the games which is also understandable as well so hopefully we'll keep pushing on and see what happens. Obviously you had a pre -season game against Newbury the other week. Newbury had four sides put out correct so they had a well drilled, they've been sort sharing a lot of their stuff on the socials, on the pod.

possibly going pop up there Friday to see what theirs is about as well because they've reached out and supported the pretty well but they seem to have a little fairly tidy outfit out there. Unfortunately I was on holiday so I didn't get to see it. blame on Kieran. No, we're not blaming anyone on anything. I think we wanted an early game and we wanted an early opportunity for our players to get some match time last year.

We didn't have enough game time before the season started and I felt like the first two games this season were a bit rusty. We got that early game but we had lot of unavailabilities. I think we only ended up taking 20 players there. think we had a lot of front rows and they had no front rows. It was completely uncontested funds from the word go. It changes the game in terms of... can't build a platform off something and you can't put a dominance on can you? And if you become dominant up front it's

scrum time, we've worked really hard in the scrum. Our front row's pretty settled and been playing together a long time. If you can take those in every scrum, you've got a 50, even your own scrums you guarantee got ball and opposition ball you've got a 50 % chance and you can put them on the back foot. But they've got some great players, they've got load of sevens players playing in their backs and apparently it was clearly evident.

There are a leagues above as well though, aren't they? They're a league above us now and think they've just had a pause, maybe not a fully represented season for them last year, but they did win the regional two South Power Gym Cup or whatever it was, the Papa John's Cup, that's what it is.

Other pizza bands are available. yeah, think every club's got to try get to that point where you can either rebuild, refocus and reset. hopefully we'll be good to get amongst some training tonight. Yeah, mate, can't wait. Just in case you weren't sure, if you haven't got any Mozzie spray, it's right. That's all right, mate. I don't get eaten by Spanish Mozzie, so I'll hopefully be all right down here. I'm standing still. It's just ridiculous.

There you go. cushty top man. Cheers mate.

Rugby Through The Leagues (11:33)
Right so we've got Stu from the flaming unicorns. We have. Thank you so much for jumping on and a little chat. Can you go through what the flaming unicorns is about and for those that don't know and obviously the non -PC chat of how it come about. With that sort of pod we can go real.

It came around off the back of the charity so Tough Enough To Care was set up five and a half years ago supporting mental health in male dominated spaces. We had a couple of, two years on the bounce we some charity matches, just a way of raising awareness and getting people, I've rugby all my life, spent a few years of my life down this neck of the woods as well. So it was just my way of what can I do to have a bit of fun, tell the missus I'm at work and still get some...

people talking in rugby clubs because it's hard to a talk about mental health and suicide especially in a rugby club. So on the back of that all the lads were saying we need more of this. I'm fringe third team player, I want to play socially, what can we do? So we decided to set up a rugby club.

We'd looked at different names and what to do and where do we go with it because tough enough to care it's great but it's a little bit boring isn't Yeah, it's not quite the flaming unicorns. So I won't name the club but I wanted to get FU on the scoreboard. floating umbrellas, flopping ukuleles didn't really work. And then we came up with flaming unicorns.

The other side of it is a flaming unicorn's like a mythical creature, just like a man talking about mental health and suicide is. And there we were, the shirts got made. I should have had one on, I? We'll see him. And it started off, like I say, as bit of a joke, my level of pettiness with trying to get Effie on the scoreboard.

and it's just gone gangbusters, absolutely crazy how it's grown. We've got nearly 200 members nationally. That's brilliant. Probably a nucleus of 100 Midlands players from a multitude of clubs. we just rock up, turn up at a rugby club, play a charity match. Everyone pays a fiver to play, so it raises a bit of money. We sell some gangster unicorn Got some proper stash, yeah. And most importantly, it gets the conversation around...

mental health in a rugby club where if we just phoned or cold called the rugby club and said can we come and talk about mental health, if you didn't have the phone put down it would be FU. Yeah we'll call you back. We'll pass it to the committee and let you know. Because it started in quite traumatic circumstances didn't it?

