Members of our MAN v FAT Rugby community in Merthyr recently ran a successful tournament to raise important funds for a local family.
14 teams came together to raise over £1,200 for the care of Rylee, a nephew of one of the Merthyr players. We caught up with MAN v FAT Merthyr Rugby coach Andrew Rowley and the lads to find out more.
Tell us a bit more about how the fundraising event came about?
A member of the community and their family are raising much needed funds for the care of their nephew. We wanted to find a way to support in a big way, and with the generous support of Dowlais RFC, we were able to stage a 14 team tournament and raise over £1,200. We did this with just one month to plan and put everything in place, get teams involved and make sure all safety arrangements were met.
How did the lads come together to get behind the cause?
The support was amazing. With roughly 30 men from MAN v FAT Merthyr Rugby and Football, and 11 other squads of roughly 10 each making the other teams. Some of these were Welsh Premier Rugby teams and it was great to see the community coming together and supporting the event.
How did the day itself go and what were the highlights?
The day was smooth, largely down to Coffey’s MC skills, Dowlais, and the iron will of Gavin Edwards and Marc Lewis who refereed every game back to back for a billion hours. Billy’s try against eventual runners up Rhymney in the group stages shouldn’t go unmentioned.
Has the fundraising surpassed what you expected?
I think that’s fair to say. The overwhelming support for the raffle in the day took us over the 1k mark which was already well beyond our goal. We also did a rugby team card to raise money and boost the coffers.
What plans do you have to do further fundraising, either for Rylee or other good causes locally?
The individual support for gents running their own races for Ty Hafan and Kidney Research is always beyond generous and clear to see. With the success of this event another one feels like a natural next step, though there are no plans in place yet. The lads are always adding to local food banks with collections and we’re also helping with a local charity that is collecting coats to help people at risk of cold weather.
Want to join the Merthyr lads?
You can sign up to either Merthyr Rugby or Merthyr Football today – the lads are ready and waiting to welcome you!
