GRFC Mini Maroons

News Archive

Season 2006-2007

14 May

Well done to the P6 squad who added to their success on the 'Spring' circuit by winning the final tournament of the year at Selkirk a week past Sunday.

 Please remember the parent and coaches sponsored walk on May the 24th leaving Netherdale at 9.15am. If you require more details please contact Richard Forsyth on 01896 755003.

 The Primary Seven dinner this Friday 16^th May at Netherdale, Thanks again to the Mini Maroons and Gala Rugby for supporting this event. Speaker’s, this year are Andy Mclean, Ritchie Gray & Malcolm Changleng.  

7th May

Last Saturday was the final training session for the Mini's in 2008. A big thanks to all the players, coaches and helpers who have made this a very successful season. With numbers increasing steadily, the future of Gala rugby should be secure. Good luck to all the players from P7 who leave the Mini's and move on to Galashiels Academy and Gala Red Triangle.
Please also remember the coaches and parents sponsored walk on the 24th of May. Cars leave Netherdale at 9 am and we hope to return to Gala mid afternoon. Without the support of the walkers and the money they raise a strain would be put on the finances of the club. Hopefully there will be a good turnout of parents, coaches and friends on the day.
The Primary Seven dinner will take place on Friday 16^th May at Netherdale, all invites are in the post. Thanks again to the Mini Maroons and Gala Rugby for supporting this event. Speaker’s, this year are Andy Mclean, Ritchie Gray & Malcolm Changleng.  Remember replies for the P7 dinner should be sent back to Ian Millar at Netherdale by the 8th of May.

14 April 

This Sunday sees the Mini Maroons hold their annual tournament sponsored by Strakan at Netherdale. As well as teams from Gala, we will be joined by Langholm, Linlithgow, Kelso, Melrose, Selkirk, Kirkcaldy and Duns. In total over 400 children will be taking part in what has become a very successful annual event. The first ties are at 1pm, please come down and enjoy an afternoon of fast, open, exciting rugby.

 Training will be as normal at Netherdale on Saturday morning. We are hoping for a good turnout in order that everybody can play on Sunday.

25 March

A mixed P5/6 game will take place on Saturday prior to the main match, details will be confirmed at training at training.

Plans are well under way for our annual sponsored walk. This year the walk will be on the 24th of May and will be from Traquair to the Salmon via the 3 Brethren. This is always a good day out and helps raise valuable funds for the Mini's. With over 140 children now registered at Netherdale, a good turnout of parents and friends is expected. Full details will be given out to the children at training by the end of March.

11 February

Sunday saw teams from P3 to P7 travel to Dunbar. Despite Peebles pulling out at the last minute, all the teams got plenty of game time playing against Dunbar as well as, in some cases, teams from Gala. Well done to all who played.

There are plenty of fixtures coming up over the next couple of weeks. This Sunday we have arranged an extra fixture against Stewarts Melville. We intend to leave around 10am on Sunday morning. Teams will be selected at training on Saturday morning. 

 The following Saturday, February 23rd, the David Loughton Memorial Tournament is scheduled to take place at Netherdale. This tournament involves P7 teams only from all across the Borders. Gala will be entering 2 teams so a good turnout at training this week is required.

3 December

Training is at the usual time this Saturday with all children asked to be ready to start at 9.30am. After training squads from P3 to P7 will be picked to play in a friendly tournament against Melrose and Selkirk at Selkirk on Sunday. There will be no bus running so we will once again need parents to help out with transport on Sunday morning. Full details of timings will be issued on Saturday.

There are still a few tracksuits to be collected. These can be picked up after training on Saturday morning. Once again everyone at the Minis would like to thank Cullen Kilshaw for their very generous sponsorship of our new tracksuits.

GRFC CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS PARTY

The annual children’s Christmas party will be held in the Centenary lounge on Sunday 9^th December starting at 4.00. Any child up to primary 7 whose parent/relative is a member of the club can attend. Please add names to list on main notice board in the clubhouse.