Obviously a big wake -up call as you said, you come from that sort of environment of feelings didn't really encounter and you had two in the space of four days didn't you say? Yeah, so my background, rugby, military, left the military, went into industrial engineering so it's all these toxic masculine environments where mental health's a weakness, suicide's selfish and all those horrible negative terms and phrases.

I lost a friend and went straight to the comfort blanket of weak selfish. Four days later, lost another friend to suicide and went straight back to that place of weak selfish and stopped myself and just thought, hang on, these were the strongest people I knew, they'd do anything for anyone, so they were nowhere near selfish. How can we change it? There's an issue here and it's an engineer, put my engineer's hat on.

and I fixed the problem and I realised that the problem was me and people like me. In rugby clubs where you're willing to put your body on the line for 80 minutes but you're not willing to put your arm around your mate and that's how he is. Even after a few points it usually just becomes banter and people don't feel comfortable. The only emotion in a rugby club is happiness and if you haven't got happiness you go back to the bar until you've got happiness.

As you said, previous events you've managed to break those barriers down, few people have pulled you to one side and stuff like that. So that's a massive positive and I think a lot of people attach themselves to the unicorns. we've got Alex, if you want to come on in mate because Alex actually found the unicorns on...

on Facebook weren't it? So if you want to slot in now you come in. So Alex come on as you can see. you jump on. So Alex obviously has got some of the amazing stash on board as well as you can see. It's pretty out there. How did you come about it? The unicorns? saw it on Facebook is that correct? Yeah it was a whole charity. I'd been very ill for many years to the point where I did attempt to take my own life.

saw one of Stu's original posts and after trying everything I could before that and it didn't work, reached out to Stu because it was simple, was down to earth, it wasn't a heavy clinical approach, it was like, you know, we need to speak, we need to nap, that was what I needed. Brilliant. So after...

decades of being quite ill with a mental health issue, finding a group of people that were able to support me and talk to me and I felt comfortable speaking to. Because it's now become both of your full -time roles, it? So that's amazing, obviously being able to...

flag in the ground and be able to push that forward to support other people because Alex you now sort of you took on the Derbyshire region and stuff like that you're Dudley Wayne yeah so you both cover across across the Midlands is it? We cover across the country I mean lately I've been working in Norwich we've been in Wales, Stu's been to Glasgow, around Manchester and down here we've done some work for some brand companies down in South

as well. So we are literally everywhere. No, that's awesome. You've already mentioned that you might need some players today as well so I've conveniently left me boots in the van so I might have to get a run out.

Lads, we'll obviously catch up after the game and stuff, but we'll share everything on socials and we'll push this out, mash this together. I know there's a few Gosport lads.

that are keen to get some stash. And you said that obviously it's a bit of a call for arms as well potentially for players across the country. you've got, you want to let everyone know where you are and stuff like that? Yeah so,

I don't like looking at the camera so I'll just look at you. So we're tough enough to care across all social media for the charity if people need to reach out for support. And again on Instagram and Facebook we've got flaming unicorns. And just drop us a message. Players will get added to either the men's chat or the ladies chat for the teams. And all we do is just, there's no selection process. There's no training. We don't even warm up.

We select the games, clubs tend to come to us. We used to reach out but clubs actually come to us and ask for us to come now. we've like we've done for this, for Millbrook, we've just put a poster on and said who's available and everyone's welcome. Because you said you had potentially nine games lined up till Christmas? that roughly, or nine clubs reached out to Nine clubs reached out to us.

full of games before Christmas and it's difficult because a lot of the guys do play club rugby as well so the last thing we want to do is start causing trouble for grassroots clubs because we support them so we put it out there and we've never not fielded or held a game like you say today where it's been a bit of a struggle with one thing and another but we always turn up and say there's not been one event that we've turned to where we haven't had.

chance to speak to somebody and someone's took us to one side and that's what it's about it's just giving people the opportunity to feel comfortable with a couple of idiots. And today like you say we've not been to a rugby club yet where at least two people haven't properly bought into it and needed a talk because just like Alex said

they didn't know where to go, they didn't know how to open that conversation, so it's all worth it. I really appreciate everything, what you're doing and we'll obviously help keep growing it on the socials and push it out and hopefully even potentially line up as a whole separate pod in the whole episode and see if we can get anyone that's obviously you guys have had on and helped you and that you've helped so yeah we carry on that. And a tour to Spain as well? 100 % we're all up for a tour to Spain, cheers gents thank you.

