We received this powerful message from one of our parents, which bring to life the importance of our Club. You may want some tissues whilst reading.

I have two girls, who have played through all age groups and now play in the girls only group. Since the start, the club has been nothing but encouraging in assisting my girls to play, to enjoy and to embrace the ethos of Rugby.

I have a permanent disability to my spine as a result of scrums collapsing and me stupidly continuing to play when injured. I now walk with the aid of a crutch. I mention this because with this life changing injury Rugby should have been the last sport I should have encouraged my girls to play. But it is the exact opposite. Through my rugby experiences I learnt the importance of team work, friendship, respect, discipline and motivation. I can unequivocally state that all of these aforementioned qualities are alive and well at Crusaders. Both my girls have such tenacity and determination and love the game that we love. Their confidence has grown and Rugby has helped them to achieve more than they will ever be aware of. This is in large part to their dedicated and committed coaches who like so many thousands of others around the country give up their time for free.

Crusaders is blessed with great coaches, this is not luck, this is because Crusaders is an inclusive club, a club that embraces diversity. I doubt that there has been another under 11 team who at the time, could proudly say that of our of 22 players they had 7 girls playing week in week out. When travelling around Norfolk for matches, opposition parents would always ask how do you retain the girls? Simple, include and encourage. Their former coaches still take an interest in their development “we need to keep an eye on our investment”. Even now all of these girls have moved up to underage 13 side, they turn up for training every Tuesday and to play every Sunday. They are not all friends, they go to different schools, they come from different backgrounds, but they are close teammates and proud to play for Crusaders.

Any parent of any child at Crusaders will confirm how their own child has grown within the club, how they have learnt sportsmanship and developed as an individual. Coaches adapt to any child’s specific needs and any special learning need is taken into account whilst training or playing.

When I first hobbled into the club some 6 years ago I was immediately made to feel welcome. Over a period of time, I became involved with some club activities. The club saw that on occasion I was finding it difficult to park my car and without even asking they created 3 disabled parking spaces adjacent to the club house. This has made my Sunday morning stress free and I know that other parents in my position, one with Multiple Sclerosis, are also extremely grateful. This was done without fuss but I was told “it was the right thing to do”.

Crusaders would benefit greatly from this new facility. I have seen the exciting plans, how within the new structure of the building there will be facilities for both male and female changing rooms and disabled toilets. I am assured that the club because of its depth of character, family orientated culture and community support will grow from strength to strength.

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