Please note that the official minutes will be published in due course and will be available to view on our Legal tab, alongside all previous AGMs from 2021 and our re-signed club constitution, which was rewritten in 2021 to bring it in line with the modern age.
Last night (Wednesday 27th May), we welcomed members to attend a very special AGM for the club — one which covered the past year and set out a vision for the future. Over 70 attendees listened intently to all aspects of our club’s growth over the past year, and we hope you all left with renewed vigour, knowing that a whole host of club volunteers are working hard to keep the club operational while providing the best and safest environment possible.
We’ll wait until the full minutes are published so everyone can read the individual reports together. However, the main reason so many committed club members wanted to take part was to hear about the new five-year plan for the future of Malton and Norton RUFC.
Following the election of the four “Golden” Officer roles, all positions were carried forward from last year after no nominations were made to stand against the current post holders:
- Chair — Russell Stead
- Vice Chair — Rupert Armitage
- Treasurer — Pete Hartley
- Secretary — Andrew Mitchell
Not a Golden Role, but a new position within the club’s updated business structure, is our Strategic Development Lead. Richard Jones, who has been integral to the development of this plan, was nominated by Chair Russell Stead and seconded by Pete Hartley. With no other candidates, the appointment was passed unanimously.
We heard from Richard John about where the conversation around a new business model began, alongside a passionate contribution from Stu Collins, who also played a key role in discussions surrounding how and where to begin proceedings in adopting a more modern, business-minded model for the club.
New Club Officer Richard Jones then delivered the PowerPoint presentation below (please scroll down and click on the image belwo to be redirected to the PDF) before taking questions regarding the structure and operational timeline.
As part of the new model the club is moving towards, four new lead roles will be created. Richard explained that these roles will initially be voluntary positions but could eventually expand into paid roles:
- Rugby Development Officer (RDO)
- Commercial Operations Manager (COM)
- Club Development Officer (CDO)
- People & Culture Lead (PCL)
Each lead will then be responsible for their key area, alongside a team of volunteer members helping to drive their area of expertise. We will still retain the RFU Golden Roles, as required to comply with current regulations, but these roles will sit within or lead (if appointed) a key operational area.
The priority now is to identify and recruit the four Team Leaders to join the leadership group.
- Interviews for the four Leader roles will take place on Tuesday 9th June. If you would like to be part of the discussion, please contact Richard Jones by 3rd June to express your interest: richardjones0167@googlemail.com
- There will also be an SGM on 8th July at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start to present the yearly accounts to members for 2025/26. At this meeting, the four appointed Team Leaders will be announced to the wider club membership.
Before the meeting concluded, the coaching teams and captains for the upcoming season were announced.
Thanks were given to Jacob Stephenson, who is stepping down following a career change that may render him unavailable for much of the season. Taking on the 1st XV captaincy for 2026–2027 will be Will Dunn, with Will Bell as Vice Captain. Alex Crockett remains Head Coach and will be backed up in a full-capacity coaching role by Sam Triffitt.
Emily Midgley announced during her Women & Girls report that she is also stepping back from the captaincy of the Marvels. She will be succeeded by Lauren Simpson, who acted as Emily’s vice-captain last season.
Thanks were also given to Eddie Head, who has stepped back after nearly a decade coaching the Marvels, alongside Andy Barker, who is also freeing up more time to watch from the sidelines. Next season, the Marvels will continue to be coached by Anton Wessels and Duncan Foster.
The Super Twos, who will be entering the league structure for the first time following rule changes allowing lower XV entries from clubs, will once again be led by Lewis Welch, with his vice-captain still to be appointed. John Lumley and Chris Hopkin will continue to lead the successful Twos off the pitch next season, with some very competitive games to look forward to.
The Threes will still have Phil North as captain, with vice-captains yet to be announced. The side will once again be led by Stu Collins and Kev Smith.
The Fours/Vets captain and team managers will be announced nearer the season.
It was also Peter Elwess’ final act as President of the club, having served in the role for the past two seasons, to pass the honour on to incoming President Roger Smith. Roger thanked the membership for their welcoming approach to the new business model and explained that it is an exciting time to be involved with the club. He is also keen to expand the Friday Morning Gang, a group of members who generously give up their time each week to keep the club looking spick and span.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. Please enjoy looking through and learning more about the new business model and the club’s new rolling five-year plan.
