The issue with the club this season, without going into great detail, is while a lot of players have left the club, some relocating down south, some to other clubs and the rest packing in playing altogether, we have also had people off the field leave the club and the club have been guilty of overlooking vital facets of running and maintaining a rugby club both on and off the field. While other clubs were actively planning for the return of rugby after the cancelled 20/21 season there was no such planning taking place at the Bees.
What has happened during this season, is a small group of ex-players are volunteering their time to pull together what they can to keep the club going and planning for not just next season but to build a model for future years. What is clear is the club need to recruit players to be able to compete at this level, the current squad would struggle to compete even in Y1 and Y2. We have a pool of u16's and u17's coming through who will boost the playing numbers over the next 2-3 years allowing for a 2nd XV as well as 1st XV. New sponsors have been secured with more sponsors being lined up for next season.
In terms of financing the team next season, there is likely money available for the playing side which won't be going in brown envelopes but instead funding kit, equipment and allowing players to have a well earned beer or two after the games. Bingley Music Live which is now rebranded Bingley Weekender since its relocation to Bradford & Bingley RFC brings in a large revenue which has been missing for two years due to the pandemic forcing its cancellation. This is returning this year in August, will create a welcome boost to the club.