Rugby Through The Leagues (20:26)
We're down here at Millbrook. This interview's been delayed little bit because I ended up getting roped in the plane for the flaming unicorns and Jordy's just been everywhere. A bit busy trying to sort out referees and stuff. Quite an extra day on four teams, the two of us. Big session today, you've got what, four games going on? Four senior teams. Yeah, three men's teams, one ladies' team over two pitches over the course of the day.

Brilliant and then obviously barbecue set up. Is there camping here tonight as well? Yeah we got about 30 campings so pretty much the whole Haselmere is camping, charity team is camping, we're camping. So how did this day come about? Was it all from the flaming unicorns reaching out to you? Well we were sort of busy trying to organise pre -season friendlies and then Luke Montague, one of our coaches, he knows a lot of the guys from the unicorns from the past so they come to us for a fixture.

only want to play twos or vets, so we thought perfect, get them involved. That's the twos pre -season, contacted Gosport they obviously come down and us a game. Luckily for us, pre -season's gone really well. We've had a lot of new players, do you know what, we're going to manage. a lot of new players have come in because you do a £25 a season sign -up sort of thing, is that correct? We've done quite well with our sponsors.

And what we've decided to do is rather than concentrate the money on the first team, we've made the...

membership, very cheap, £25 for the year. Brilliant. And you still get your petrol money if you're travelling to away games. You get some free kit with it. that way every player benefits, you're male or female, playing first, second or third, everybody benefits from it. Yeah, brilliant. And the word seems to have got out and people have bought into it. Yes, quality. Like I say, I took over as club captain two years ago. He's joined me this year just because of the growth of the club, essentially. How long have you been in with the club? Both you?

Me? Well, can't remember, my dad's been here years and years. I was up here at two. It's usually the way, isn't it? I played my first season in 1984, so this my 40th season. Wow. Fair enough. We've done that. But I took over club captaincy really in the middle of the Covid period. cost of living went up and we were running. We had literally 10 players in our second team.

Still trying to charge £35 a month, £32 a month of membership at the time. You just were not getting the membership buy -in. But for us, we're on one the biggest council states in England. There's people that want access to sport and can't afford it. So why should sport cost you? At the end of the day, it's your mental health, your physical health, it's a team environment.

It's what sport, more importantly, it's what rugby brings to it for me. 100 % We can do that. We went out and built a consortium with sponsors. Do you want to call out the sponsors to obviously fill the pod? We've got Southern Struxas AMF, we've got Seven Marine, we've got Safe Access scaffolding on the first team shirts, we've got Woodhouse environments, we've got...

I forgot, I'm sorry, but we've got loads. Essentially to put two things, because we don't own anything here, we rent everything. yeah, a lot of clubs do. There's not many in that Exactly that, so lot of clubs know, two pitches, we've got to pay £35 a pitch, then we've got to pay to put the lights on, we've got to pay the referees, just play with the rest of it. So we've got about £8 to £9 ,000, I think it was, between sponsors. That comes at all playing costs. Brilliant. So then what we do is...

Don't charge people for membership. Get them here. Get them in for joy and rugby. Tuesday nights, we...

put food on, Thursday night. So Tuesday nights we feed everyone for nothing. That's what we do. So you get massive numbers at Tuesdays, so then why wouldn't you? I was really impressed by your league lunch. It's probably one of the best lunches I've seen. again, that's done by Jazzy, my wife and all the rest of it, who's now out playing for our new ladies team. Yeah, it's quite The membership is unreal. And the club bind. You've got much of a youth system at the minute? We've got no youth. So our first team, the average age on our first team is about 22, 23.

