The Pirate Code

Issue 1 : January 2016

Welcome to 2016 and the NEW Pirates Magazine

The Pirates Academy Section Reports Interviews Scores and much more!

U14 Girls Winning Cup Final Report

“...And thirdly,

New Years Day Youth Festival

The Code is more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules. Welcome aboard...” Ru g b y - N e t b a l l - H o c k e y - D ra g o n B o a t i n g

FREE

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Discovery Bay Pirates: who are they?

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ou might have been forgiven for asking that question 13 years ago, when we were a newly formed club with around 30 mini rugby players. As our 13th season (yes, we are now a teenager) gets underway it would be hard to find many people in our community who do not know something of the DB Pirates. Now including mini rugby, youth (both a boys and girls section), adult men and ladies teams, the rugby section of the Club has grown significantly from our humble beginnings. What is less well known is the netball section has been around for most of the Club’s life too. With both a senior and a junior section, we have almost 80 Netballers playing regularly. Last season we started hockey. Currently still a junior sport (up to under 14s) we fully expect the section to continue to grow. Touch rugby and dragon boating complete the current set of sports on offer. Over the years we have been blessed with outstanding achievements, proudly boasting an increasing number of our

players going into Hong Kong development teams and on to represent Hong Kong. Firmly rooted in our local community, we encourage anyone, no matter age or size, fitness or skill level to join in one of the sports offered. Don’t forget the fitness and health benefits of participation. You’ll certainly have a lot of fun, and like the rest of us make some deep and lasting friendships. In closing I’d like to welcome you all to the second half of what is proving to be another successful season for many of our teams and players. I gain much pleasure from watching our players develop and was proud to to see so many of our members and ex-members represented at the annual New Years Day tournament. I hope you enjoy our first edition of The Pirate Code, another initiative we would like to see become a regular feature of our Club. As we approach February, Kung Hei Fat Choi and wishing you all a prosperous Year of the Monkey.

Steve Kean Chairman

As you know, this will be my last year as Chairman. Having been with the Club (almost!) since it began, I am proud of the Club having grown into the amazing organization we are today. I encourage each of you to consider how you can help make us even better. Everyone of the Club’s members has a skill that the Club will value, so please consider volunteering and getting more involved - today.

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Insights to the Sevens Tickets Latest Pirate Academy Contents

The latest update on how to get your tickets for Hong Kong’s biggest weekend of Rugby.

An exciting addition to help Pirates get that extra competitive edge.

Dark Arts of Operations

Understanding Concussion

The Chairman’s message 2 Newsflash 5 Scoreboard 6 Mini Rugby 7 Dragon Boating 9 Academy 11 Netball 13 Concussion 15 A Discussion with Josh Clery 17 Youth Rugby 19 Wealth Management 21 U19 Boys 24 The Dark Arts of Operations 27 Ladies Rugby 33 New Year's Day Tournament 35 Gain an insight into what goes on Being able to spot the signs of Seniors 37 behind the scenes, and how it all concussion and act appropriately Travel 39 comes together. is crucial to the health of any We Need You 40 person playing sport. Mouthguards 41 With thanks to our sponsors Hockey 43 U14 Cup Winning Report 45 Knee Injuries 46 A word from Schools 47 Harry Parsons Interview 49 Pirates U11 Micro Tournament 51 Pirates Foundation 53 Pirate Affiliates 55 Pirate Directory 57 Disclaimer DB Pirates Limited and T8 Consulting Ltd have taken all reasonable care to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate on the stated date of publication or last modification by the Pirates contributors. It is possible that the information may be out of date, incomplete or the opinion of the author. It is advisable that you verify any information from this magazine before relying on it. DB Pirates Limited and T8 Consulting Limited accepts no responsibility for the consequences of error or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information and material contained in this magazine. Materials contained on this magazine are subject to copyright and other proprietary rights.

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Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management www.sjpp.asia/pwwm

e h t g n i t r o p p u s y l d “ Pro u P

” ! o G . m a e t y b g u R s e i rat 4

NEWS FLASH

Latest News from around the Club, DB and far, far away!

NEW BARRIERS AT SIENA

TIME IS UP ON FREE TIME AT DB NORTH PITCH

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We were saddened to learn that City Management (responsible for the administration of the DB North Pitch) has cancelled all free public time.

Please Respect the Pitch

he new crash barriers have been installed at DB North pitch. With huge thanks to the HKRU for funding them (hundreds of thousands of dollars) and the team who removed the old ones and replaced them. The home of Pirates looks presentable once again. We ask you (rugby players, footballers, baseballers, cricketers, coaches, parents, siblings and spectators to NOT move or sit or climb on the barriers. They are positioned to stop injuries and are not designed to be sat on or used as building blocks.

This affects Pirates training and other community-based activities. We are hopeful that this can be resolved with City Management as soon as possible.

Stop Press 7’s Tickets

The Pirate Code

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egistrations for sevens tickets have now closed. If you have not yet paid, we suggest you make haste as the Club has already paid for tickets, so those of you who are tardy with your payments may find your priority allocation compromised. As soon as we hear which day the kids are playing, we will be able to finalise ticketing and will let you know how you fared. This advice is expected to be issued in mid-late March with ticket distribution across 3 days in early April.

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his magazine is a new and additional medium for the Pirates to communicate with you - the members and the DB and sports communities. We hope to make this a regular publication and ask you to participate in the survey we will conduct - where you can comment, make suggestions and let us know your response to the magazine. Please support the Club in our endeavours by providing photos, articles and adverts for future publications.

Please note that ringing or emailing the office and asking for updates will not make the process any faster. As soon as we know more, we’ll let you know - we promise!

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Editorial Liz Nettleton Steve Kean Jamie Dickson Jessica Stephens John Parsons

Contributors Steve Kean Renee McCreadie Phil Baldwin Jason White Rod Dickson

Sue Gourlay Steve Tait Sam Parsons Colin Olsen Guillaume Mauffrey Melanie Schroeder

