written by Vincent McLeod IV, Editor (All-Access)
If you ask any Coach and/or administrator that has operated within the USA Rugby apparatus, they will tell you that you need to make it to the 3rd year to guarantee any long term success, especially in terms of retention. This has been the time told modus operandi of Rugby in America; the first year is full of butt kicking losses and merely trying to keep players spirits up for year two....if there will even be a year number two! What the Temecula Mountain Lions Rugby Club has done is shatter this ill-fated notion of new Rugby clubs in America. In one year of existence, they have gained promotion, grown to have a youth and women team, and expanded their network to the greater Temecula community. If you look deeper into Temecula Rugby, you will come to find that this was not an accident or "stroke of luck" by its founders. This was a calculated endeavor that was conceived, then executed according to their plans. Temecula Rugby is the new model of teams that you will begin to find sprouting up in America, and quite possibly even see existing clubs change their model to in the end. All Access takes a deeper look into what has made Temecula Rugby what it is today and where it will go in the near future. The days of hooligan Rugby are gone, ultimately replaced by structured organizations that follow models of planning. All Access Rugby News sits down co-founder and COO David Gee to get more insight into the club that is Temecula Rugby!
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| COO David Gee |
A2RN: Temecula's mission statement if you will is:
"Temecula Mountain Lions Rugby Club promotes, manages and teaches the game of rugby to all, developing and sustaining a nationally renowned club with members that conduct themselves with commitment, pride, passion and honor both on and off the field."
How has this philosophy served the club? How well do you think those involved with Temecula are served by this statement?
DG: We decided there were two types of clubs...an old boys drinking club versus a truly competitive club. If you are trying to achieve something, you have to give it a shot.
A2RN: What was the major driving force(s) for David Gee and Dean de Gouveia in establishing the club? Wherein did they draw their Rugby experience and excitement for the club from?
DG: Honestly, talking about forming it for years (5 or six). Having arrived in CA thought I (David Gee) would retire. Introduced to Dean and he was burning to do something about rugby in the area. I had the experience running a club in the UK, so we decided let's get this together and have a go. We put a plan together and got a group together, six months later we were running. Had loads of business cards printed up and posters made, even attached them to toilets in drinking places. Got to 20 members quickly and then moved over to press coverage, car stickers, advertising panels. Very hard drive on recruitment during this time.
A2RN: Founded in 2010, you win the SCRFU Men's D4 title in your first season. What did this big accomplishment do for your club? Can we expect more winning ways from Temecula this season? Is the outlook for the team prime this season?
DG: Big achievement for Temecula, but put the pressure on our ourselves. We were determined to get promoted in the first year. Everything we did was with the view to win the league. We would have been incredibly disappointed to not win like our goal asked of us. The opposition was sometimes reasonably good and sometimes not. Prospects going forward is the same ambition and we want to be a D2 team after the 2012 season. It is going to be tough but we are retaining 1 new player a week or so. Lost a few players due to education, military, etc The stability can sometimes be lacking due to Military personnel in the area, but we have a solid structure and should carry on just fine!
A2RN: Temecula has a clear base of Rugby play from Men's to Women's and U8-U18 youth Rugby. Clearly Temecula Rugby is growing. What is the thought on how to best recruit and retain individuals in your Rugby system. Are you looking to produce athletes from the youth level and switch them over to the Senior level upon age completion?
DG: First and foremost, senior division provides foundation. We then use the senior people to build a youth section. In our original plan, we did not plan on having a competent youth section until 2013. We had a few teachers and youth coaches help take off the youth section quicker than expected. Whole idea is to have the youth section growing since this is the future of the higher divisions of the club in the Valley. The Women's side happened alot quicker then we initially expected, but still were excited to get that particular entity off the ground. Good ties with Fallbrook has helped develop the teams as well.
A2RN: Ask a few sports enthusiasts around, and when they hear the word Temecula, the idea of individuals flying through the air on their motor-bikes often comes into play, such as Brian Deegan, etc. How has the Temecula area received your development as a Rugby club? Is recruitment in the area strong? What are your thoughts on you to get more traditional American Sports fans involved in this typically non-American game in the Temecula area?
DG: When we play our games at home, over 100 easily attend. We sell alot of t-shirts for the club and we go around and sell raffle tickets for the club. There is a nice little old man who comes to watch every game (70 year old). Quite a few comments about how great that is that Rugby is in Temecula. Rugby is talked about alot in over here; you would be surprised. The valley has alot of athleticism. High School's of course want kids to play Football and baseball. The city has limited space for youth rugby. The Biggest challenge for the club is to get space for playing; to most public officials in the Valley, Rugby is unknown. In the end, marketing is key for us! If we can grow at the rate we are, we can have 4 different teams in the near future. We just have to find our place amongst Football and baseball; must be clever and intelligent about how we do that. Rugby is more inclusive then many sports. Good players rarely dominate and it is far more equal, so in time, this aspect will begin to help shape the club and our creed to the community. After all, Temecula is a close nit community by itself, so this brand of Rugby should accommodate to the community well!
A2RN: Talk is heavy within Temecula Rugby about becoming a nationally renowned Rugby club. How does Temecula go about bringing this idea into a reality? Is this a short or long term goal? Both?
