Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm a 26 year old Quantity Surveyor from Portadown, working in Belfast. I was involved in Portadown Rugby Club from an early age participating in the minis. It has always been a bit of a family affair, my dad was a player and subsequently a coach for a number of years, and my mum was involved in the club as bar manager for a time. Both my brothers also played for PRFC. I moved back to Portadown during the pandemic and played my first senior season for PRFC women’s team in 2019/20.
How did you get involved in volunteering in sport?
Our women's team managers were looking for some help with a bit of social media promotion, I had a little experience so I offered to give them a hand and it spiraled from there.
What is your volunteering role within the club?
I am currently a member of our women's social committee, mini fixtures secretary, minis’ coach and on the sponsorship committee.
What does your role entail?
- Women's Social Committee - organising events/fundraisers for our senior women's team, most recently we attended the Ulster v Munster match in Kingspan Stadium.
- Mini Fixtures Secretary - organising the minis’ fixture list for the season, coordinating with the other clubs for fixtures and the organisation of our mini festival at the end of the season.
- Minis Coach - I am currently a part of our P3 coaching team, helping our lead coach during training sessions.
- Sponsorship Committee - This is my most recent role, I am currently helping coordinate the collection/promotion of our ‘Your Club, Your Country’ tickets and helping with the administrative duties behind our pre-match lunches.
What attracted you to the role?
I am a passionate supporter of Portadown RFC and recognise that there is a large amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure the success of the club and its various sections. I just like to offer support in any way that I can.
How long have you been volunteering in sports and has it always been in this role?
I started volunteering in 2020 so about 3 years. Initially I was running our women's team social media including creation and distribution of posts and was part of the larger team that runs our social media across all platforms.
Did you have any Rugby experience before you started Volunteering?
I have played rugby on and off my entire life, I picked up full contact rugby in the summer of 2019, so I have volunteered for most of the time I have played at a senior level.
Do you think it’s essential to have rugby experience to volunteer in your role or can anyone do it?
No, the majority of my volunteering is in an administrative capacity, and the coaching that I provide to P3 is well guided and supplemented by the CPD programme offered by Ulster Rugby.
Why did you decide to Volunteer in your club?
It just felt like the right thing to do to support my club.
Have you gained any new skills through volunteering?
Yes, during my time in the social media team I learnt a lot about graphic design and content promotion and marketing. I have also gained confidence in coaching through my exposure to it.
Has volunteering improved your confidence, if so, how?
Absolutely, as a young professional I have found the involvement in committees a way to improve my confidence in meetings and my ability to voice my opinions.
Has Volunteering in sport impacted positively on your life?
Yes, it has given me the opportunity to interact with many wonderful people within the club and other volunteers across the province that I would never have met otherwise. There is also a deep satisfaction with watching the improvement of our minis as they progress from year to year.
Have you had any volunteering highlights?
Coordinating the successful distribution of nearly 1000 hot dogs to hungry children after a rainy Portadown mini festival last season!
What would you tell other people who would like to get involved in Rugby but who don’t play or have no experience in rugby?
Knowledge of the game has absolutely no impact on your ability to contribute, a Rugby club is a community and every member of the community has something different to offer.
For more information on how you could become a coach, click here