Last Saturday marked a significant milestone for one of Reigate’s leading community clubs, Reigate Rugby Football Club.
As they celebrated their 90th anniversary by taking on the Royal Navy Academy in a match to honour the first game that took place at the club on 13th October 1934.
Tucked away at the foot of Reigate Hill, down a rather bumpy part of Colley Lane, I walked down to the pitch in the drizzling rain, to grab a bite to eat and find out what all the fuss was about.
It was no coincidence that the sun made an appearance as club President John Mckee stepped out to make his speech, beginning with the line ‘The sun is shining’. The sun does certainly shine on this club, evident through a rugged determination to create an environment where all are welcome, all are celebrated and there is an atmosphere of joy in the air regardless of which side is winning.
With a jam-packed celebratory day that included special guests, entertainment, youth team matches, the main match event and a walking rugby invitational tournament, the management team pulled out all the stops to create a very memorable day.
Plotting the past with a special guest
To mark this special day, the club hit the history books to uncover the story behind the club. The ground is named in memory of Eric Hodgkins, with most club members aware that he served in the RAF and died during the Battle of Britain. Through the power of social media, they were able to track down and invite Eric’s daughter, Jane Heming Johnson (née Hodgkins) as an honorary guest to mark the occasion, along with her grandchildren Louise and Alexander.
It was the first time members of the Hodgkins family have been to the club since the early 50’s, and much to the club’s amusement, the meeting also uncovered the truth behind the legend of Eric Hodgkins, discovering that an old photograph the club members held dear of him at the club, wasn’t actually his portrait! And, whilst he did serve during the Battle of Britain, he did return, then according to his obituary played most of his Rugby at Old Reigations and passed away some years later!
An interview with Chairman John Mckee
We caught up with Rugby club President John McKee to find out more about the story behind the celebrations and their plans for the future.
Tell us more about the history of the club and the significance of today?
Formed in 1934, Reigate RFC played its first game against the RNVR (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) on almost the same site as our ground is today. Post-war the land we occupy was bequeathed in perpetuity to the Club by George and Averil Hodgkins of Reigate in honour of their son Eric.
Fast forward 70 years, and we lay foundations for the next part of our journey. Our ambition represents the next steps taking us from a traditional all male, grass-roots rugby club to a multi-sport facility equipped to benefit the local community, supporting a wide range of sports and social use.
That new journey started in 2002, when Reigate RFC launched the Minis section for the first intake of under 5s, offering a social, family-friendly environment for kids to enjoy exercise, fresh air and a healthy dollop of Surrey mud. The club wanted the Minis section to stand out from the crowd from the outset.
The impact of the Minis section on the club was enormous. The kids, their parents, carers and siblings brought with them a wave of new ideas and opinions for the future of Reigate. It was great to see the club getting so much more use, with an increase in the number of active members benefiting from the superb facilities. Consultation and input from these new stakeholders, reinforced our core values, to be a fun, family-friendly, community orientated and inclusive club.
Input from our new extended membership was actively sought and then acted on. In 2006, the gym and fitness facility (Bodies in Design) was opened to provide a female friendly environment offering a wide range of courses ranging from Pilates and spinning to weight training. A bonus was the option of utilising our eight acres of land outside the pavilion too! In addition, kitchen facilities were renovated so we could better cater for spectators on wet winter days, by offering hot drinks and snacks.
For the next six years, the club developed organically, growing the Minis section by adding a new age group every year. This manageable, steady growth enabled the club to retain the friendly, social cohesion of a small club. During this phase, we continued to look for new ways to develop a healthy mindset that “sport is fun” and “everyone gets to play” adding exciting activities and outings to our annual schedule.
What were the main challenges faced in navigating your teams into the position they are in today?
Like almost every junior club we face competition for time, commitment, players, members and volunteers. And like almost every junior club, we needed to evolve and understand what makes our club an attractive proposition over other clubs – why come to Reigate RFC? Without doubt, the creation of our Mini and Youth section has underpinned almost everything we have achieved on and off the pitch. It's the growbag that everything else, including our seniors, relies on.
