For our Club Champions campaign at Club Insure, we learn more about the hardworking people behind sports and social clubs, their stories, and their connected communities. The Club Champions campaign aims to showcase the longstanding efforts of committee members, managers, and staff.
We met with Richard Wharton and Phillip Wray, key members of Yarnbury Rugby Union and Football Club in Horsforth, Leeds. We discuss Yarnbury’s recent claim and how it has affected their service offerings. We also wanted to learn more about the key figures behind the club and what projects they are running.
What’s you full role at the club?
“I’m Richard Wharton, I’m one of the directors as well as the acting Treasurer for Yarnbury RFC. I’ve been a member of Yarnbury for 50 years,” says Richard.
“I’m Phillip Wray,” says Phil. “I’m the Facilities Manager, and I look after the structure of the building. I’m here most days because I only work round the corner, as General Manager of a packaging business in Yeadon.”
Has Yarnbury RFC had a recent claim?
Richard takes the lead: “May Day of 2024, a storm of biblical proportions hit the club. Yarnbury sits at the highest point in Leeds, you would never expect to get flooding here. The sheer amount of rain caused a flash flood, the water penetrated the club through three doors and left the place a-wash.”
“I think the first person to see was the secretary, Lauren (Morgan), who came up the day after. And she, obviously, was alarmed by it and sent pictures to us all. Initially we thought it was fixable, we got a chap in to clean and suck the water back up. But then we realised the floor had lifted up and so for health and safety reasons, we had to close the club. The smell was terrible!”
“We got in contact with Club Insure – I rang Liam (Ferguson, Account Manager) and he started the process right away.”
What was the impact of your recent claim?
“I didn’t immediately realise the full impact of the damage to the club caused by the flooding, or the timescales concerned. As soon as we began discussions with Club Insure about the severity of the damage and what was needed to rectify the situation did I understand how much business we could lose. This was early May, and we needed to reopen by July because of a large beer festival we were expected to host. So the restoration process needed to started happening, fast.”
Club Insure arranged for Rainbow Restoration to begin work – Richard indicates over to Phillip Wray, Yarnbury RFC’s Facilities Manager, who has been present every day to witness the restoration process.
“First to go were the carpets in the lounge which was the source of the smell,” says Phillip, “The main floor was fly-boarded, they had to lift and strip all the wood that was swollen. They then brought in the big industrial driers, which were left on for a couple of weeks. The amount of water they sucked out was amazing, I know because I was coming every day and emptying the big 5 gallon plastic drums.”
“To make ready in time for the festival, Rainbow put down some temporary flooring – but there was an added complication. When the ply was taken up, we found the original floor tiles underneath, which were suspected to contain asbestos. When they were tested it was found that they did. We had to have these removed.”
Richard continues – “Despite all the delays, the festival went ahead. It was a cracking event – it’s held annually and is easily our biggest event of the year. It ended up being better than the previous year. To miss it would have been catastrophic for the club; the profit it generates is around £25,000 to £30,000.”
What events are held at Yarnbury RFC?
“We don’t host a lot of events, instead we have hirings; a company or school will hire out the space for their own needs. Events range from proms to funerals wakes to birthday parties. We host many rugby events as we are a representative for Yorkshire RFU, who often use our pitches for matches.”
“These are obviously not long term bookings, and, a substantial number are rugby related events. We have we even have represented matches for junior Yorkshire teams held here on the pitch, and we offer catering and refreshments afterwards.”
“Hires are massively important to us. They cover more than 50% of our revenue. Officially our gain from outside hirers is around £50,000 – this does not include our rugby-related events which are calculated separately.”
How large is your membership base at Yarnbury RFC?
Richard is quick to produce the numbers, reeling off stats about the club from memory: “Membership is at about 500 right now. We have 100 senior players, ad then around 200 junior players. We have many student members as well, and also non-players members such as myself.” Richard laughs; “There are at least 200 non-player members like me knocking about.”
“We’re only one of we’re only one of 2 clubs in in this area with the artificial grass pitch. That’s a big pull for us particularly in the in the winter months. We have someone using the pitch every day all year round – they are well used! Pitches can see 2 or 3 games on a Saturday, with each team using our facilities. I’m surprised it’s not being used as we speak.” Richard looks out over the rugby fields.