They're the last colts that come through the club. We've had no youth since then. OK. So that's sort of... Why do you think was that? We started with volunteers. Right. Coaches, availability... But we've got a mile that way, Trojans. Yeah. Two and a half miles that way, Eastleigh Yeah. Half a mile that way, you've got Totts Yeah. They're massive, they're set up. And again, when we come in as club of captains, it's like, this club's got to be here in ten years' time. It's got to be here. So we're not going do it for a youth section.

So how do we get adults here? So that's why we're doing, you know, going for the club and the community. We are a council estate community rugby club. Brilliant. And we couldn't be prouder of For me, I couldn't be prouder of it. So what league are you guys in this season? Your ones and One's are in counties two. Two's are in counties four.

We're looking to put a third team out. once a month we're going to try and another three. Today we had enough players to put four teams out. But we made sure every team had something. So we've got, currently, 46 signed memberships for our women's section. So we're being told by their coaches that come Christmas we're potentially going have two female teams. That's brilliant. Which is, it's our real mate. Yeah, they Havant I think they had 54 turned up for their women's training the other day.

like to about 46 signed up already. I went to a meeting, know, volunteers night last year I think it was, with the highest, Millbrooks the highest club playing rugby with no youth section in the Southern counties. That's crazy. And it's just like, we're so proud of that. There's a lot of clubs around here, so the thing is we've got to do something different. Yeah. And if we treat everybody the same, everybody gets equal opportunity.

everybody pays the same money, I think that was what it seemed, it's working for us at the moment. What we pride ourselves on as a club, and we have for decades, it's not our generation, it's a new generation, not many people walk through that clubhouse door and walk out of it again. It's the environment that we breathe. It's 100%, why would you pay a first team player 150 quid and have some bloke in the thirds playing 25 quid a week for his membership? You're not going to build a club like that, you could build a club like that, it ain't sustainable. It's not for us, it's what you want.

We understand the league we are in we understand who we are, we're proud of who we are, but we work to where we are. So the club's in a good financial position, got a good long -term plan? Yeah, must say Jacky and Chris Ings, they took over the club when it was in about 40, 50 grand worth of debt. And we're now very sustainable. We're here for generations now. Is the long -term plan to then start tapping into a youth system and try and steal them off the areas and stuff? 100 % it is. It's not...

steal them off the areas as such. them local. They must be going somewhere. We've got a school right there. I'd love to put a coach in there and get them using these facilities. It's not for the lack of trying. And then building from there, there's a couple of local schools that none of the kids go to. Play rugby? No.

I think it's pretty much most of England, it's not really pushed in schools. aren't very risk averse. Rugby is a big danger for them. All they hear is that the kid's going end up in a wheelchair every five minutes. We've got a head PE teacher over there. Head PE teacher playing our ones. Try tapping out, school won't let it. We've got to do what we've got to do before we do it. But I'll you what's good is that it's minute as well.

care if you've played rugby before. So many people come up for our thirds and our twos, their mates come up. After about the fourth or fifth week, on a Tuesday night they were training. So we thought, I'll give it a And then it's like, if it's 25 quid for the year, they're not investing in... And so that threes team we put out the day, there was three players who started playing rugby in the summer.

Really? Yeah, quality. And what we do as well, for other people, we give them three or four free games. Yeah. So you can train, and we give you three, four games, see if you like it or not. If know, where's we at? We don't jump straight on them saying, where's your membership, where's your membership? It's easy to do. If you've got a three system set up and you can get threes games, you don't have to do everything legit, do you? You can get people out, let them have a game, make sure that they actually enjoy what they do. Yeah. Not going to get hurt, because a lot of people, first hit, they receive.

They either love it or they hate it. It might go on a little bit, it's for us as well, especially us, we don't care where you play rugby, we how you play rugby.

just play rubber. One of our jobs that we talk about with all the officials at our club, if somebody walks through the door and you don't recognise them, you introduce yourself, offer a get my beer. We've had such positive feedback. We had a girl join us, she's been to another club a down the coast and nobody spoke to her during training. Nobody spoke to her in the bar afterwards.

