Senior – what we offer

Why play for our adult contact team? We like to think we’ve got a lot to offer both new players and those who’ve played before that sets us apart from other clubs in Scotland.

Our coaching
We offer dedicated, experienced, positional coaching. We also support and encourage our coaches to develop, and fund their attendance at clinics, conferences and courses.

Our winter training facilities
From January until the end of March we train indoors on the 3G synthetic pitch at Hamilton Palace Sports Ground. This means uninterrupted winter training with a limited chance of bad weather disruption, and no need to brave the cold, wet or wind!

Our gameday
Our home ground of GHA Rugby Club in Giffnock is enclosed with a club house and bar and has a covered stand for spectators. We have a team of volunteers who work hard to make this a great day out you’ll be proud to invite your friends and family to, and for big games we can have in excess over 300 people cheering you on.

We have great partnerships
We’re delighted to have dedicated fitness support from Ian Stevenson at the East Kilbride Fitness Centre, who offers team lifting and conditioning sessions, and friendly and useful advice on workout programmes.

Be part of something bigger
We’re bigger than one team. Our club is made up of seven teams and has over 250 players, coaches and staff involved. As well Scotland’s longest established adult team we have a thriving and successful programme, with a U16 contact team,  an U19 contact team, and U14 and U11 flag teams, plus women’s only flag and contact. This size of our club also means that if you want to make the jump from playing to coaching or helping out behind the scenes, we’ve lots of different ways you can stay part of the Pirates family.

We also play hard off the field too. From organised team nights out for the Super Bowl to fundraisers like race nights and quizzes, and our annual player of the year aware there’s always something going on.

We’re well run
Our club is managed by a dedicated committee. We follow all the rules, make sure everything is done in the right way and with player health and safety in mind at all times. We don’t settle for second best, and are always pushing to be better. We attend meetings with our National Governing Body, the British American Football Association, and always make sure we get involved in all aspects of our sport. We have strong links in our local community too and are members of the Sports Councils of Hamilton and East Kilbride and we work closely with community sports hubs and Active Schools. We hold Bronze Club SL accreditation from South Lanarkshire Leisure too, which recognises well governed, safe and inclusive clubs.

We have strong finances
Our finances are in great shape and are managed transparently. At our AGM we share a full copy of our accounts so you can see exactly what we’ve spent your money on. You’re also very welcome to look at our accounts or ask questions about our finances at any time. We have a fantastic track record at securing grant funding for the club.

We don’t charge you extra for buses or friendlies or playoffs. The only time we’ll look for extra money is if you elect to do optional things, like training camp, attend events, buy merchandise or stay over for team nights out. Even then, we’ll always try to keep costs low.

We look out for you
We take things like medical cover at games and insurance seriously and make sure claims are made swiftly and any incidents are recorded. A registered paramedic and vehicle capable of transporting an injured player is always available at our home gamedays and we have our own dedicated pitch side physiotherapist and / or first aider at all games wherever possible. This means we can offer sports taping, massage and kinesio taping before games and over the last year hydrotherapy sessions have also been on offer at camp. And there’s always help and advice available on nutrition and gym programs and technique from our experienced players and coaches.

We listen
Your views are important to us. We hold an annual, anonymous, feedback survey and invite players, coaches and staff to share their views on every aspect of the organisation and we regularly act on this feedback.

What do we expect from you?
How much does it cost?

Find out more about joining our Children’s Flag, U16, U19 and women’s teams

Photos courtesy Duncan Gray.

 

 

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