What services do Yarnbury RFC provide?
When asked, it’s clear to see Richard is eager to talk about the services of the club – “It would be easier to say what we don’t do! Obviously we’re used for rugby and football, but other sports such as American Football and hockey can commonly be seen here. Leeds Chargers have played here, and we have a connection with Leeds Beckett University who often visit us.”
“Any university event is a pretty big event for us because they play mid-week – we usually get several hundred people up here at a time – all using the clubhouse and the bar. The big teams play here 4 or 5 times a year and we do quite well out of it.”
“We have started to offer catering services, we didn’t use to but now we have a skilled caterer who will supply a three course sit down meal.”
Who are the key figures behind the club?
“We’ve got a committee of 15, the majority of them are older people, and we’ve all been members of the club a long time.” says Richard. “Our Club Chairman, Phil Addy, he’s been here 40 years, as have his parents before him. The Club Secretary, Lauren Morgan, is relatively new but a major part – she has pioneered the successful Ladies Team. Lauren is the Yorkshire committee spokesperson for women’s rugby, and help us achieve the dedicated women’s changing room installed here a year ago.”
“We can’t forget our President, David Hornby, and also John Riley who’s work doesn’t go unnoticed; we’ve got quite a few.” Richard smiles. “Oh, and you too Phil!” Richard is quick to add, gesturing to Phillip Wray.
Phillip Wray cuts in – “You’ve been here the one of the longest Richard, a natural choice as treasurer with your banking history.” Phillip motions to Richard who replies – “Yes I was a banker a long time ago. When I left banking I became involved in the debt industry. I represented them at select committee hearings – I even went to London once to meet Angela Rippon and Gloria Honeyford on Rip Off Britain. We did an hour’s interview, and when it came on telly they showed about 10 seconds.”
How does Yarnbury RFC manage ground maintenance?
“The maintenance responsibilities are split in two. The artificial grass pitch has a specific set of requirements, and the RFU subsidies it’s maintenance. For the natural grass pitches, when planning the reseeding or draining we employ contractors. They will mow it regularly, mark up the pitches and keep it tidy.”
“All in all, the artificial grass pitch cost £1,000,000 to install. We would never have been able to afford that, so the RFU paid and lease it. It all came about as a result of the 2015 World Cup; they asked for bids and we applied and won. The RFU have put a lot of money back into the community – They pay us a fee for maintenance and use of the club’s facilities, it’s fantastic.”
“Rugby 365, that’s what it’s all about. And by having an artificial grass pitch, kids are able to play all year round.”
What projects have you got coming up and how are you trying to diversify the club?
Richard walks me through the many projects Yarnbury RFC currently run and financially benefit from: “A big road engineering company is doing some levelling, and they are using our car park at the moment. They need somewhere local for storage, but that’s only over the summer months.
“We have a scheme with the local students, we provide car parking for the local houses. It’s amazing how many students have cars! The whole car park can be full in the peak of term time – that’s two to three hundred cars. It’s chock-a-block.”
“It’s a work-in-partnership with the universities, and obviously we get reimbursed for the privilege of letting them use the car park. It’s controlled by security guards, and there are parking attendants – it’s a big project.”
“We also have a relationship with a film company. They leave their wagons here, use the facilities and we sometimes provide catering for the crew. They film dramas and they use us as a base. A few times they’ve filmed here, we’ve been a backdrop for Gentlemen Jack and a few other shows featuring Suranne Jones.”
Is it going to be a financially successful year for Yarnbury RFC, considering the flooding and claim?
Richard eyes widen and he laughs – “I hope so!”
“We were hoping to host more watch-along events, this year being the summer of sport, with the Euros Football and the Rugby Internationals. We normally set up a big screen inside, but we missed all that this year because of the flood.”
“Everyone here at the club is a volunteer – apart from the bar staff and caterer of course – and most of us are retired. Yet, we are doing everything we can to make sure we still have a positive year.”
Thank you to Richard and Phil for taking the time out to talk to us. We were so impressed with your resourcefulness, we wish you and the other champions behind Yarnbury RFC every success.