Story
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Mumbles RFC as a rugby club is going from strength to strength on the field. With over 750 members, 14 different teams, including ladies and girls, the growth and success is truly phenomenal and a credit to all the members, parents, coaches, volunteers, committee and directors – the Mumbles RFC Community.
The rugby club is the cornerstone of the community and everyone in the village recognises the blue and navy stripes. The Club House, however, is a different story and is facing imminent closure without the help of its members and the community.
The club was originally founded in 1887 but it wasn't until the 1950's that it was realised that the Mumbles RFC Community needed to lay claim to a permanent home. A building appeal fund was launched and a search to find a home began. Fortuitously, the two stone cottages on the site of the present club house came on the market and what followed was an exciting but hectic period for Mumbles RFC...intense activity for many months...hundreds of man-hours...a true community effort to develop the club house with many of the members donating their money, time and skills. In amongst the frustrations and set backs, it was the experience and tolerance of the Mumbles RFC Community that guided everything to a successful conclusion. From that point on the Mumbles RFC had its first address, its sense of identity and a sense of belonging.
Over the last 70 years, the club house has hosted local teams and touring teams from as far afield as the USA, Canada and even hosted the New Zealand Māori veterans team in the 1980s - a hard fought match which the Mumbles boys won convincingly (superb reffing by Mumbles RFC's Peter Ebenezer of course!!!). Its not all about the rugby though - the club house plays host to charity events, birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations of life... the list goes on.
The club house is an old building in need of much care and maintenance, energy costs alone are thousands of pounds per month. The committee, and especially the club directors, have been working tirelessly over the last six months to try and keep the club going. Increased social events have helped, but the success of those events alone is not enough. We now need the support of you...our members...our community and our friends....
We want to keep the club house accessible to all, we want to keep the club house as the centre of the rugby club and we just want to keep our home.
We would be grateful for any financial support you can give, or any volunteering with maintenance (sparkies and roofers especially).
By working together, we believe that the Mumbles RFC Community can save our beloved clubhouse and ensure it continues to be a home for rugby, community events, and local history for generations to come.