Harrogate Rugby Union Football Club (HRUFC) played host to a contingent of Scandinavian visitors keen to learn more about the game in Yorkshire.
The eight visitors from Norway, Sweden and Denmark plus representatives from the Rugby Football Union and Yorkshire Rugby Football Union were at the club’s Claro Road ground as part of the Rugby Football Union’s ‘Unity Project’ which is working with 17 European countries to drive growth in rugby ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2015.
The contingent spent a weekend in Harrogate and watched a match involving the 1st XV and games featuring members of the club’s ladies and junior squads.
Club chairman James Smithies said: The object was to show them how rugby has grown in the UK and how they might go about developing their own initiatives back in their home countries. On behalf of HRUFC, it was great to have the opportunity to welcome them to Claro Road.
Harrogate Rugby Club is preparing to move to a new ground and clubhouse at Follifoot in early 2015. The club has launched its £200,000 Cockerel Appeal to help cover the remaining cost of its new home, the majority of which has been funded by the club’s deal with developers Crest who bought the current Claro Road ground.
The club and its members have raised another £135,000 but need a further £200,000 to ensure Harrogate Rugby enters a new chapter in its 143-year history debt-free.
There are many ways to support The Cockerel Appeal – from sponsorship packages to direct donations. The sponsorship packages include match sponsorship, supporting the club’s annual junior festival – the largest in the North of England – and the club’s annual dinner.
To find out more about The Cockerel Appeal and the sponsorship/donation opportunities available, contact the club’s commercial chairman Clive Wright: clive.wright@clarityarts.com