22 October 2007

Congratulations to the P6 Squad who won the Jed-Forest Mini's tournament at Riverside on Sunday. They set up their victory with a 2 try to 1 win over a Jed team who they have had some great tussles with in the past. Further wins over Selkirk and Kelso saw them win the cup for the second time. Well done to all the children from each age group who played some great rugby on the day.

On Saturday afternoon the P4 squad will be playing in a friendly match before the Gala game. Kick off at 2.30 all P4 players to attend further information will be handed out on Saturday morning. Please give the kids every encouragement as they play in front of their first big crowd.

23rd September - Jedburgh

Last weekend was a very busy one for all at the Mini's. Once again on Saturday morning over 100 children trained at Netherdale as we put in our final preparations for the friendly tournament at Jedburgh on Sunday.

On Sunday morning a large convoy of cars left from Netherdale as teams from P3 to P7 played games against teams from Jed-forest and Berwick. All teams performed very well with a large number of players getting their first game time of the season. Special mention to the P3 players who managed to win all of their games on their first experience of competitive rugby.

 A big thanks from all at the Mini's to all the parents who helped with transport at the weekend.

Training is at Netherdale this Saturday as we prepare for our next tournament at Linlithgow on October the 7th. As this tournament falls within the school October holidays, please let your Head Coach know if you will be available for selection.

Great North Run - Sponsorship

Once again Richard Forsyth will be taking part in the Great North Run on Sunday in an effort to raise some funds for the Mini's. All players should have sponsor forms. If anybody needs a form please get one from your Head Coach. Any donations can be made to the Mini's via any of the coaches or can be left at Gala RFC for the Mini's. 

 Meeting

The next committee meeting is on October 4th at 7pm at Netherdale.

Gala 7s

The Minis have been invited to play before the Gala 7s final on Sunday 1st April (no, really!!), ko approx 5.40 p.m. Teams will be picked from the P4 and P5 squads at training on Saturday morning. Parents inform your coach if your child is available to play

Supporters note that  there are still some £25.00 hospitality packages left for the sevens,  which are sponsored by The Allied Irish Bank (GB). First tie at 1.30.

Border Reivers

Everyone one must now be aware of the SRU decision to axe the Reivers. This is sad day for rugby in the Borders and a disaster for all those involved. On behalf on the the Mini Maroons I have expressed our sadness at this decision and offered our best wishes to the the Reivers. We can show our appreciation and give them a great send-off on their last home game on the 13th.

ProStrakan Tournament Meeting

The next ProStrakan Tournament meeting will be held on 5th April, in the Gala RFC Clubrooms, starting at 7.00 pm. All parents are welcome to attend.

ROONY’S EASTER RUMBLES

Roony will be holding his Easter Rumbles again this year during the School holidays in April. These are open to all children, boys and girls from Primary 3 to 6 on Wednesday 11th, P7 to S2 on Thursday 12^th.  Leaflets now available from Rugby store, Gala Rugby Club office and all Galashiels Primary Schools. There is no charge for these sessions. 

 25th March 2007: Busy Weekend for Minis

On Saturday the P6 squad travelled to Selkirk to play the Rhino's before the Selkirk vs. Gala game. In a highly entertaining game the boys all played some superb rugby and were unlucky only to manage a 3 all draw. Scorers for the Mini's were Ryan Shaw with 2 and Johnny Berry. Well done to all who played.

On Sunday we were at Kelso for their annual tournament. Top team this week were the P7 squad who beat Kelso and Jed forest in their group before meeting a big, strong and fast Marr team in the final. Marr held the edge throughout the game and despite fighting hard all through the game, Gala had to settle for the runners up spot. Well done to all who played across all age groups for their efforts on the day.

Training will be back at Netherdale this week after our return to the park's last week. Thanks to all parents for getting their children to our changed venues on time.

