Mission Statement

The Southbridge Rugby Football Club’s mission is to support and encourage a healthy approach to rugby and training for individuals of all levels of ability. Through the camaraderie of a club atmosphere, members enjoy rugby for the purposes of general fitness as well as personal and team goals. As a group, the SRFC will participate in as well as promote rugby as a fitness-related activity throughout the Canterbury Region. The Southbridge Rugby Football Club also provides opportunities for other clubs and organizations within the local community to assist with their fundraising activities.
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Rugby in Ellesmere: The Southbridge Rugby Football Club has been servicing the rugby community in Ellesmere since 1876. Currently, the SRFC is made up of 50 active members that service the game from a committee and a coaching/management level throughout all grades — from Division 1 to Under 6’s. We have around 250 registered players at our club, which is very high considering the size of our community. We also have a very strong Golden Oldies section in the club.

The SRFC provides two referees in the Ellesmere competition.

The rugby season runs from March, starting with pre-season games and the competition kicks off the first weekend of April, ending around the first weekend of August. Over the course of the season we play at many different venues throughout the Canterbury Country Region from Glenmark to Hinds, we are very much in the public eye of the rural community throughout Canterbury.

The SRFC over the past few years has attracted a large amount of media attention, this is especially apparent with our Division 1 side due to Daniel Carter (Past All Black) being a member of the SRFC and also a squad member of the Division 1 side, Dan managed to play 3 games during the 2020 season with over 70,000.00 people watching the live streams of 2 of these games. 

Objectives

A principal objective of the Southbridge Rugby Football Club is to promote the code and raise funds for the development of ‘grassroots’ rugby in Southbridge. Funds are raised by way of sponsorship, donations, fundraising activities, exhibition games, guest speaker evenings, auctions, firewood, vegetable harvesting, packing containers of potatoes for export, hay carting, and other casual labour.

Behind our games, we have a vibrant club that exists for the purpose of supporting the players, promoting the rugby culture, and reaching out to the community. More importantly, the club serves to introduce new players to the game. The club is proud of the manner in which it strives to maintain many of the traditional values associated with club rugby. The club is very supportive of its players and families and as a result, are able to generate a club atmosphere that is the envy of many and a sponsorship family that is the envy of many.

Community

Southbridge Rugby celebrates life. Participation and fair play are important elements of our game. While rugby is the major focus, we also seek to promote rugby fitness within the community. A group of senior players are also actively involved with the JAB rugby program, passing on skills and knowledge to the next generation of player.

The Southbridge Rugby Club has a strong presence in the Canterbury region and is also well known throughout New Zealand.

The Southbridge Rugby Football Club holds the annual Albert Anderson Player of The Year Day. This is where the outstanding player for our club over the past season is named and presented with a fantastic trophy and a Player of the Year jacket. On this day a Southbridge invitation team mainly made up of Division 1 members and nominees for the trophy, play a game against an invited side, but this day is certainly not just about rugby. It is about helping our community, each year we call for applicants from within our community to fundraise for their benefit. Normally the successful applicant would raise around $15,000 for their organization on this day. The SRFC makes no financial gain as it is all focused on the success of the non-profit organization. A few of the successful applicants in the past have been: Southbridge Swimming Club, Southbridge Volunteer Fire Brigade, Southbridge School, Leeston Toy Library, Leeston School and Southbridge Playcentre.. there are too many to list. Over the years as a club, we have helped these organizations raise in excess of over $400,000 which has been a huge success story and one our club is very proud of.

Goals

  • Provide a fun rugby competition for all ages
  • Invite the local community to join in and promote the sport of rugby
  • Support and develop local junior rugby in the Ellesmere and Canterbury region
  • Fundraise and support local charities
  • Further player, coach, manager and referee development
  • To win the Division 1 Competition 
  • To win the Division 2 Competition 
  • To be a strong JAB Club and provide a good environment for all players to develop and learn.
  • To grow our Sponsorship Family
  • To extend our clubrooms
  • To monitor the wellbeing of all our club members
  • To be the ‘Strongest Club and Brand’ in country rugby.