She met somebody downtown who told her about it. She came up here, she trained, she came and walked through the door. I went over and spoke to her, said hello, don't recognise her, I'm joint club captain up here. Bought her a drink, she was training the next week. Unfortunately then, job moved her immediately, but she sent us a lovely note saying how welcome she'd felt, how sorry she is that she's got to go. And you know you're doing something right.

if you get that kind of feedback. No, as I said, Luke reached out to me on TikTok originally, obviously put me in touch with you guys. Hospitality today has been phenomenal. Can't appreciate that enough because as you say, a lot of clubs, their league lunch is precious. It's the hooray, Henry's are down. Do you know what? I'm not going to get that here. I've played out in Oz for a couple of years and my partner who's now obviously co -captain of the ones for the female side. When we come in as club captains,

We are a council estate team. We know we are. But why can't we be a legit rugby club? Why can't we hold ourselves to higher standards? Why can't we? And that's what we've really pushed. Some of the best players we've played at this club over the years that I've played, they're born over there. And we we run three or four pre -match lunches a year now, and they're packed out. We don't do them every week, but we just do target three or four, get the clubhouse packed, get them out here, get them watching the games, get them back up there, get an environment going, get them...

the opposition though early. exactly that. But equally, anything that comes, quite fortunate for us, we give them a whole table for free on us. Just come up, enjoy, just get set down. We're building what I've liked over the last two, because we are Millbrook Rugby Club, we have had a bad reputation in past. The amount of teams that turn up here now and go... Everyone's up for a scrap though. Millbrook was always a place you come, but it made it that place. That's what it's for and a lot of clubs still play on that now.

Off the pitch you guys can do whatever you want on the pitch in that sense, make your mark but off the pitch you've to make sure you and everything.

it's going to win against rugby and that's what we're here do. And then essentially we're here to win against rugby. 100%, everyone is. As soon as you come off that white line you become a club member again. After the first 10 minutes of the flaming unicorns I thought I don't know what I signed up to here and then you two just disappeared so I was quite thankful for that. We're here to pull on the two's off the back. It is what it is isn't it? It was a great game, great game. What's your target this year? What's the plan?

We talk about our minimal acceptable and what our stretch is. Our stretch is we'd love to see our first team promoted. Who have you got in your league around you? What's your... Petersfield twos, Winch twos I believe. To be honest with it, where the league's restructured this year and they sent four up, Guernsey disappeared. That's handy But let's be honest, they didn't do enough to get out of the league last year.

Yeah, Petersfield 2s have come up three or four leagues, but that is what it is. They're doing well as a club and therefore their 2s If we can do that and get eight ten games out for the third team, I would say that was a massive success. the women's, yeah. I going to say, where's the women's going to go? Who are currently 45, 12 up in their first ever game? Yeah, brilliant. Yeah, it's fantastic. So the women's is sort of a fairly new...

Yeah, so we put an interest in rugby. So obviously my partner plays rugby. That's how we met. I played rugby in Australia. She's come back and she does all the pre -match lunches. She does so much. She does the bar on Saturdays and Sundays. She's awesome. Just went, why can't I play? Why can't I play? Why can't I play? Yeah, she had to play out of a club. So we put an interest to play rugby, a very strong trait of interest.

We got about 20 people email straight away. So we sort started doing a few training sessions, few beginners, we had eight or nine turn up and then a couple of weeks down the line obviously a whole sort of section from another club made contact and we just said, listen, no offence, you're another team, you've got to do where you are and then if you decide to come, we're going to carry on with what we're doing. We decided to come and they did. So we've now got...