Rob Rowe HKRFU

Photos Sharon McEneff Neil Robins James Branch Sam Parsons Shutterstock

Art & layout Meegan Eves (T8) Steve Tait

Advertising Hannah Brennan Sharon McEneff Printed by e-Print

..SCOREBOARD.... SCOREBOARD.... ..SCOREBOARD.... SCOREBOARD... Senior Rugby Date

Team

24 Oct

Ladies Rugby Team

Score

Date

Team

Team

Score

PLA Securitas

DBP

60 - 7

3 Oct

DBP Ladies

CWB Pink

5 - 20

31 Oct

DBP

University Wizards

14 - 21

17 Oct

DBP Ladies

Revolution

0 - 20

17 Oct

SCAA First Pacific CWB

DBP

17 - 12

31 Oct

DBP Ladies

University

22 - 5

10 Oct

RB-SRKA TSW 1st

DBP

8 - 15

Vs

U16s div 2 & 3 Rugby

U19s div 1 & 2 Rugby Date

Team

Team

Score

15 Nov

HKFC

FK/DBP1

34 - 14

27 Sept

FK/DBP1

Breakthrough Pandas

0 - 20

1 Nov

HKFC2

FK/DBP2

64 - 12

4 Oct

USRC Tigers 2

FK/DBP2

38 - 19

Vs

Team

22 Nov

Team

Score

DBP

FK

64 - 12

15 Nov

DBP

HKFC2

32 - 28

25 Oct

DBP

Sai Kung Stingrays

84 - 5

Vs

Team

11 Jan

Team

Score

Black Pearls

Hang Tang Chillin

32 - 21

7 Dec

Black Pearls

HKCC Demons

18 - 54

9 Nov

Black Pearls

Hang Tang

33 - 34

2 Nov

Black Pearls

HKCC Devils

34 - 17

12 Oct

Black Pearls

Valley Panthers

27 -52

5 Oct

Balck Pearls

Hangtang Chilin

27 - 52

Vs

Team

15 Dec

Team

Score

Black Jacks

Aussie Magpies

22 - 23

7 Dec

Black Jacks

DOGA

7 - 18

9 Nov

Black Jacks

Shimmer

23 - 15

2 Nov

Black Jacks

Cheetas

32 - 25

26 Oct

Black Jacks

Jaguars

20 - 13

12 Oct

Black Jacks

Valley Wildcats

11 - 26

Vs

Netball -Scallywags Date

Team

9 Nov

Team

Score

25 Oct

HKFC1

FK/DBP1

0 - 53

4 Oct

Valley/HKU

FK/DBP1

friendly

1 Nov

FK/DBP3

Breakthrough Pandas

66 - 5

20 Sept

FK/DBP2

USRC Tiger 3

21 - 29

Team

Score

Vs

Team

Score

Scallywags

OTS 10

2 - 38

2 Nov

Scallywags

Cubs

29 - 17

12 Oct

Scallywags

Cockatoos

7 - 30

Vs

Date

Team

21 Nov

DBP/SLB

HKFC/VF

68 - 0

1 Nov

DBP

SKS/DEA

82 - 20

18 Oct

DBP

HKU2

91 - 5

27 Sept

DBP

Flying Kukris

41 - 0

Vs

Date

Team

Team

Score

11 Jan

Buccaneers

Giants

29 - 17

7 Dec

Buccaneers

Griffins

22 - 56

9 Nov

Buccaneers

HKCC Dragons

38 -26

9 Nov

Buccaneers

HKCC Phoenix

27 - 28

26 Oct

Buccaneers

Opals

30 - 33

12 Oct

Buccaneers

Stingrays

30 - 21

Vs

Netball - Swashbucklers

Netball - Black Jacks Date

Team

Netball -Buccaneers

Netball - Black Pearls Date

Date

U14 Girls Rugby

U14s Rugby Date

Vs

Date

Team

7 Dec

Swashbucklers

9 Nov

Swashbucklers

2 Nov

Swashbucklers

Dragonflies

10 - 22

26 Oct

Swashbucklers

Lions

11 - 16

12 Oct

Swashbucklers

Valley Clubs

18 - 4

Vs

Team

Score

Scallywags

16 - 9 bye

Netball - Jolly Rogers Date

Team

11 Jan

Jolly Rogers

15 Dec

Jolly Rogers

7 Dec

Jolly Rogers

Emeralds

11 -3

9 Nov

Jolly Rogers

Bishops

19 - 11

2 Nov

Jolly Rogers

Macabi

8 - 10

26 Oct

Jolly Rogers

Sparta

11 - 10

12 Oct

Jolly Rogers

Highlanders

12 - 8

Vs

Team

Score

Unicorns

Win Win

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Mini Rugby: The beginning of a lifeLONG love of sport By Guillaume Mauffrey, Head of Minis

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s the season continues into 2016, it might feel like Groundhog day for some with the organisation of training, buses, festivals and teams. Seeing the excitement of the kids on the first day of the season, I realised that our mini Pirates must be following the outlook of Captain Jack Sparrow when he said, “Life’s pretty good, and why wouldn’t it be? I’m a Pirate!“ Considering the late nights coaches and parents experienced during the Rugby World Cup, the turnout on Sunday mornings has been amazing. Now that the cup has been lifted there are no more excuses for staying in bed to recover! It is great to see the renewed level of involvement yet again 7

from parents and coaches. Let us remember that with everyone being a volunteer, it is a humbling reflection of the spirit of the Club... quite an accomplishment when you consider we have no clubhouse, and a rented home pitch! This season has seen our U6 to U9 groups move onto two brand new training pitches at Discovery College. This will enable us to also run more friendly games when the DB North Pitch is in use by other age groups. For our U6s it is their first encounter with rugby. I am sure they will be dreaming about tackle turn and pass over the next few months. For the U9s, a first discovery of tackling (as coaches we can finally stop yelling, “It’s

touch only!”) whilst other mini age groups are experiencing their first scrums, first line outs and first kick for points. It is always exciting seeing the kids’ skills progress as they move through the Club and hearing the positive feedback we get from other clubs on our performance makes it all worthwhile. With the first two tournaments completed, our new team management app, TeamSnap, has been put to the test. TeamSnap will help both coaches and parents spend less time on administrative tasks and more time enjoying the rugby. It is also a great platform for our minis to post their pictures, chat and post messages, while mums and dads can easily find all-important dates for the season and ask questions.

On a final note, it is worth reminding ourselves that this is the age where our young players not only learn the game, but also the spirit of the game. I am sure I am not alone when I write that rugby has brought me a lot in life, new friends that became old friends, great emotions, stories and much more. Now all abooooaaaard for the 2nd half of the season!

Photos courtesy of Sharon McEneff 8

D i s co v e r y B a y P i r at e s D r ag o n B o at t e am B ack o n t h e w at e r w h e re P i r at e s b e lo ng! by Renee

McCreadie

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iscovery Bay Dragon Boat Carnival , for paddlers the final race of the season and our favourite day out on the water! The 2015 season saw both our new and experienced paddlers come together to fly the Pirate flag and enjoy the unique sport of dragon boating. DB Pirates floated three crews: ladies, men’s and a mixed team, making it our biggest season yet.

We are also calling for anyone who has coaching experience and would like to take the Pirates through the 2016 season. If you are interested please email. We welcome new and old paddlers and are looking forward to sharing another exciting season with you.

Dates for the Diary DB Dragon Boat Festival - Thurs 9 June Mui Wo Dragon Boat Race - TBC Lamma Dragon Boat Race - TBC

Our DB Pirates ladies took home a trophy and our DB Pirate mixed made it through to the plate final, a great accomplishment for teams who train once a week. Ambitions for this year are high, with plans for more silverware for our trophy cabinet. We’re also hoping this year to float a youth crew (ages 14 to 18) to help maintain fitness levels during the off-season and, of course, have an enormous amount of fun. Training will begin after Chinese New Year, usually on a Saturday or Sunday so if you’re interested please join our mailing list (email: dbdragonboat@gmail. com). 9

Photos courtesy of Sam Murray

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DB Pirates Academy

enhancing the sporting experience and keeping you safe! by Jason White, Director DB Pirates Academy

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016 sees the launch of The DB Pirates Academy.

The Academy’s goal is to provide new opportunities for players to stretch themselves and achieve their potential. This new section of the Club provides professional coaches, coaching support, volunteers and first aiders across all sports.

The DB Pirates Academy Bootcamp fitness programme, starting on 25 January, will be available to all Club members (free of charge). Craig Hammond, Head Coach at Hong Kong Scottish RFC and Hong Kong Rugby National Team Forwards Coach, continues in the role of Executive Head Coach, Rugby. Other professional coaches will be available to support youth and minis training on Sundays at DB North Pitch and DC Pitch. They will support the youth age grades at mid week training and will regularly attend youth league games, minis micro tournaments and mini festivals throughout the season. Rob Rowe, a provincial hockey player and coach from South Africa, has been appointed as the Head Coach for Hockey. He 11

will be leading a team of coaches (many of whom are ex-players), in shaping a development pathway for mini hockey players on to youth and the senior sport. Rob will lead all training and support festivals throughout the year. Not to be left behind, and with the support of the Academy, Netball are in the process of onboarding more coaching capabilities which will help strengthen the excellent teams currently in place, supporting both youth and adult. The Academy will develop the DB Pirates Academy Coaching Manual. This will be a central resource for standard drills and plays across age levels and sports. It will provide players with a solid foundation of consistent calls and moves that will be embedded in training over the years to come. Working with the Operations Team, the Academy also manages the coaching equipment. You will note that we have recently taken receipt of new tackle bags, slalom poles, cones, balls, hockey goal keeping gear. Please take care of the equipment, it is designed to last more than one season.