Do you have a senior and junior coaching philosophy at the club?
Certainly, at a junior level a fun, family friendly, community orientated and inclusive philosophy underpins what we do. Inevitably as we progress from Youth and Colts through to senior rugby you blend all of the above with a competitive streak. We want to progress; we want to do our best to compete and win games through the age-groups.
Would you consider Reigate FC to be a community club and how do you engage with local people and businesses?
100%. Over the last 20+ years the club has developed its links in the community in particular with local schools. This pro-active outreach programme introduces children to the concept of taking part in a fun, outdoor, team sports.
From 2010 onwards, the club grew along with our relationships in the local community. RRFC was always proactive not reactive, keen to get involved, support wider community projects or work with other sports clubs. As the club grew, the ethos and mission transitioned from a family friendly, inclusive rugby club to an active part of and force for good in our local community. Outreach and engagement resulted in identifying new ways to put Reigate RFC facilities or energy to use in support of the wider community:
We proactively looked for opportunities to work with and support schools, clubs and organisations within the local community ecosystem. Both in our own planning and when engaging with other organisations, we recognise the value of owning eight acres of safe, green fields at the foot of the North Downs; it enables us to take the long-term view. We recognise the benefit of this stability and predictability for small volunteer-run organisations and look to form long-term relationships that underpin their future. This can be seen through our relationships with Reigate Priory Football Club and Reigate Womens Lacrosse Club.
How important are your sponsors to your club?
They are so valuable to us, and we are tremendously grateful in particular to FXD Capital, Regenerus Labs and PJS Building Services for supporting the club in so many tangible ways. Sponsorship partners allow us to do the ‘nice to haves’ as well as the must haves, which other junior clubs may not be able to devote resources to.
Can you share with us your ambitions or development plans on and off the pitch?
Back in 2016, when we were confident we had strong coaches in place with a thriving junior section our focus turned to improving our facilities and offering. Grant applications were made and success with London Marathon Charitable Trust, Biffa via the Wildlife Trust, the Big Lottery Fund, the RFU and many fundraising activities meant we raised matching funds for a new training pitch, new overflow carpark, new changing and new shower facilities to accommodate our growing female section. Add to this a club room refurb and we were fit-for-purpose to maximise our offering to a wider community.
Fast forward to 2022/3 and our focus switched to installing new drainage across 2 pitches, adding solar panels and refurbishing and segregating our showers. We have been successful in our applications and are immensely grateful to Reigate and Banstead Council via their CIL fund (council infrastructure levy) and to Surrey County Council and the Your Fund Surrey grant. This significant investment in drainage has enabled us to offer our pitch facilities to other local clubs.
We have welcomed Reigate Women’s Lacrosse to our ground – they now have a permanent home here at Colley Lane and we have also opened our club to Reigate Priory Football Club, the oldest club in Surrey, who use our facilities throughout the week.
Another exciting recruitment initiative is our partnership with Community Workers employed by the council in every Ward. We tend to focus on areas in Reigate and Banstead where rugby might not be the first sport of choice, but where there is an appetite to engage. We take rugby to these schools or communities through our volunteer coaches, offering boys and girls the opportunity to have fun and potentially try something new.
Earlier this year, we launched our rugby for schools development programme and by the end of this year we anticipate having coached nearly 3000 children cumulatively.
Reigate Rugby Club is coaching rugby in Epsom Downs Primary, Salfords Primary, Sandcross, Reigate School, St Bedes and Carrington. This is not a one-off but rather a long-term initiative which will benefit not only the health of the Boroughs’ children but the long-term future of our club.
So finally, what makes your club such a great place to be part of?
The people, our members, the good things we do, the difference 60+ volunteers make each week, the shared past memories, the shared future goals, our location and a fine pint of Guinness.
We are so grateful to John for inviting us down for the day to experience a piece of Reigate’s sporting history. For more information about Reigate Rugby Football club visit their website (or follow using the links below.)