Cheddar Valley, Wellington, Whitehall and Yatton are the featured Club Connexion clubs for the visit of Exeter Chiefs to Bear Country for Community Day on Saturday, March 22nd.
The four local rugby clubs from the Foundation’s Club Connexion programme take centre stage on Community Day as for the West Country derby (5.30pm KO).
Club Connexion is our local club partnership offer which supports the community clubs with coach education workshops, player development camps and many other benefits.
All 30 local rugby clubs will enjoy a featured Bristol Bears home game at Ashton Gate throughout the 2024/25 season as part of the Club Connexion programme and you can find out more about Cheddar Valley, Wellington, Whitehall and Yatton RFC below.
CHEDDAR VALLEY
Cheddar Valley RFC is a fully inclusive rugby club that welcomes players of all ages and abilities. From the club’s minis teams to its family-oriented atmosphere, Cheddar Valley pride themselves on creating a supportive and fun environment for everyone.
Hayley Keates-Porter says: “The club wanted to get involved in Club Connexion because, as a smaller club, it provides a fantastic opportunity to offer children new experiences and help them develop their love for rugby. It’s a great platform to create excitement around the sport and encourage more young players to get involved.”
“We’re incredibly excited for our Club Connexion featured game against Exeter Chiefs at Ashton Gate! For many of our young players, this will be their first time attending a live sports game, so it’s a great opportunity to create lasting memories.
“We’re thrilled to share this experience with both our players and their families, and it fills us with pride to have our club featured. It’s a special moment for everyone involved, and we can’t wait to see the excitement it brings to the whole community.”
WHITEHALL
Whitehall is a long-standing Bristol club, founded in 1931 by a teacher at what was then Whitehall School. The club is still embedded in the local community with a membership of senior players and members who have been part of the club since they were kids.
The club’s minis and junior section has grown massively in the last few years and welcomes players of all abilities throughout the season to be part of Whitehall.
Sarah Pascoe said: “Until recently our Minis and Juniors has been small in number, but we have seen a massive growth in numbers recently and being involved in Club Connexions allows our members to become more involved in the sport, premiership fixtures and other events that Bristol Bears facilitate in the city.
“It’s an exciting programme for all our members and volunteers to feel part of the wider rugby community. Our U9s are very excited to be on the pitch playing touch rugby before the featured game and we have a lot of new players who have never been flag bearers who also can’t wait to get on the pitch and enjoy the atmosphere.”
YATTON
Yatton RFC aim to make everyone feel welcome. Whether it is hosting the Somerset Cup Final or welcoming touring side, the club offers a warm welcome to everyone.
Dave Tyler, from Yatton RFC, says: “We feel rugby brings huge personal joy to those involved and this has been a focus for our Minis & Junior section for a number of years. We are blessed with brilliant coaches who not only give up their Sundays to train everyone interested in rugby, but we also attend the local primary schools.
“Being a Club Connexion club was very important to us, it has enabled us to benefit from the Bristol Bears Community Foundation’s coaching expertise, as well as giving local kids opportunities they wouldn’t normally have. Our kids are buzzing ahead of our featured game, it’s good to have Premiership rugby back – we’ve missed it!”