Coaching Through the Academy, the Club provides and funds attendance on all the main HKRU coaching courses, including Rugby Ready, World Rugby Level 1, 2 and even 3 coaching courses. We also support funding and access to referee courses, netball umpiring, netball coaching and, in the near future, we will also be offering Coach the Coaches for hockey. This year the coaches shirts will distinguish our coaches with specific colours and patterns for our incredible team of head coaches, coaches and assistant coaches. As a Club we always need more volunteer coaches, first aiders and team managers - so do not be shy and do step up. It means a lot to us, and a lot to the kids.

The Club is pleased to fund the EFR courses for coaches and team first aiders - look out for course dates. www.dbpirates.com Bootcamp The DB Pirates Academy Bootcamp is open to all Club members and will provide fitness training classes 2 days a week with a fully qualified personal trainer. Time: 6.15am When: Mon & Thurs from 25 January 2016 Where: Tai Pak Beach For more information or to help with the Academy please contact Jason White on [email protected]

First Aid Safety in all our sports is paramount. As such the Pirates has been providing arguably the most and best trained (non-professional), pitch and court side first aiders in Hong Kong. The Club runs frequent certification EFR Primary and Secondary Care, Care for Children and AED courses.

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ast season DB Pirates Netball had five teams competing in the Hong Kong Netball Association women’s open league each Monday. The Black Pearls were victorious in taking home the division 1 plate after a fierce final against the HKFC Typhoons. The season also saw some other significant achievements. Sherryn Hancock was elected to the role of Hong Kong Netball Association President; Michelle Warburton was selected to play for the Hong Kong Women’s National Team and Grace Kai Fong was selected for the Hong Kong U21 National Squad. Not to be outdone, Sky Waddell and Paige Smal were selected for the Junior Development Academy. Finally, Mel Potgieter returned for the fourth year running as the team physio for the Hong Kong National Team.

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This season, we have six teams registered in the Hong Kong Netball Association women’s open league and 3 junior teams in the U13 and U19 leagues. When you consider the DB Pirates netball section started in 2006, with only two teams, the section has grown significantly. The women’s teams represent a broad range of abilities and will compete in divisions 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7. It is encouraging to see so many returning players this season, as well as new players coming back to the sport after a period away from playing. This year we have a change in section management with Barbara Murray taking a break from coaching after many years as the DB Pirates netball senior

coach (thanks for your fantastic efforts Barbs)!. We are delighted Barbs is staying on as a player for the Buccaneers team. Jessica Stephens has stepped down as Head of Netball but remains the DB Pirates Director of Netball and a member of the Black Pearls team. We welcome Michelle Warburton as our new senior coach and Faith Considine as our new Head of Netball. Mel Potgieter returns as our coach for the Junior DB Pirates. This season, we have been inviting guest coaches to attend one-off coaching evenings with our netball teams. The first of these was held on Friday, 9 October when Norma Plummer, an amazing netball coach most recently involved in coaching the South African national

netball team, provided us with an awesome 2 hour specialised coaching session. The Netball section is also planning a number of social events in 2016, including family orientated occasions, where players can attend with their partners and children. There will also be a dedicated beach netball competition to run alongside the DB Pirates Beach Festival in March. We look forward to continued success and growth in 2016.

Playing netball in Hong Kong has been exciting and memorable – whether it’s school netball for Discovery College, Club netball for HKCC and DB Pirates, or Hong Kong rep netball for the U16s and U21s. Exposure to great coaching, meeting Hong Kong and expat players, and team trips are some of the highlights. Thanks to HKNA, netball is going from strength to strength. It’s a brilliant sport to be a part of! Grace KAI FONG

Photos courtesy of Sharon McEneff

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oncussion is an invisible injury, but the consequences are real. As the brain is “floating” in the cerebral fluid within the skull, the rapid acceleration or deceleration of brain tissue within the skull causes brain tissue to change shape, stretch and come in contact with the skull. If the impact is hard, it may cause bruising of the brain. This damage also causes chemical and metabolic changes within the brain cells, making it more difficult for cells to function and communicate - yes, you do lose a few million brain cells. A few years ago, sports people were encouraged to “shake it off”, use the cold sponge, run it off and get back out there. This was the approach that resulted in the tragic story of Ben Robinson who played rugby for his school in Ireland. After being treated three times for blows to the head and sent back to the field on each occasion, he collapsed with a minute to go and later died in hospital. This terrible event, along with similar issues in

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Ma M an na gi ng Conc uss siioon n the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, brought into sharp focus the concerns of concussions across many sports. We now know that concussion is a serious injury to the brain resulting from the rapid acceleration or deceleration of brain tissue within the skull. Though concussions are prevalent in rugby, AFL, ice hockey and American football (or least they are now reported more and acted upon more), other sports are as likely to be impacted by concussions and we have seen rapid increases in soccer, athletics, gymnastics, netball and field hockey. Concussion prevention, diagnosis, and recovery are key and requires a team effort—everyone needs to know their role. As such the Club believes strongly in concussion education for the players, parents, coaches, administrators and referees. This is one of the reasons the Club focuses on training and providing the teams with EFR trained first aiders.

Concussion prevention is too often overlooked. This area provides the most significant opportunity for improvement. Research in the US and UK using head impact sensors has shown us that changes in practice and technical style can greatly reduce overall brain trauma. In rugby the issue has always been the contact area i.e. the tackle, ruck and maul. To this end the Club is placing a greater emphasis on helping coach these areas by bringing in pro coaches, we are also encouraging coaches to undertake advanced coaching courses, and training on hand medical responders pitch side. Use of age-appropriate rules and the strengthening of neck muscles can also reduce the number of concussions and we are working with the HKMRFU, HKRU on rule development. When a concussion occurs, the first critical step is recognising the injury and getting the player out of the game immediately. Research to date shows that the majority of concussions are not indentified.

Failing to identify injuries increases the risk of negative health outcomes including additional injury, post concussion syndrome, and second impact syndrome. Proper remove-from-play training and policies, which include objective sideline testing, are being implemented to keep our players safe. Our coaches and EFR team are advised that when we take a player (be they mini, youth or adult) away from the game due to suspected concussion, we will not allow them back on to the pitch no matter what the result to the game may be - the players’ safety is our priority. Normally, it’s advised for anyone to observe for these symptoms for at least the first 24 hours following the incident. In certain cases, these signs and symptoms may arise up to 72 hours post injury, so close monitoring may be required. If an athlete has 2 bouts of mild to moderate concussion in a season, the Club will request that they retire from the season. The player would be advised to retire completely if they suffer 2 bouts of severe concussion. There are times where these symptoms may persist for up to a year or more. In these cases, they are classified as having post-concussion syndrome. Hong Kong referees may also issue a blue card which removes a player from play for the rest of the day. Knowing when it’s safe to get back in the game helps prevent re-injury and a prolonged recovery. Baseline testing and graduated return to play under the supervision of a medical professional can help make sure players aren’t at risk of going back too soon. Rushing the return to play decision puts players at greater risk for prolonged recovery and potential catastrophic outcomes. The Club coaches have a responsibility to monitor their charges return to play and the Club may ask for the doctors note to allow a player to re start training.

Signs and Symptoms of Concussion Depending on the extent of the concussion, the signs and symptoms may vary. In a mild concussion (remove-from-play, refer to medical professionals): • No loss of consciousness • Slight confusion (i.e. disorientated to either time, date, space, location) • Inability to recall what just happened • Report either ringing in ears or slightly hard of hearing • Slight headache or nausea • Pain over area of contact In a moderate concussion, remove-from-play, call any ambulance refer to medical professionals • Loss of consciousness for less than 3 minutes • Confusion (commonly unable to recall date and location) • Inability to know what’s happening • Inability to track movement • Reports loud ringing in ear • Delayed vomiting • Moderate headache • Pain over area of contact or even in other areas of the head not involved in contact • Loss of balance In severe concussion, remove-from-play, call any ambulance refer to medical professionals • • • •

Loss of consciousness for more than 3 minutes Confusion for more than 5 minutes Loss of memory of events before incident Immediate vomiting, severe headache and ringing in ear • Possible increase in heart rate and drop in blood pressure

If you are in doubt seek medical advice. Immediately.