12 of them come over for the initial training sessions. Why didn't a few more come over? As the weeks went on a few more come over but the initial training sessions like 12 and all the rest of it. It's just built and built but what is good we've got Duncan Parker who is a phenomenal ladies coach. He took Trojans up through the leagues. He's been a Hampshire lead coach for years. Did he approach you or did you manage? Was he already part of the club or did you manage? To be fair not really. They brought him. They brought him with them. He just sort of signed on to do it.

and then they brought him with them when they came. Yeah, fair play. Yeah, but it's going like, we were chatting the other night, and him, when the ladies' kit turned up, put it up and sent him a picture, and he was like, do you know how good it is to be at proper rugby club? A club that's got a kit. Well, but not just a kit. not second Not me down one, yeah. But it's just what we are. Again, if they pay their £25. Yep.

We're not calling them men and women, we're calling them senior players. They're one of us. They've got the physio, they've got the same access to the physio. So if you go to away games for the rugby club, we've got a mileage system, we pay the petrol. It doesn't matter what team we proud. If you take a car and you've got least three people in it. OK, so carpooling and you're If you carpool, it shouldn't cost you to go the other side of the county to have a game of rugby. You know it always ends up being the same people driving. Yeah, of course it does.

But mate, it works. No, it's brilliant. So obviously, what league are they going to be in? Have they got many games lined up? Because they're in first year in the league, well, being a system, they're going to be in the Warrior League this year. But we sort of spoke to the RFU and all the rest and they said if the fixtures and the results are so wide, they're going bump up. At least if they don't.

Us and the coaches, we just go out for a unit. We might go out league and stay there for five years. Don't care. As long as they're playing rugby and enjoying it. We want them playing regular rugby. So we've got our first eight or nine friendlies lined up. So obviously if you manage to get two teams out, that automatically bump you ones or have you got to make more fixtures for your twos on top separately? You know what mate, we'll go out. We'll deal with that when it comes but we've already got what we're good at at the minute.

As we've grown we've already had pre -set people ready to jump in when it needs to happen. So we've already got communicators, volunteers ready. There were two teams kicked off, the fixtures will be found, the kits will be ordered. Yeah, brilliant. And we're going with this, we'll deal with it when it comes. No, it's good. And obviously a club being in a good financial position helps with that as well. Being organised, making sure you know what you've got coming in, where it goes out.

So we do like a member card system. So we give you £25 you get a membership card. we give you a 15 % or 20 % uplift. So it's like the most expensive point in there to a member is £3, 5p. Yeah, that's quality. So what you do, you get people buy bit. £20 on your card and you end up with £22 on it. Yeah.

changing costs on the members benefit. Just tap and go sort of thing. yeah. But what we... Exactly that. then, like, so now, what another thing we've actually done...

We've opted to have bar staff working every Saturday, every Sunday. What we did notice, if you're a social member, actually the club's only open on Saturday, but you're playing the same member now as a player member, so there's no social benefits. So what have we done now? We've opened the club every Saturday and Sunday. This Sunday there was over 50 -something people in there on a Sunday. It was Sunday afternoon, there's 50 people sat We'd chuck the games on and stuff like that. We'd play for all the Sky Sports, we'd pay for everything.

open after training on a Tuesday and Thursday. really? you said you do food as well? that's quality. And we're actually, we're getting money over the bar and as well. which the land allows us. People know it's open, so even if it's local social members, they know they can come up and That's it, totter down, watch the training, cup and again the other Show me across the road as you said. It's got big TV up there, the football goes on or the rugby goes on.

and the local pubs, you know they're £5 .50 a pint. The amount of people we're pulling in, they used to wander over and watch it and walk off. So we started chatting to them, we love watching the rugby, we're going to go and have a few cans now. So why don't you come up here? And it's like, now we've actually got a following, it's really, and it is bizarre, we've got a following off the estate to get a home and away with our first team. And it's just like, there's a little group, 10, 15 of them.

Never knew them again three years ago. They turned up in all Millbrook kit, going away, cheering the boys, they know all the lads by name, everyone says hello to them every week. Brilliant. And it's just through having a social membership. No, that's quality. And that's what rugby's about. You gain a family that you don't always want, but they're always there, aren't they? Well, our Facebook thing is, we are Millbrook, we are a family. Because when you come in, we look after each other. And we take a few special memberships on with that, obviously. I was going to say, does it get a default?