4th February

4th December

It was a busy day for the Mini's at Netherdale last Saturday. A large turnout of boys and girls trained in bottomless ground in the morning, with the P6 and P7 squads taking on Jed-forest before the Gala game in the afternoon. 

Both games were very close with success for the Gala P6 team with Jed-forest coming out on top at P7. Great credit goes all the teams for playing some great rugby in poor conditions. 

This week training is at 9.30 at Netherdale as we prepare for the arrival of Melrose, Heriot’s and Langholm on Sunday for a round- robin. The event is sponsored by ASDA and the Mini's will be unveiling their new strips which ASDA have kindly sponsored. The first game is due to kick of at 12 noon, so come along and support some of the Gala stars of the future. 

GREG NOBLE  

COACH PROFILE

FIRST AID PERSONS UGENTLY REQUIRED

The mini section are in urgent need of First Aiders. If you are able to help please contact Andy Anderson, 01578 730369 or David Fairburn, 077123 43989.  Full training will be provided.

25th November

The Mini Maroons were joined at training today by Border Reivers players John Dalziel, Andy Miller, Geoff Cross and Stevie Smith. There was a good turnout, and we hope the players enjoyed the session as much as our young players. We hope to have the players back in the New Year for another session. Some photos from the session can be seen on the pictures page.

6th November

 29th October

Training is at Netherdale this Saturday and all players should arrive at 9.20 am for a 9.30 start.   The Mini's P6 squad will play Selkirk Rhino's in a friendly before the Gala game against Selkirk on this Saturday. The game will kick off at 2pm and a squad will be picked at training on Saturday morning. The P7 triangle squad will also be playing. Come along and support the boys as well as Gala in their important league game

23rd October

Jedburgh Tournament

The mini maroons were at Jedburgh last Sunday to take part in the annual Jed forest Mini's tournament. All teams played well on the day with this years P5 team narrowly missing out on defending the trophy they won last year. Across all age groups it seemed to be that Gala were losing out by just one or two scores and on another day there might have been some more success. Special mention to the two P3 squads who played great rugby and had good fun all day.  

Training

This weeks training at Netherdale is in preparation for a round robin tournament with Kelso and Dunbar at Kelso. The bus will be leaving Netherdale at 9.45 a.m. on Sunday morning for all those selected. Please advise your child's head coach if your child is unable to play.

 Great Northern Run

Early indications would suggest we have raised around £500 from the Great North Run. Many thanks to all those who have supported and if any player is still to return their sponsor money, please give it to their Head Coach on Saturday.  

8th October

GALA MASCOT

2nd October

After the friendly at Jedburgh last week it was back to training at Netherdale as preparations continued for our first tournament of the year at Linlithgow on Sunday. As this tournament is taking place within the school holidays, could you please advise your Head Coach before Saturday if your child is unable to play. Training as usual is at Netherdale this week.

Children picked to join the squads for the tournament will be supplied with a team-slip outlining the details. See also the fixtures page for a link to the details.

Training at Netherdale will start at 9.20 on Saturday morning. All children from P3 to P7 are welcome to attend.

1st October: Great North Run

Richard successfully completed the Great North Run on Sunday. Could all those who have raised some sponsorship , please return their forms and money to their Head Coach over the next couple of weeks. A huge thanks to all those who have helped and we will advise of the amount raised in the next few weeks.

18 September

Saturday morning saw another large turnout as the teams started preparations for our trip to play Jedforest on Sunday 24th. We are hoping to take along as many players as possible for this friendly match. Could you please contact your Head Coach before Saturday morning if your child is unable to play. Training at Netherdale will start at 9.20 on Saturday morning. All children from P3 to P7 are welcome to attend

In order to take as many children as possible to the Jedburgh fixture, we will need volunteers to transport children, in addition to the bus (52 seats only). If you are coming to watch, why not take your child and some of their friends? Please contact your child's head coach if you are able to help.