Photos courtesy of Sharon McEneff 16

about rugby in general (not necessarily only on the field), what would the top two or three things be? Josh: It’s really hard to pinpoint particular things that I really enjoy about rugby. I love the way the sport can influence people, that rugby is a sport that can teach people to be both responsible and respectful. You have to develop responsibilities like bring your boots and mouth-guard to games, showing up on time and being a role model for little kids and adults. I love the responsibilities it teaches you.

Discussion with Josh Clery.

An emerging talent by Steve Kean

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uestion: How old were you when you first started playing rugby?

Josh: I was thirteen when I first joined Pirates, and when I pretty much first started playing rugby. I started playing at school first, back in Year 8. Question: What got you started in rugby? Josh: At school I tried various sports, such as basketball and soccer but they didn’t really interest me. When I started rugby something just clicked. I liked the guys that were playing, I liked the sport itself. I liked the competition so I thought this might be the sport for me. As for Pirates, I needed something as a hobby at the weekends. So, after I had tried rugby at school, I thought why not try club rugby. I knew Pirates was the local club, looking for players, and I thought why not give it a shot. And I’ve been here ever since. Question: That leads me onto my next question, which you’ve partly answered already. If you could identify some things which you enjoy most 17

I love the respectfulness the sport teaches you. You obviously have to respect the referees who give of their time, but also you have to respect the opposition and your own team mates, coaching staff and management. I love those two aspects most about rugby. I also love the sport as a means of exercise physical activity. I love the contact aspect of it, the sheer pace of it and the physicality. Put me on any rugby field and I will usually enjoy it. Question: You were one of the first Pirates to become part of the HK Institute of Sport, a truly fantastic achievement. How did that experience help your rugby? What spin offs from that have you been able to take into your “normal” daily life? Josh: The Institute helps you balance out your lifestyle, to work out how to get the best out of yourself academically as well as related to sports. It helps you to better understand nutrition, what to eat etc. It helps to map out sleep patterns and what you need to get good rest. It helps you to identify what your priorities are and need to be, and then how to go after those things you want to achieve. Question: The training, the travel, the playing, the increasing standards and requirements are quite demanding on a young player. How do you keep yourself motivated to carry on? Josh: That’s a really simple one for me. I think I have such a great opportunity to be part of all of this, be part of the Institute. I finished school in 2014, but at the time I was still at school so I would remind myself this is a pretty big deal. When I started there were only about 15 of us, I would look around and think that not every rugby player gets this opportunity to train at top-notch facilities and with proper physios and training fields.

Same with under 20s and under 18s. We are only young once and you don’t get many shots to play National Age Grades. Under 20s is quite a big honour, so for me it was a matter of not letting the opportunities slide away. I have been given the chance to take it, it’s not a question of juggling between rugby and academics, it is about organisation. I wanted to test my limits, can I go further? Can I break into the under 20s, can I go from this to Hong Kong A? Ultimately I want to see what is the best I can be, that’s what keeps me motivated.

Obviously there is going to be huge pressure around academics, but passion for anything is not something you should just snuff out. Encourage them with your support and urge them to keep everything balanced, school and sport yes, but also sleep and diet. Everything in balance. With your 100% support.

Question: What would you say to any young rugby players out there, who may be just starting their rugby journey or who have played for a few years and about to transition from, say minis to youth rugby? And to their parents? Josh: For someone new to rugby, apart from welcome, I would say it is a great sport. You have a lot to look forward to, you can make some great friendships and have some great personal achievements. Enjoy it, don’t look at it as a chore, look at it as a hobby. For those who are already playing I would say, keep pushing yourself and see what you can achieve. Keep testing your limits. To parents I would say if your kid has a passion for the sport, just support them.

Photos courtesy of Harry Parsons

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Pirates Youth Rugby – Getting the Pre-Season Right by Phillip Baldwin, Head of Youth Rugby

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he very first youth rugby team Discovery Bay Pirates fielded was in 2006-7; an U14 side (no U13s in those days) who played in division 3 because we had no idea about the standard of other teams. Unfortunately, we somewhat miscalculated the competition and won the league and the cup at a canter (Miscalculated? Or just canny Pirates? YOU decide!) Pretty much the entire Club turned out to watch the final – our first – which proved so one sided our coaches were urging our players to hold back. Subsequently we played a friendly against division 1 U14 team HKU (Sandy Bay). The Union sent a couple of people to observe and assess our progress which turned out to be rather substantial as we thrashed our more celebrated opponents and were promoted directly to division 1 where we finished second to HKFC. It was a strange start to youth rugby but we learned the lesson of the importance of pre-season. Without that friendly against HKU we would have played in division 2, which would have hampered the development of that team and its players, many of who went on to play at national age grade up to U20. The decision of where to place a team is a tricky one. In the first season we simply had no reference point. There was no U12 Richard Hawkes Cup, which at the very least serves as a rough guide as to the potential

of a youth team; but as we have gained more experience as a Club we have mostly got it right. However, as the U13s discovered last season, a few key players leaving or other teams developing faster during closed season, can upset even the best laid plans and assessments. This highlights the importance of pre-season and why parents and coaches should be actively involved in pre-season activities. For the U13s the step from mini to youth rugby is enormous; as is every step up within the age groups. The development of children from 13-18 is extraordinary and different children develop at different rates. I recall one player, who during the summer hiatus, grew so much that we didn’t recognise him when he turned up for preseason training, no longer the skinny boy we remembered but now a large and muscular youth. The sooner you can train as a team, the sooner you will learn about their skill levels and physical development and we can ensure you are placed in the relevant division. If you think grading doesn’t matter, you may never have been on the end of a thumping tackle by a kid who has grown four inches (12cm) and put on 20Ibs (9kg) during the summer! As a Club, we believe a team should play at the highest level possible. It is better to have cracking matches that are close, than one-sided victories that do

nothing for player development, the holy grail of youth rugby. We encourage teams and players to consistently challenge themselves and rate success by player and team improvement ahead of an undefeated season. So get involved early with your team.

Discovery Bay pirates has played a massive role in helping me develop as a player through the camaraderie shared by all players and coaching staff together. The coaching staff and parents that come along to every game to support all the boys and girls playing have also helped me appreciate the effort they put in, as well as helped me develop more humility. The efforts of the coaching staff, and my fellow teammates, have helped me to work harder and be better. Discovery Bay Pirates has helped me develop both as a person, and to become a greater and better player. Blaise Barnes

Photos courtesy of Paul Christmas

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The key stages of wealth management W

ealth management is a relatively new profession, so it’s not surprising that most people are vague about what wealth managers actually do. Wealth management addresses a wide range of issues. A wealth manager can help you with such issues as: investing a lump sum, deciding how much you need to save in order to retire comfortably, estate planning and mitigating Inheritance Tax, dividing up pension entitlements on a divorce or separation, getting the right types and amounts of life and health insurance, planning to pay for education fees, and providing a general financial health check. These are crucial issues for most people and their families, and it’s very important for a wealth manager to have a thorough understanding of clients’ aims and challenges. It’s generally best to look at the whole of an individual’s financial affairs across the board, not just the issue that is of most immediate concern. It can sometimes be hard to deal with one particular issue in isolation because most areas of financial planning are interconnected. Initially the wealth manager and client must get to know each other well enough to decide whether to take the relationship further and the best way for it to work. This will involve agreeing the broad content and scope of the service and crucially

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how much it will all cost. The chemistry will need to be right as a potential client, you should be asking yourself: do I trust this person and can I work with them? And it’s important to settle the practicalities; does this adviser and the firm have the right expertise and can they provide what I am looking for? There’s likely to be an enormous amount of information to be gathered together about a person’s financial circumstances: savings, investments, mortgages and other loans, wills and other documents, pensions, life and health insurances, income and expenditure, tax and much more. But that’s only the start of this stage in the relationship. The planner’s job is to find out what the client wants to achieve with their money, both now and in the future. That means gaining a thorough understanding of their views about such issues as borrowing, investing, spending now and in the future, retirement and estate planning. Most people do not often think about their future – at least not from a financial perspective. In investment terms, there will be specific questions about the level of risk the client is prepared and able to take on. That will lead to discussion about how various asset classes have behaved in the past and what they might do in the future. The aim is to build a portfolio of investments that will provide the returns the investor requires and with which they are comfortable. The next step in the planning

process is to make sense of all this information and come up with a range of preliminary conclusions and initial ideas for ways forward. An important aim of the analysis stage is to identify financial gaps or shortfalls. These could be between income and expenditure now or in the future, pension or insurance provision and others where some action is needed to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality. You might need to change your goals and aspirations and you may also need to adjust some of your current patterns of behaviour such as spending and saving. A very important issue is clarity about priorities – what might have seemed to be a high priority at the start of the process might have to be replaced by another need. Once these needs and wants have been identified, it’s time to do some specific research into funds, tax wrappers and insurance products.

