Tell us a bit about your life outside of Rugby.
I graduated from Ulster University in April 2022 with a 2:1 degree in Marketing BSc Hons. I worked for my parents in our family business for six years where I was a Retail Assistant in our VIVO shop, but we closed the doors to the shop in September 2022 and I have since been working freelance as a Marketing Executive for five different businesses.
I’m getting married in January 2023 and my fiancé and I are busy working at getting our new house into shape for that. I am an Assistant Leader with my local Girlguiding group, 1st Clogher Girl Guides and a Peer Educator for Girlguiding Ulster, so Volunteering was a part of my life since I was 16.
How did you get involved with Rugby?
Simply put, I started going out with one of the 1st XV players, Paul Armstrong, who is now the Club Captain. I had never played Rugby (and still haven’t!) and had only ever been to one Rugby match before I met Paul, and this was to an Ulster match in Kingspan because all my family was going. I started dating Paul in January 2019, and by January 2020, I was the club’s Social Media Manager.
I always viewed the club’s current social media offering as quite poor and knew that I could do something to improve it. I had a meeting with the PRO at the time, and he was very open to me changing it up, and so I went and started a Social Media strategy, set up a Facebook page and it has just gone from there. I started the Instagram page in March 2020 and most recently a TikTok account in August 2022. I showed an interest in photography and started to take photos at matches which I also continue to do so, alongside the club’s photographers.
What attracted me to this role was the challenge of turning it into what it is now, it’s exactly what I envisioned it could be. I also love all things Marketing and PR, as well as working with people, and being the PRO for Clogher Valley RFC is a perfect blend of just that.
Tell us more about your current role.
I was the Social Media Manager for the Club from January 2020 to June 2022, when I was promoted to the role of Public Relations Officer. My role entails managing our three Social Media platforms – Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, uploading match dates, photos and videos and driving engagement with our local community. As well as the social media, I also enjoy designing other advertising materials for the club such as posters, flyers, and event tickets. Each week is different in terms of how much time I spend working for the club. In the lead up to big matches and fundraising events, I could easily spend one or two working days to give the event coverage, but generally about 6-8 hours a week does it.
What have you learned from getting involved in the club?
Volunteering is a rewarding job to have, and I have met some incredible people through the Rugby club and made many new friends. I have developed my communication and teamwork skills and learned some professional photography as well. Volunteering in the rugby club has given me some brilliant opportunities and introduced me to new business.
If you are thinking about Volunteering in Rugby, I couldn’t recommend it anymore than I already have. Don’t be thinking that you need to understand the game or even play it, because I can honestly say that I hadn’t a clue when I started (and still am not 100% sure of all the rules on the pitch!). You learn as you go along, and I had the support of club members to help me get started in my role. It’s now a huge part of my life, I enjoy going to the matches, meeting up with players to get interviews, shooting videos with the younger sections and most of all, just being a part of it all and joining in their successes