 16 September - October Fundraiser

Great North Run, 1st October 2006 – Newcastle to South Shields

One of our P6 coaches (Richard Forsyth) is taking part in the Great North Run on 1st October and we are looking for sponsors. This is a great opportunity for us to raise money for the Mini Maroons. Sponsor forms are available form head coaches, and all children will receive one. If we set a target of £5.00 per child, this would raise enough money to pay for bus hire for this season. Please pass the form around friends and family and look out for Richard on the BBC, wearing Mini Maroons kit. If anyone requires more forms please contact me (convener) at the address below, or by email (admin@minimaroons.org.uk). Forms to be returned to Head coaches 

GALA MASCOT

Thanks to Jenna Reavely for bringing the team good luck on Saturday and we hope that she and her family enjoyed their afternoon down at Netherdale. If you want to be the next mascot pick up a competition sheet from your class teacher. Just colour in the picture of Roony or draw your own picture, return all completed entries to your class teacher by this Friday and if selected you will be a Mascot for one of Gala’s home games. That’s not all: your classmate’s can come and support you and Gala on the day.

10 September - New 'Foundation' coaches

Congratulations to Gemma, Frazer, Paul, Derek and Graeme on passing their foundation coaching and refereeing courses on the 3rd.

2 September - First Session

Over 100 children turned up for the first full Mini Maroons session of the season, despite the damp weather.  An especially warm welcome to the new children that registered that morning. Please return any forms to the age-group head coach. Thanks  to Frazer Anderson, Glen Hunter and Gemma Pringle our new youth helpers who assisted coaches at P4 and P5 this week. Thanks also to Derek Turnbull and Jimmy Whitehead for helping out this week.

Many parents stayed to watch the children train, despite the damp weather. We hope to have tea and coffee available in the Clubrooms during the session, but would like to have an indication of the level of interest in this. Please contact the convener by e-mail if possible (see Contacts), or talk to a head coach.

The next  session will be on Saturday morning, 9.20 for a 9.30 start on the Netherdale back pitches.

26 August - Registration Day

The Mini Maroons held a very successful registration day at Netherdale on Saturday 26th August: 103 children have been registered for the season so far, with 26 boys and girls from P3 getting their first taste of the game. 

This weeks training is again at Netherdale and all players are asked to be down at 9.20am for a 9.30am start. The session will finish at 10.30am. Children may be dropped off and collected from the Car Park on Tweed Road for easy access to the back pitches.

Any children, P3 to P7 not already registered but wishing to come along will be very welcome.

A warm welcome to Bruce Allison, Derek Turnbull, Stephen Halls, Graeme Shepherd, Gemma Pringle and Glenn  Hunter, who all offered their help in coaching this season, in addition to Paul Hearndon who also assisted with the P3s last season.

16 August

Amalgamation for the new season

There still appears to be confusion in some quarters as to the new set-up of the Mini Maroons. To clarify, the main change is that instead of splitting sessions between the three parks and Netherdale, all Mini Maroons sessions, P3–P7, will be held at Netherdale.

A meeting was held last season, chaired by Ian Millar, Gala Youth Development Officer, at which the amalgamation motion was discussed and it was agreed by Area Heads, and their coaches, that a vote would be cast to decide the issue. It was also agreed by all parties that the result of this vote would be binding. The majority vote was for amalgamation.

Since then, a group at Victoria Park have decided to proceed with running a separate club. This is their prerogative, but this club will not be Gala Mini Maroons and we will have no say in the running of this club or have any input into its coaching and development programme. I am informed that Victoria Park will likely run three-week blocks, with one week off. Children attending Victoria Park wishing to join in Mini Maroon sessions on their ‘week off’ will be very welcome at Netherdale. It should be noted that children must be registered to be eligible to play for the Mini Maroons. However, it should be appreciated that when selecting teams to play in this season’s fixtures, priority will be given to regular attenders at Netherdale.

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