There’s the planning part of the process, where the end result is a plan of action, and then the implementation, where the outcome is a set of actions to execute the plan. Wealth managers will, as required, work with other professionals such as lawyers and accountants, who can provide specialist legal and tax advice and help with the implementation of aspects of the plan. Most clients want their adviser to keep an eye on their

investments and other financial arrangements; so regular reviews and communication are important. The review process is intended to act as a catch up with what has changed – either in your own circumstances or in the financial world generally. Much of the groundwork has already been done earlier, and so the review is likely to be shorter and easier to carry out than the initial meeting and report. But this might not turn out to be the case where there have been some very substantial changes in circumstances like a marriage,

divorce or a substantial inheritance. It is possible to carry out your own wealth management if you have the knowledge, time, patience and self-discipline. But there are good reasons why you probably won’t want to – even if you have all these characteristics. You may also find it hard to make these big decisions alone.

To receive a complimentary guide covering Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, produced by St. James’s Place Wealth Management, contact John Parsons or Jason White of St. James’s Place Wealth Management on 2433 6981 or email [email protected] or [email protected] website www.sjpp.asia/pwwm

Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management www.sjpp.asia/pwwm

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A wealth of expertise on your doorstep in Discovery Bay...

W

e focus solely on providing face-to-face advice and offer a dedicated, personal wealth management service to build long-term, trusted relationships.Together, we would look to create a working plan, providing you with a clear direction towards meeting your financial goals. This includes clarifying your objectives and researching all of the options available to you. We have the experience to help you successfully secure and enhance your financial future by offering specialist advice in a wide range of areas including: Investment Planning | Retirement Planning | Estate Planning | Family Protection For further information, or to request your complimentary guide to wealth management, please contact:

JOHN PARSONS

JASON WHITE

T: +852 2433 6981 E: [email protected]

T: +852 2433 6980 E: [email protected]

Web: www.sjpp.asia/pwwm

Web: www.sjpp.asia/pwwm

Partner

Partner

NOW CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AT UNIT 20, 1/F BLOCK 2, OFFICE BUILDING, 96 SIENA AVENUE, DISCOVERY BAY NORTH PLAZA – WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives. Members of the St. James’s Place Partnership in Hong Kong represent St. James’s Place (Hong Kong) Limited, which is part of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group and is a member of The Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers CIB, a licensed corporation with the Securities and Futures Commission, and registered as an MPF Intermediary. St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc Registered Office: St. James’s Place House, 1 Tetbury Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1FP, United Kingdom. Registered in England Number 4113955.

SJ 2464

2014-15 U19 Boys: Cup champions! What a year! What a team!

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laying in Division 2, last season, this team was a young side made up of mostly U17 players with a couple of U18s. The first match of the season was our biggest win, at 103-0, but we soon came up against tougher competition and were beaten by a very good HKU (Sandy Bay) side. The rest of the season saw consistent improvement, encouraged by the pragmatic coaching style of Head Coach Seru Rabeni and Executive Coach Craig Hammond. The shrewd match day stewardship of Flipper (aka Richard Tollan) and Phillip Baldwin, the dedication of the players (themselves wisely ignoring much of the stewards’ words of wisdom), and the logistical genius of U19 manager Dennis Barlow (or probably, his wife Justine) ensured a great season. After the loss to HKU, the team went on a winning streak that lasted the entire domestic season, avenging the loss to HKU by destroying them in the Cup Grand Championship Final; while the half-time score was close at 14-12 to the Pirates, a powerful and inspiring second half performance meant the Pirates became Grand Cup Division 2 Champions. The tour to Bangkok was a great experience for the lads. Although the results were disappointing by

the team’s own high standards, it brought the players even closer together as a unit. The quality of the team and their progress as rugby players was reflected in the number of players selected for HK U18 and U19 NAG representation: Aidan Trent, Jake Barlow, Josh Cleary, Jonathan Healy (also played for HK Scottish), Joseph Horwood, Mark Coebergh, Takamasa Hoshiyama and Zachary Baldwin. In addition, Alessandro Nardoni, Angel Kimura and Sjors Laurijsen – all Pirates but playing primarily for HK Scottish last season – played NAG representative rugby; Sjors and Alessandro were selected for the HK U20 squad that headed to the Junior World Championships in Portugal in May 2015.

Photos courtesy of Caroline Clery, James Branch



Hong Kong team beat strong New Zealand representation in the form of Scots College

With 532 points scored by 24 boys across a season (with only 95 scored against us), we can only say that the future for the U19s in the 2015-16 season is proving to be very bright. And one more thing…

Knowing that players learn more from mistakes than perfection, Flipper showed all the players how not to react to a refereeing decision. His use of Anglo-Saxon Other season highlights included: and his magnificent spitting of the dummy (which included the • Chris Gist kicked the only throwing of carefully recorded notes across the pitch), while drop goal of the season understandable, were rather • Our lineout was once loud and flamboyant. Take heed again dominant and we scored the most beautiful lads, and learn the lessons of the Flipper – who it must be said, of tries via a maul – a move much loved by the walked the walk of shame and took his fine on the bus home backs and all backs’ magnificently! We would have coaches, especially expected nothing less. Flipper •

Mark Coebergh received player of the final for his performance for the HK U17 Sevens side final in Malaysia, where the

For more information on Youth Rugby, please visit our website: http://www.dbpirates.com/ Youth_Rugby. 24

T he Dark Arts & Magical Operations of Pirates Steve Tait, Deputy Chairman & Director of OPeration

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B Pirates is so lucky, it is the best run club in Hong Kong!” or “You are so lucky to get those sponsors” are statements heard frequently around Hong Kong rugby.

We also hear from our members, “The Club is owned by just two people and we have no say” along with, “We pay our fees and really expect the highest level of Club management”. Following an indepth investigation we are here to debunk the myths and dark arts of Club operations, whilst pointing out the magical abilities of the few who do so much for so many... Myth 1: The Directors are all paid to run Pirates Absolutely and totally wrong! The Club pays none of the Directors. The only entity paid to manage the Club is T8 Consulting who provides a team of three to run the day-to-day Club administration. Myth 2: The Club is owned by just two people who make all the decisions! Absolutely and totally wrong! The Club is a limited-by-guarantee company and run as a not-for-profit enterprise. The Board of Directors (comprised of 9 members) is elected at the AGM each year and from these 9, 4 executive directors are selected. The executive directors include the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Treasurer and one other - this year, the Director of Membership. Sections are given the freedom to run themselves with Board support and within a budget that is put in place at the start of the season. All the big decisions such as fees, sponsors, kit producers, support services, new sports and high spend items are discussed by the whole Board and voted on, whereas the smaller more regular decisions are made by the executive directors. Myth 3 – The Club is professionally run and does not need volunteers Absolutely and totally wrong! We need you! The Club cannot survive without our many volunteer coaches, referees, team managers, first aiders, kit managers and support, transport managers, tournament managers, editors, photographers, social butterflies, social media managers etc. Over the past few years the volunteer to member ratio has dropped though, and as such more work has been passed to admin in a bid to provide you, the members, with the same Club and playing experience.