There are some special people around but hey, they pay their membership and we take their money and we the same. we just scored again.

So lads, it's been pleasure the talk Obviously, thank you so much for your hospitality. Obviously, we'll get this edited up, share everything on the pod. Is there anything you want to call out the people? Get yourselves down to Millbrook and if you're local, come and watch them. Firstly, thanks to the sponsors that allowed this for us. At the end of the day, we've got big ideas. We don't have the funding, we can't run any of it. So thank you to the sponsors first of If I forgot anyone earlier on, thank you. I was going to say, the list sounds pretty long. it is extensive. But again...

invest in us because they know we're doing the right thing. Secondly, you're local to Millbrook, you live in the SO post, just come along. Just come along. You'll walking through that club door, I guarantee you won't walk out of it. If you're a beginner, you've never played before, we will train you. If you're decent, you've had a good level, we will train you. We'll give you the ones or the twos and we'll just go from there. So anyone who walks out that door will be treated the same. That's quality. Jordie it's been a pleasure. Thank you very much for coming down today, mate. Glad you enjoyed the lunch. Spot on. A prop can't ever turn down bit of lunch.

Rugby Through The Leagues (39:42)
not managed to get the pre -match or the half -time because I ended up getting dragged across to play a charity game. And you also managed to have a beer. yeah.

for lunch and then one after. And then one before, one during and then one after the game. Okay. Standard. It a charity game. I wasn't expecting the play. And how did you get on? How was your charity game? I did alright mate. And what position did you play? I played eight. You played eight? Okay. And how many tries did you get? One. Good work. I watched, I thought it was pretty good. It was nice to see you dusting off the boot. Yeah mate. The one thing I will say as a coach, two hands on the ball Carl. No, no chance. This one hand carrying Malarkin Mate, I'm part for Which part?

I wasn't getting there, there you go. How did it go today? Yeah really good, I think it was a great opportunity for us to sort of expose ourselves to a bit of team play and sort of see how we can get that structure. I think we're a bit rusty in the first 10 -15 minutes, people trying to work out what everyone else is doing. We've got new centre partnerships, we've got different players playing a little bit out of position but that's kind of what we have to do.

Today was a great opportunity, thanks to Millbrook for putting on a friendly and actually a great day. Hopefully we can up and have a drink before we have to head back. Those are the sorts of things we want to see and that's the other thing. We exposed some young players, I got an opportunity to some young players in there. So a new colt we stepped up from last season, played on the wings, we tried, that was absolutely great. What was the score in the end? Not sure, think it was seven tries to one. Reality is, the score is...

immaterial? I think as I said to you a lot of the ones that played were actually twos and threes that had sort of already played a game before and for Millbrook so they've obviously managed to get four games on but obviously I think they had a lot of players that were mixing in between as well and that obviously gave you guys a good opportunity to run through your drills and get some tries under the belt I think everything looks.

ready pretty much there for the start of season? Yeah, think there's a couple of things. We've got two training sessions before we play at home against Pompey on Saturday. Opening game of the season is always a tough one anyway. It gets my heart pumping as well and then we get Pompey as well. It makes it even better.

Yeah, it's a weird condition and a weird situation to be in. I really want to go in and enjoy it, but for ten minutes my heart flutters and I think I do more work than they do out on the pitch. Definitely my heart beats more often than theirs. We learnt a lot today from our players and I think the players learnt a lot about each other. Do think you've pretty much got your first team picked in your head? No, I genuinely believe it's going to be tough decisions this week.

There's a few people who have been away, know, that haven't been around for the last few weeks because they've been on holiday or they've been, you know, on leave, our servicemen are back next week. And we'll sort of see what happens at training on Tuesday and Thursday and sort of...

Let the players sort of pick themselves for them. You've got to those opportunities. When you get the opportunity, you've got to take it. Do you reckon the plan is to try and stretch Portsmouth next week because they do love it up front at times? you think with the Colts coming up, they've got a bit of pace in the backs, the back line sort of worked pretty well today? think we played Pompey three times last season and we were unsuccessful twice, which is frustrating for us.

