Also, one final new face is Dave McAllister who will be working closely with Ben and the rest of the coaching staff in his role as U20’s Coach. 

Of course, it takes many others to ensure that our various rugby teams can take to the pitch every weekend, and I would like to thank all of the coaches, managers, kit managers, physios and of course players at all levels in the club that make this a reality throughout the season.

A very important section of the club is our Mini’s and Youths section.  My former Bective team mate Richie Maybury and the rest of his team of parents (including many other former team mates) put a huge amount of work to get over 300 boys and girls from ages 5 to 18 training and playing rugby week in week out.  This achievement alone is a phenomenal tribute to the volunteerism that exists in a club such as Bective.

Off the pitch our Strategic Plan 2023-2028 was officially launched in the clubhouse during the summer of 2024.  The plan has six main components; Rugby Ambition, Clubhouse & Facilities, Branding & Communications, Community, Finance & Sponsorship and Governance.  Although this is a five-year plan, there are many tangible results of the plan to be seen already in place, on and off the pitch.  While only one component of the plan, the most obvious is the major renovations undertaken to the clubhouse over the last year or so.  This is yet another indication of the level of effort of club members providing time and expertise in a voluntary way.  The Strategic Plan has been a number of years in the making and has been overseen by three different Club Presidents and two different Club Chairpersons!  I would like to thank all involved in this huge undertaking and in particular those who continue to work with the plan to ensure its full implementation over the coming years.  The plan is available to all via our club website, and I would encourage all to take a look to see for themselves the great work that is being undertaken in the club across the six key components described above.

While a lot of effort put in by our volunteer members is very plain to see in the teams playing on the pitch and the clubhouse improvements, there is much unseen voluntary effort in rugby clubs up and down the country that is a critical component to the success of the operation.  I would like to pay tribute to all of these unseen heroes in Bective, including members of our Executive Committee, Trustees and those many untitled people working continuously in the background, ensuring that the club can always put its best foot forward in all circumstances.  It may be stating the obvious, but the club would not be able to function without all of this effort; these people are the backbone of the club and every hour that is contributed really makes a difference, so please let us know if you can contribute even a few hours a month.

I would like to thank the outgoing members of our Executive Committee for all of their effort and work over the last number of years: David O’Donnell, Mark Jones, Emmett Sheridan, Conor Heffernan and Marisa Guerrero.  While I will not go into details of what they all individually contributed, I will say that their replacements have big shoes to fill!

I welcome Snow Technology back as our main sponsor for the upcoming season.  Thank you to all our sponsors and financial contributors; your ongoing support is key to our future success and should never be underestimated as to its importance to the club.  Our ongoing match day lunches provide a key income to the club, but also allows our visitors to experience the Bective hospitality up close!  Thank you to all who contribute to their organisation and your great effort in making sure that everybody has a great time.

I hope that all of our members join us in Donnybrook for our home matches at all levels this season, and whenever possible, our away matches too; this support means a huge amount to the players and coaches and is key to maintaining a positive atmosphere in the club.  You can of course enjoy the aftermath of matches in the comfort of the Bective Bar where Mark, Sharon and the rest of their team will be happy to welcome you with a tea, coffee or something stronger!  Mark will also always be happy to talk to you regarding any social or business events that could be hosted in the Bective Clubhouse.

On those rare unfortunate occasions when you cannot attend in person, all of our home matches and many of our away matches are streamed live on Bective TV YouTube channel, complete with Chuck’s unique style of commentary and his various sidekick match analysts.

I would like to thank our Immediate Past President Michael Shalloe for all his work last year and his assistance to me in preparing for the role this year. 

I would like to thank Steve McGettigan, Club Chairperson and Jimmy White, Senior Vice President and all of the Executive Committee for their ongoing assistance and guidance throughout the year.  

I would like to extend a particular welcome to all of our visiting team players, coaches and management over the season and hope you enjoy our Bective hospitality and, as always, let’s hope all players walk off the pitch safely.

Finally, I ask we remember with great fondness our members and friends who passed away over the past season.  Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha. 

John Bolger

Club President 2024/2025