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What does our Operations Coven do? From a management perspective, and similar to the fates of yesteryear, the Club is split into four core sections: •

•

•

•

Sport: includes all the key sports played by the Club. Most sports have their own Director. The Academy: overseen by the Academy Director, focuses on coaching support and fitness training. Finance: responsible for the money reserves, checks balances and is overseen by the Treasurer. Operations: currently overseen by the Deputy Chairman, includes everything else that puts members on the pitch, court or in the boat.

Pitch & Equipment Possibly to the surprise of some members, the pitch allocations are not actually done randomly (though a coin has been known to be used). Allocations involve many months of pre-season negotiations with the Death Eaters (HKR), the HKRU, DC, DBIS and YMCA. The noble team of Rob Walters, supported by Paula Andrea from the Admin Team, have developed detailed training schedules, discussed them with the coaches and secured the pitch times. The equipment, storage, pitch support and pitch furnishings come under the responsibility of the Pirates Academy and are managed by Paula. This includes; rustling up new barriers for the pitch, tackle bags, shields

and slalom poles (which have just been replaced because of damage). Let’s face it, if some of our younger members stand on the equipment or use the tackle shields as medieval prop and stab slalom poles into them, they will not last. We should also not forget the 500 plus rugby balls, sheds, flags and bibs, cable ties, ropes, padlocks and vinyl. When you don’t put equipment away or allow it to be damaged you cause work for someone else – so please don’t: sit on or move the barriers, misuse the equipment, eat or drink in the shed. Please do: put equipment away, tidy up rubbish, manage youngsters mistreating the equipment and take responsibility for, and pride in, your Club.

Kit Management Magic The Board approves our kit supplier; chief kit-witch, Samantha Murray (and her small team of dedicated volunteers) manages everything else. From design and development through to production and distribution, this is no small undertaking with literally thousands of pieces of kit produced and distributed each year. The kit needs to be sized, quality checked and the ideas of the designers and sponsors distilled to represent both the Club and the sponsors exacting standards. No matter when you join, our kit-coven magically finds kit for everyone, even negotiating this year a deal to provide oneoff-kits when required. Our thanks to Sam and Felicity, the distribution helpers and designers. Next time you see the kit team say thank you. Photos courtesy of John Parsons 28

Transport Ever wondered how the buses normally all arrive on time, all get into the bastion of DB and know where they are going? The bus pixie! As you are gathering, the Ops team includes a number of magical creatures that don’t sleep, and have the ability to bend time and read your thoughts! Paula, is responsible (amongst many roles) for negotiating with the bus providers, setting up a booking system, working with the coaches and tournament organisers and dealing with HKR and tunnel security to get your bus to you when the kids expect it. When the bus is two minutes late, due to traffic, Sharon reacts faster than the mobile network to get more info to you, there and then. The process is so refined that you can go online and see your bus details a few days beforehand, negating your need to call at 6am on a Sunday to ask when little Johnnie’s bus is leaving! Membership Systems & Spells Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the membership of the Club was managed in a big leather bound book. Over time, the players and members increased from the original 30 so the Club began to ask complicated questions; age, date of birth, name and sex. Today the membership is run across a club management platform that does much of the magic for us and is administered daily by the Ops team. The system is key to team management, socials, Sevens ticketing, finance and even kit. Like all great spells and systems it is only as good as the data you put in; the better your data and the more time you spend on it the better it is for you and the easier it is on the admin team. In truth no members of the Club have kids born in 1900. But that doesn’t stop some parents challenging us by trying that date on! That the Club knows that your child has asthma is not going to stop them playing, but it will help the coach know why they are out of breath and turning blue. We ask for two different emergency contact details so that in an emergency we can contact someone. So, when it comes time again for you to navigate the registration system, and in best Pirates’ tradition, “give what you can and leave nothing behind!”

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Marketing & Communications How do we get new players? We advertise. “Why do I keep getting emails from the Club?” or “The Club is really bad at communicating.” The marketing, communications and recruitment of the Club is overseen by the Directors of Communications and Membership, who cook up engaging spells and concepts (mini rugby balls, zap stickers, edgy ad campaigns) and then pass them to the admin magic makers to make it happen. This includes advertising in magazines, the ferry pier and bus stops; the pier video; back to school stalls; Facebook, Teamsnap, emails and the Website. We are planning school visits and talks, interviews with the press and have, over the years, even been asked by international news agencies to do a Club profile. Indeed, you may have seen another local publication carry an article about our Ladies’ rugby team! The Club also sends out emails every few days and it is amazing the data we get back from you, the members. Did you know that if we send out an email about volunteering for the Club, the AGM, Club safety, town halls or general information, we track the open rates (3-5% usually). However in the past three years every email that had the title “Hong Kong Sevens Tickets” saw a click through rate of 99.7%. Hmm...what was that about communication? Sponsorship Our Ops and Admin team work hard to secure sponsorship. Professional sponsorship packs are designed, meetings are arranged and the sales experience of our crew goes into over-drive. Once onboarded the Ops and Admin team are responisble for ensuring that the terms on the sponsorship are met and that our sponsors brands are activated correctly and that their expectations are met. It is through Sponsorship that we’ve been able to start the Academy, the Foundation and is how we subsidise the Annual Ball (amongst other things like kit, equipment etc); if needed. Sponsorship funds our development programmes. It is how we can ensure that our value of “no Pirate is left behind” can be maintained – you did know that we can help, and have helped, genuinely needy cases stay in sport through sub-venting some or all of their registration fees, right? 30

Sevens Ticketing The Sevens will be on us soon and the ticketing circus has begun. The Sevens ticketing allocation is one of the most emotive and time consuming tasks of any club in Hong Kong. The Ops and Admin teams are responsible for applying for the maximum ticket allocation possible, developing and activating the purchasing systems and allocating the tickets based on a series of protocols approved by the Board. It is so complicated that they work with Excel wizards in the UK, and are often driven to distraction (some may call it insanity) by the complexities around ticket application and allocations. We will keep you updated with allocation when we know more but in the meantime, if you haven’t paid for your tickets now is the time to do so. Coaching, Camps & Medical If you would like to go on a coaching course, did you know the Club will cover the cost (well as long as you pass)? All you need to do is contact admin and they will do the rest for you. The holiday camps run with Hong Kong Scottish (HKS) are managed between the clubs by the admin team. This includes contracting pro-coaches for the camps and will happen with the support of the new Academy. The Club provides every team with the best sports first aid kits in Hong Kong (managed by the admin pixies), along with a training cycle for the first aiders so they know how to use the kit. (What do you mean, they are the biggest? You do want to be able to use the ice packs and the miles of strapping when it is required don’t you?) Each kit has over 150 items in it and takes 30 minutes to put together so that all the kits are same. Supplies are sourced from the US, UK, Hong Kong and China. Each season the Club invests heavily in first aid supplies, strapping, patching and cooling our players at all levels. Our thanks go to all our volunteer first aiders. More first aiders are needed though, so if you are interested in doing the course please contact paula@ dbpirates.com for course dates.

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Accounting & Finance One would never call the delightful Marie a goblin of Gringotts fame. That said, she has a magical ability to reconcile your membership fees, Sevens tickets and social payments with the bank accounts and main budgets. She manages thousands of receivables and payments every year, not to mention providing regular reports to the Treasurer and the Board. Her pet hates: anyone who makes payments by ATM (which are now classed as “welcome club donations”), transfers without reference and a personal favourite, members who use a different surname to their children then get cross when we can’t work out who they are.

