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Message from the Chair of Essex RFU

Wednesday, 24 December 2025

On behalf of Essex County RFU I would like to wish you, your club members, our patrons and sponsors a festive Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank you for your support and guidance over the past 12 months, which is humbly accepted.

I would also like to record my thanks to all the Essex Management Team, our RFU support staff and the 90 plus volunteers that enable the CB to do its work. At the recent Presidents Dinner, we awarded 2 life member awards to Ivor Smith and Gerry Mansfield for their incredible service to the County.

I would also like to very much thank our President. Micky Eyres and Head of Club Development, Niall Hornett, for their sterling work in visiting 19 clubs between them, so far this season, which gives us a great insight into the health and needs of our clubs.

Christmas is a time of joy and also reflection and over the past year we have faced a number of issues that have required the CB and the Club’s to work together to ensure the view of Essex Rugby is being heard and next year we will continue to do so especially with the RFU Governance Review (GRR) restarting in January, with a meeting of all the CB Chairs and the new Chair of the review, Sir James Cook, followed shortly after by the CB of the future Review being chaired by Jackie Dyer. I would like to thank Nick Bracken our RFU Council Representative for ensuring that Essex’s views are very clearly understood by the RFU and for hijacking the GRR Team to the Chair’s meeting in Brentwood.

Last week we held a very well attended focus group on the development of Girls Rugby in the County to garner views on the way forward and after Christmas we will hold a number of other focus groups on various areas as we start the planning for the 2026-27 season.

Once again our support to the County Schools Union in delivering festivals has enabled 6000 children to enjoy the teamwork and camaraderie that rugby can bring and only last week 9 of our U18 Boys, were graded to attend the L&SE development pathway.

Over the season along with our core responsibilities, we have also initiated a program to find our leaders of the future, where we will fully fund for up to 6 young people to run a 12 month club initiated project, which if successful will enable them to achieve a Leadership and Management Level 3 – City and Guild award, a program I seriously believe we can be proud of.

We are fully aware that the rugby landscape is ever changing and that devolvement of responsibilities to CB’s as part of the GRR, the new Regional Growth Boards targeting increased revenue and growth of rugby opportunities and the Community Game Board 2030 plan, will require us to review the work started 3 years ago to ensure were we are fit for purpose for the next 5-10 years. This work has started with the appointment of 2 external advisors to the Essex Rugby Board.

Here’s to 2026 and all that it brings, great games, great try’s, full clubhouses and the generosity and friendship that rugby offers all.

Happy Christmas.

Alan Brooking

Chair of Essex Rugby