Upton Rugby Football Club have elected Peter Dobbin as Chairman at the club’s 2023 AGM.
Rob Heeley, Chair for five years, made the decision to hand over the position having seen the club through COVID and then go from strength to strength after re-opening.
Rob said,
“The last twelve months have seen wonderful changes happening at the club, with a lot of work going on to update the club house, huge growth in junior membership and the development of women’s and girls’ rugby. It’s time now to hand over to someone else who can develop the club through its next stages of growth.
“I have really enjoyed my time as Chair and I am not leaving the club altogether – I just want to enjoy playing and watching the club grow from the sidelines and from the drinking side of the bar!”
Rob’s successor, Peter Dobbin, has been involved with Club for a decade, since his son started playing in the under 7s. He quickly used his previous playing and coaching experience to bring value to Upton, becoming Junior Chair in 2019. Peter’s passion for rugby started in the early ‘80s, playing for Barking RFC and Bedford RFC before joining Worcester RFC when he moved from Essex. Since getting involved with Upton he has really seen the potential for the future of the club and is really excited to get more involved.
Peter said, “I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead. The focus now will be on a five year strategic plan, where we focus on junior players developing through to the adult teams, and feeding back to the juniors their skill and experience, creating a virtuous circle that the whole club can benefit from. Women and girls’ rugby will grow too. The club house is looking spectacular now and our junior section is really thriving – it is a very exciting time for Upton. I’d like to thank Rob for his five years of incredible service as Chair, he has made the job an easy one to take over.”
The new season starts at the beginning of September, with new players and coaches welcomed in junior and senior sections.