Events & Socials The Club runs a number of socials and events each year which include: the quiz night, the infamous ball and the DB Pirates Beach Festival. Not surprisingly these fun affairs are managed largely by the Operations team including both admin and a number of volunteers who put in the hundreds of hours needed to make these events a success. We always need more volunteers to help prepare, setup and manage everything from: raffle prizes, designs, pitch monitors, quiz masters, coordinators and more. No matter how large or small a contribution, how skilled (or otherwise) you may be, a volunteer is worth their weight in gold! We cannot thank them enough for their contribution to the Club. The Ball in May 2016 will be of particular importance as it is being run for the last time by the magical duo of Tait and Nettleton, two of the most experienced event managers in DB . They are looking for two under studies to take on the mantle in 2017 of Rugby’s most Infamous Ball. If you can help or are interested in any way contact [email protected] . Central Administration In a bid to keep the paid and unpaid witches, warlocks and wizards, pixies, elves happy and well… grumpy, let’s not forget that the Ops and Admin team also provides and staffs the Club office, manages the Board meetings and AGM, Hong Kong Government filings, HKRU liaison, image and document repository, medical claims and records, ticketing, merchandise management and more. So in answer to your question, “What does Operations actually do”, we ask that the next time you see the volunteers, the managers, the coaches, kit people, facility managers and the many others who help, stop and thank them. A big hug?

"After you finish the dishes, we can start those bus and pitch bookings, sort out the sevens tickets, try to meet new husbands, have even more children, torture ourselves for our inadequacy... and then relax."

Better still contact us ([email protected]). Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes and everyone one of you can contribute to the Club in a meaningful and valued way.

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by Renee McCreadie Director Women’s Rugby

D

iscovery Bay Pirates formed our first Ladies Rugby team in 2014, with a handful of women keen to develop a new skill. Starting with a 10-a-side team (and a degree of uncertainty) training began at DB North pitch under the superb coaching of the Fijian ex-international legend, Seru Rabeni. In our inaugural season, Pirates Ladies played in the development ladies league, for women aged 17 and older. Typically players have little or no experience playing contact rugby. The 10-a-side game, played in two halves of 20 minutes each way, gave our ladies a chance to demonstrate their newly studied and practiced moves, ending the season a very respectable 4th from 8 teams. (“We was robbed” in the semi-finals!)

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Pirates Ladies have started the 2015 season with confidence and determination to improve on last year. Our first, hard fought game saw a gutsy performance from the 9 available players, with no subs and a T3 adding drama to a wet and wild atmosphere. Whilst CWB Pink ultimately came away with a 20-5 win, for our girls, many of who were playing their first ever game of rugby, it was all smiles.

Even in Australia I never saw any ladies rugby teams. When Pirates launched the team last year I just had to try it out. Rugby is the best sport I have ever joined: the passion, the fitness that you build and the friendships you make. Other sports just don’t compare! It is never too early, or too late to start!’

Renee McCreadie, Director of Women’s Rugby for Discovery Bay Pirates, encourages everyone, no matter age or experience (or fitness or skill), to have a go:

With the right coaching, attitude and personal commitment, rugby is a game for all. It develops social skills, promotes decisionmaking, improves fitness and agility and best of all, allows you to meet new players and make new friends (who sometimes become lifetime buddies).

‘I grew up in a rugby family, my brother was a fantastic player, representing Hong Kong U16, and Australian School Boys U18, and I would always sit on the side line wanting to give it a go. However, it wasn’t really played much by girls in Hong Kong.

The ladies team is always looking to welcome new players, whether you are from Discovery Bay, Tung Chung or South Lantau. Hey, we don’t even mind if you don’t live on Lantau! So if you are interested in joining the sisterhood, come along to

training each Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30pm on the Siena pitch. Games are played on alternate Saturday afternoons. For more information, please contact: [email protected], or simply come to training on Tuesday evening at DB North pitch.

“Rugby invented by men perfected by women!” Photos courtesy of Kate Kean

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36 Pirates Take to the Pitch at the Prudential New Year’s Day Youth Tournament

Article courtesy of the HKRFU, photos SCMP and Sam Parsons

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he 1st day of 2016 saw a healthy crowd of parents and enthusiasts enjoying 9 excellent games of 15s rugby at the Prudential New Year’s Day Youth Rugby Tournament down at Sports Road, while at King’s Park 25 tertiary institutions kicked-off three days of competition in the Standard Chartered Invitational Tertiary Sevens.

This was the 49th edition of the New Year’s Day tournament, and over that time the day has grown in pace with that of the youth game itself, from just a single Hong Kong v Overseas Schoolboys match back in 1967 right through to a full complement of boys and girls age grade fixtures from U12 through to U19; this year also saw the addition of a new U19 boys’ Warriors fixture, a recent Union initiative to encourage local player development. The early encounters of the day were dominated by the blue of the Lions, and it wasn’t until the Ladies U19 fixture that the Dragons finally got themselves a victory, picking up the Lassies Quaich with 19-10 in a match notable for having the Turner sisters, Anisha and Roshini lining up against each other in opposing teams! Whilst the Dragons secured one further “W” in the Warriors game, the Lions roared back in the final match-up of the day, with the Overseas boys taking the Middlesex/Wright/Naylor trophy with a very entertaining 28-22 win. The prestigious Larry Abel Award for the “Best & Fairest” player of the tournament went to Mark Coebergh (DB Pirate), clearly a talented family with his younger brother also picking up an award earlier in the day. Meanwhile up at King’s Park things were just hotting up, as 34 men’s and 20 women’s student teams played out a staggering 130 games over 35

Pirate Representatives Under 12 Boys Felix Moran (Captain) Cayden Swemmer Cameron Hogg Fergus Condon Oliver Stranger Maximus Ybema Under 12 Girls Georgia Rivers (Captain of Dragons Team) Elizabeth Hancock Lily Smyth Taianna O’Neill Jessica Hauptfleisch Under 14 Boys Jayu Patidar Matthew Stennerson Toby Jureka Anthony Coebergh (Best Player) Under 14 Girls Anya Saunders Jemima Poulter Morgan Wright Shanna Forrest Anjalika Ybema Nancy McGillivray Florence Symonds Blaise Kingan

the weekend…the local Hong Kong universities and colleges were joined by overseas sides from Beijing, Xiamen, Singapore and Chinese Taipei, who collectively delivered a veritable festive feast of rugby! The Women’s Qualifier Division was won by HKIEd, and the Men’s Qualifier by Xiamen University, while in the main competition the Women’s Cup was taken by the Chinese Agricultural University from Beijing and the Men’s Cup was retained by the impressive CJCU team from Chinese Taipei, fielding a number of national players. The whole event was played in a tremendous spirit of friendship, which carried over to the post-tournament dinner, which was all you’d expect from over 500 students gathered together with access to free Carlsberg… Huge thanks to all those who supported both these tournaments, in particular the Refs’ Society, the Medical and Physio teams, TheI therapists, all the coaches, managers, volunteer helpers, Union staff and of course our generous sponsors Prudential and Standard Chartered. Finally a special mention for our NYD Tournament Director Richard Thomas for all his hard work, and to HKFC for being superb hosts, as always. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2016!