We're playing against a well -drilled, organised team. We'll sort see what happens. Matt's done a good job over there and Chris Jones is over there. They've got some boys coming back. Next week's going to be tough, no matter what.

It's Gosport Park so anything can happen. never know what the weather's going to be either. well, looking at it, we need a little bit of rain this week. Hopefully soften up that pitch. I think the boys have been asking for it. we don't know what it's going to be like. Two's playing at home or away? No, Two's league season doesn't start until the two weeks after. Hopefully we can get pre -season friendly going the following Saturday to get them running around.

Hopefully we can get all those boys down at the club on supporting, get some money spent over the bar, hopefully the new bar will be open. downstairs? Yeah, the downstairs bar, hopefully we can get that pitchside bar open, get it used, get some beers drunk and then don't forget that the senior players have got a disco in the club on Saturday night. Most people welcome, let's have a few drinks and then roll on Sunday morning. So, start for the season hopefully mate.

Yeah, it's always positive. No matter what happens, you've always got look for the positives. I think in this day and age, if you just constantly shout at people and remind them that there's some negatives, that they forget that actually they did a load of good stuff. I think you lost a couple of players who have disappeared off to Havent without telling you. Is that where the party line is? Well, no, I think...

People can choose to play their rugby wherever they want. It doesn't affect me. You've got the right players to slot back in anyway, haven't you? Each to their own. People want to play the rugby at the highest level they can possibly play. If they get the opportunity to go and do that and then stretch themselves and play some level 4 rugby, then yeah, fair enough.

Hopefully we're building a team and bit of cohesiveness and hopefully that team bonding, that cohesiveness drives us forward and gets us an opportunity to battle for some big wins this week or this season. This season, yeah. Brilliant. Cool. All right, I'll see you Tuesday. Cheers, mate. See you Tuesday.

Carl (45:33)
Right, that brings another episode to an end. I really wanna take a second just to say thank you to everyone that keeps joining, sharing, watching the episodes. I really appreciate everything that everyone's trying to do. We've got big plans for the pod, we've got big guests lined up. I know I keep saying it, but we have got some big, big plans come up and we've got guests lined up. We've been investing in the pod as well. So we really wanna keep this moving forward and hopefully,

being able to get out into the grassroots rugby as well for the next couple of episodes. We'll allow you lot to see what makes it tick, what's a game day. For those that haven't seen the games as well, which would be a positive, open the door and see what you can get because this week obviously we made it over to Gosport, then over to Millbrook, managed to bump into the flaming unicorns. I managed to run around in a kit wearing a gangster unicorn on it, which...

I didn't realize it was part of my life goals, but I've now ticked that off the list. So 100 % worthwhile. And that's the amazing factor of rugby. You're able to go and meet and bump into people that you wouldn't always meet in other streams of life and you become part of the family. I'm part of that WhatsApp group, Flaming Unicorns already. And it's an amazing place to be. next week we've managed to make it up to Newbury for their

for last pre -season game against Swindon. So that was obviously done on the Friday in between this, but I didn't want to make this too long, but we managed to make a whole episode around Newbury and Swindon, Newbury's accommodation and what they're trying to do for promoting the game on social media as well. It was amazing, reached out, they were more than accommodating. We managed to get pre -match, halftime, post -match interviews with everyone. It was a really big...

big movement, they've managed to, they've invited me up as well for a league lunch on the 14th for their home game, which possibly if I'm still around, I'm looking at making up there as well. So it'd be really good to see how they got on the start of the season. So we got some really humble and down to earth, proper grassroots rugby episodes coming up for the next few. And then we get back to a bit more of the interview style in the coming weeks as well. So we're going to try and mix up what we got. So.

Really hope you enjoy the new format for this and how we've mixed it together to give a little bit of a mix. But drop us on the socials, let us know how you think it's gone. Make sure you like, share and subscribe and everything and keep growing that pod. Thank you and goodbye.