I am Andrew and I am the new Chair of Eastleigh RFC Juniors. I am really proud to be Chair in what is my twentieth season at, in my biased view, the best club in Hampshire, Firstly, I would like to say thank you to my predecessor, Vikki Quilter, for her hard work as Chair over the past three years and also the work that she has done for the Club in various roles over the past decade.

The first day of the new season for the Club will be on Sunday 31st August. However, pre-season training for many of the older junior sides has already begun and will be taking place over the summer.

Throughout June we have had Summer Touch rugby. This is a “whole club” event involving both the juniors and the seniors with even junior coaches and parents participating. Each week there were over 100 people playing and it was great to be together as one club.

More touch rugby sessions are planned for the mornings of the first two Lions Tests on the 19th and 26th July. Registration is from 9am with the sessions running from 9:30am to 10:30am. At 11:00am, the Lions Test will be shown in the Club. The bar will be open and if a morning pint is too much for you, there will also be tea and coffee available and magnificent breakfast baguettes being sold.

Following the third Lions Test on 2nd August, we will be having a club fun day including a touch rugby session, a petting zoo, and the Senior’s 2nd XV playing their first match of the season.

We have had the first meeting of the Senior Leadership Team this week at which we set the membership fees for the 2025/2026. Membership fees have remained unchanged for the last three years and the costs of running the club have inevitably risen, so membership fees have been increased to £90 for the first child and £50 for the second and any subsequent child. The Club is a registered charity and we run on the principle that ability to pay should not prevent a child from being able to play, so if you have any concerns regarding paying membership fees then please contact your Team Manager or myself.

We are looking at purchasing new shirts for all teams at the Club. We are therefore looking for sponsors. If you know of any business which would be prepared to be a sponsor then please get in contact.

We are run by volunteers and we are always looking for people who can give up their time to help. Currently there is a need for people to help run the kit shop, so please let me know if you would be able to help. Last year the kit shop generated over £4000 in income for the Club and it would be a big loss if it was not able to continue. Please let me know if you would be able to assist with this.

I genuinely believe that we are going to have a great season ahead and I can’t wait to see how all of our sides do. In the meantime, I hope that you are able to enjoy the summer months and get an opportunity to relax before the new season starts.

Go Pirates!

Andrew Browning
Chair – Eastleigh Juniors RFC