DG: At the end of the day, it depends on the people we have in the area. We have some excellent athletes and great converts to the sport. I am just in awe of these great players that make the switch. We talk about it alot, we tell all new players that we want to win and become the best. Our Head Coach is tough and he expects them to behave at training....do what he says and be respectful because we want it to be a success. They then pass this on to their friends. We see signs from other clubs losing players to an established creed that is not as solid as what we have at Temecula.
A2RN: Who will be your biggest obstacle this season in defending the Title won in 2011?
DG: One obvious nemesis, Santa Monica! Only loss we had was last season to them. Obviously, they have a long history and a big roster. We look at them as the team to beat! In regards, to the other clubs, we do not know too much about them and do not want to disrespect them but Santa Monica we know well. You have to remember, they (Santa Monica) want to beat us as well.
A2RN: What is something the SoCal Rugby supporters should know about Temecula Rugby that we have not already learned?
DG: We are ambitious!!!! What we are looking to do is domination....it is about Rugby as a whole (Competitive and Community side to the club that is fused); not just building Rugby in Temecula, but in five years time it was double or triple the amount of clubs in the SoCal area. In England, we travel a hundred miles radius! We have demonstrated that with a little effort you can build a club quickly. If we replicate this initial model, we could duplicate numbers in recruitment quickly. We all get along in the club and everyone knows each other; we are one big family, which is part of our creed. Supporters feel like part of the club even when not playing. Wives love the sport and have friends while their husbands are playing on the pitch....not dominated by drink.
Overall message: Put some energy out there and get the game known! Get the sport exposed to the community and get the name out. If people experience they will come. Double the size of SOCAL Rugby in the area in 18 months if we get people to experience!
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| Head Coach Wayne Woolsey |
A2RN: TML enters its first season within SCRFU play. Most clubs statistically are barely even able to find a field, get balls and the needed 15 to make a full roster. On top of that, you win it all in the division and secure promotion? What are your thoughts on this?
WW: first thought - " What a great year ! , the club founders David and Dean along with a supportive group of Board members recruited, fund raised and created awareness that got this team running.
A2RN: David & Lucy praised highly the community and family aspect of the club. Do you feel this has played a major part in TML's success thus far?
WW: Agree 100%
A2RN: Strict Coaching policy always produces quality players, at least most would assume. It is a massive task to undertake to keep players dedicated. What if anything can you say about the TML players mindset? Is this a Coachable team?
WW: the players mindset year one was two groups , group one- the senior experienced players wanting to get back into rugby and then help the rookies learn this game . group two - rookies , we had some players this year that had never seen a rugby game, come out play and learn this great sport. This is a very coachable team that's willing to listen and take on board the information provided by both the coaching team and experience players.
A2RN: You have a stellar resume in the Rugby and Coaching realm of things. What makes you excited about Coaching at TML?
WW: Its new , as a group Board of Directors, Coaches everyone wants this club to be successful and we can grow and create the model as it goes. That's exciting.
A2RN: Santa Monica, enough said for TML players and supporters! What are the plans for playing the Dolphins this year?
WW: The same as every team we will play , we turn up to play hard , play fair , play to win
A2RN: Recruitment big always in Rugby. Are you finding the right players for your TML vision? What is the hardest thing about recruiting Rugby in the area?
WW: Getting the exposure to the right people. We are thankful for our results last year . It has driven new players to our club for this 2012 season.
After understanding Temecula Rugby, you begin to see the passion that this area has for Rugby. The Men's program is 2 points out of first place in the 2012 D3 Men's season and managed to beat Santa Monica in the past few weeks. Although Sin City is playing well, you have to bet on a structure like Temecula to come at them full force and chase the promotion spot until April! The Club has 61 CIPP'd members (83 in 2011) on the Men's side, 36 in the Youth, 27 in High School Boys and 20 in the Women's (with plans of adding Girls High School and Rookie Rugby by 2013). Visiting Temecula's website, you see the dedication and work that has paid off. Sponsors are on board, pictures are up and content is updated regularly; something that lacks with most clubs in the Southern California area. Is it audacious to expect a Men's side to gain promotion every year, thus reaching D1 in 4 years? Of course it is! Then again, why do we theoretically go to work every day? We go to better ourselves through many different means an compensations. What Temecula Rugby is doing is proving that Rugby can be managed and played within the new American framework. It is teams and clubs like Temecula that will pull USA Rugby away from this pathetic Tier 2 status that we embody to the rest of the world. The day will surely come when it is just as recognizable to walk the streets of London with a Temecula Lions polo as it is to walk the streets of Los Angeles with a Saracens t-shirt! Look for the Temecula Mountain Lions Rugby Club to become the premier club/team within 3 years (All Access Rugby News said it first!!). Even with zero assistance from the lurid union that is SCRFU, this club showed everyone that you just need a vision and hard working individuals. Let this be a reminder to all clubs out there that you can rise to greatness immediately. In the words of a former USA Rugby Board Member (classified name), "never let your Local Area Union (LAU) get the best of you, for at present they work for you, not the other way around".
Visit the Temecula webpage at www.tmlrugby.com. Check out their online shop and don some of their rather inexpensive apparel.
