The Beverley RUFC Committee would like to update members regarding the recent early exploratory discussions with Hull RUFC considering any future opportunity to work together.

We are aware that some information has already circulated informally, which is unfortunate, as the discussions were in confidence during this exploratory stage. This has led to speculation and/or misinformation and clearly a lot of concern as we have seen in the past few days, we hope this message helps clarify the current position and allay some fears.

Firstly, we want to reassure everyone on a few key points to address some misinformation:

Protecting Beverley RUFC’s identity, heritage, and place within the community is central to any conversation that takes place.

At this stage, the discussions are purely exploratory. No formal agreement has been reached, no commitments have been made, and no decision-making process has begun.
The purpose of these conversations is simply to assess whether any form of collaboration could be viable and beneficial for the future of rugby at Beverley.

We and all our members and volunteers are all very passionate about our club and the Committee volunteers will only progress something that we feel is genuinely beneficial to the Beavers’ family.

In fact, the Committee has a responsibility and is accountable to all our active members to continually look at ways to support and strengthen the club, from our Mini & Junior, Colts senior men’s and women’s teams and in the community. Something we are doing on many fronts all of the time. We hope that you can see many of those deliverables, and we will keep striving for more improvements.

We are currently gathering information and assessing various potential scenarios, so that if any proposal were ever to be considered, members would be able to review it with clear, accurate information and make a rational and well-informed decision based on facts.

Some of the areas we are currently looking at include:

Player Pathways and Retention
Beverley has a very strong Mini & Junior section that continues to produce talented young players. One of the key concerns is how we can best support those players as they progress into senior rugby, ensuring there are strong opportunities locally so they can continue their rugby journey within our club environment, too often we see home grown talent move to other clubs.

Supporting the Whole Playing Structure
We are also considering how potential collaboration might improve the continued growth and development of both our men’s and women’s teams, ensuring that all players have access to competitive rugby and strong development opportunities. Our player numbers are good compared to other clubs, but we need to work hard to sustain that.

Facilities and Long-Term Sustainability
Part of this review includes assessing what facilities and resources could be improved to support the club long-term, particularly as participation continues to grow across minis, juniors, colts, senior men’s & women’s teams. We all know that we have dated facilities that we make the best of, and that our growth success is giving us tougher logistical challenges, there could be opportunity to relieve some of those problems.

Again, it is important to stress that this is simply a review process to understand whether anything could work in practice.

Once this initial information-gathering stage is complete, members will be invited to take part in open consultation sessions, where questions can be asked, concerns raised, and feedback shared.

There is no formal proposal at this stage, and no Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) has been scheduled, that will only happen if the Committee think there is something to take to our members to consider, at which point active members would be able to vote in a ballot.

Everything the Committee volunteers do is with the intention of protecting and strengthening Beverley RUFC for the future - ensuring the club continues to thrive for all generations of players, supporters, volunteers, and friends of the club.

This may (or may not) be a long process, but we will commit to giving an update on this information-gathering stage by the end of March at the latest, and we appreciate everyone’s patience while this process is carried out thoroughly.

We are all approachable, and as ever happy to discuss and listen to your concerns.

Thank you for your continued understanding, support & commitment.

Yours sincerely,

Beverley RUFC Senior Committee