Under 16 Boys Liam Hobson Under 19 Boys Mark Coebergh (Best & Fairest Player) Takamasa Hoshiyama Austin Robertshaw Zak Baldwin Daniel Rustemeyer Mikkel Christenson Under 19 Girls (Boarders) Eleanor Udall Chloe Chan U14 Boarders Tyler Guinea Charlie Walsh U19 Boarders Jake Barlow Blaise Barnes Referee Harry Parsons 36

From Coaches Folly to Serious Rugby By Colin Olsen, Director of Mens & Mini Rugby

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B

ack in the days when DB Pirates inhabited the old helipad field adjacent to the Marina Club, DB Pirates was focused only on mini rugby with the U12s our most seasoned players. Following the serious business of mini rugby training, coaches, parents, wives, girlfriends, visiting friends and even a French veterinary surgeon, would gather for a 45 minute game of touch rugby, followed by a gathering around an esky of cold beer. As is usual in any post rugby assembly, talk would quickly turn to past rugby glories and how good we all once were. The seed of a “coaches team” was germinated and soon the first Pirates senior team was formed. In 2006, nine intrepid Pirates, calling themselves “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” ventured to Macau on a hot and humid day to participate in our first 10-a-side tournament. Following an early loss, enthusiasm waned momentarily, but as the day wore on, the results improved and the “Gentlemen” finished third runner-up. This was the start of a very good run for a team who earned the moniker “a bunch of dads from DB”. Subsequent results have included an impressive number of runners-up

titles and a hard-fought festival win at the Macau Beach Rugby Tournament in 2011. During this period, Randal Leonard arrived in Discovery Bay and quickly joined in a number of these early Pirates forays. Along with his wife Sally, Randal became the driving force behind the establishment of the senior Pirates men’s section, now into its fifth season in Hong Kong. Over this time the team has proven themselves a force to be reckoned with, through a number of credible results in the local competition, most notably Championship League and Grand Finals winners in 2013. The team has also attracted a number of interesting and highly respected characters to its ranks. Former Fijian rugby international Seru Rabeni and Irish international and special forces soldier (formerly based in Hereford) Corrego Medius, added depth to teams already ably augmented by the entire Fire Dance team from Hong Kong Disney, Sandy Hamilton, cousin to former Scottish Darts legend Jockey Wilson, and who will forget the day the front row was made up of three McCreadie brothers!

Most encouraging has been the pathway senior rugby has provided for our youth players, transitioning into a competition where more experienced players could work with them to develop their game. Long Tim Nixon, Chris Gist, Chris Shipman, Oscar Webster, Kyle Hyde and Josh McCreedie, all of who were U12s on that fateful day in 2006 when senior rugby was born, have made significant playing contributions to the heightened performance of their Club. This season the team are testing themselves by playing in a highly competitive league. This is a further step on the journey of our ambitious plan to position the Club as one Hong Kong’s premier sports clubs. Thanks to all who have supported in many ways in the past and bring on 2106. For further information on senior rugby please visit our website, www.dbpirates.com/seniors.

Photos courtesy of Theiry Nogaro 38

Why book with a travel agent? The club get 1% of all you spend and you will get the best deal possible!

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ith the advent of Google, searching for airfares and holiday packages has never been easier. The Pirate Code, asked travel experts Flight Centre, “why should we still use a travel agent”? Expertise Airfares and Beyond As specialists in their field, travel agents have spent hours, learning the most creative way to save you time and money, whilst maximising your travel experience. Complex, multi-stop itineraries to ensure you see everything on your bucket list – done! Hotel bookings, car rental, travel insurance and awesome tours - all part of a day’s work. Travel agents can work with you to plan your wedding or arrange the perfect honeymoon and even ensure your parents are around to experience the joy of your first child. Travel agents also specialize in getting you entries to events like the NYC Marathon or Rugby World Cup; we can plan your yoga holiday and even recommend the best golf getaways. As specialists, we’ve been to most of these destinations so can recommend

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where to eat, what to see (and the best time to see it) and even what to avoid. Buying Power As a travel retailer, our buying power is unmatched. We work with multiple airlines and hotels to match exclusive airfare and vacation packages to your needs and our partnerships with travel providers entitle customers to additional benefits. Personalized Travel The Internet uses your search history to serve up different destinations it thinks you might like; a specialist travel agent uses real conversation to understand your wants and needs, whilst keeping in mind your budget. Our goal is to turn your dream vacation into a reality. Travel agents protect you from much of the “hard sell” of the Internet, holding seats and hotel rooms to allow you time to make the right decision. We can even request upgrades for special occasions and more. It’s pretty fancy stuff. Customer Support We’re here for you through your entire journey, from the moment

you start researching your vacation to the minute you walk back through your front door. Life happens and sometimes you need to change your plans. These processes can be long and frustrating for a traveller, but it’s okay, we’ll sit on hold so you don’t have to. We’re Human People have to travel for some not-so-fun reasons; we’ll take care of all the details so you can focus on what’s important. We also know how amazing travel can be and we’ll get excited with you because our wanderlust is what landed us at Flight Centre in the first place! Simply put, a search engine won’t high five you after you book and it’s just not as good-looking as we are. Flight Centre Discovery Bay Phone: 2829-2010 Address: Shop G-15, 92 Siena Avenue, Discovery Bay North Plaza, Lantau Island Email: discoverybay@ flightcentre.com.hk www.flightcentre.com.hk

While DB Pirates continues to enjoy victory, respect and reputation on and off the sports arena, we remain a club run largely by volunteers who through a commitment of their time and passion, fulfil many vital roles which make it all possible. The Club is always in need for more volunteers to help a in a range of roles - some large and others smaller requiring less of a time commitment. Having served over a number of years, notice has been given to the Club by the following Directors of their intention to step down at the end of the season: Steve Kean - Chairman, having served on the Pirates committee for 11 years as secretary, treasurer, deputy chairman and chairman.

Club wide socials and the ball • All Girls Beach Festival • Merchandise management • Team Mangers We will provide formal notice of the election requirements for the Board closer to the AGM date, but ask that if you are interested in any of the roles that in the first instance you contact Jamie Dickson, Director of Communications on [email protected] so that he can arrange a catch up and opportunity to explain more about the roles with the board. If you are interested in helping in a supporting role then please contact Liz Nettleton on [email protected] to learn more or contact your head coach if you would like to assist at a team level.

Steve Tait - Deputy Chairman & Director of Operations has served on the committee for 5 years as secretary, director of operations and deputy chairman. All the roles and support play a key part in both shaping the future of the PIrates, and help ensure all our players Sharon McColm - Treasurer, having served on the can get on the pitch/court/water and enjoy their chosen Pirates Committee for 3 years as treasurer. sports. Jessica Stephens - Director of Netball has served with committee for 3 years representing the netball section. At the next AGM, these roles will up for election. We we encourage all members to consider how they can contribute and if they would be willing to take on these important roles. Outside these board/committee roles we are looking for volunteers to support the club with:

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Do mouth guards really reduce the risk of concussion? A

lthough there has been no controlled study, evidence is mounting that a properly fitted mouth guard could play a significant role in this critical area of player safety.

•

In any contact sport, concussion is a risk. Many factors are involved in reducing athletes vulnerability to concussion, including genetics, anatomy, force of the blow, mass of the players, other equipment and rule changes, playing surfaces, coaching techniques, players being in harm’s way when a force is present, and increasing knowledge about what constitutes a concussion.

The Hong Kong Dental Association (HKDA) recommends that anyone engaged in contact sports should use a mouth guard but, as a parent or athlete you may be wondering what is the difference between a traditional boiled mouth guard and a custom fitted mouth guard?

Mouth guards can provide protection and reduce concussion for the athlete by acting in three different ways: • •

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They are an effective shock absorber They protect against neck injuries

They help distribute the force of a blow over all the teeth and help diminish contact between the mandible (lower jaw) and the maxilla (upper jaw).

Any mouth guard will afford protection for your teeth and jaw and reduce the risk of lacerations to the lips (particularly for children with braces) by distributing the force of a blow over all the teeth. A custommade mouth guard will, however, be more comfortable to wear, is more likely to stay in place on impact and will not interfere with speech or breathing.

Additionally, as arguably the most important function of the mouth guard is in prevention of concussion and brain injury, a mouth guard with the proper thickness of 3 to 5 mm between the teeth can reduce the rate of concussion, by preventing the condyle (lower jaw hinge) from being forced into the base of the brain (temporal bone) at impact. Ninety five percent of all rugby concussions are transmitted through the mandible to the brain. As a Club sponsor, Bayside Dental offers all DB Pirates members custom fitted mouth guards at the highly discounted rate of $250 (usual price is $750-$1200). We recommend you call them on 2987 0855 to book an appointment. They are conveniently located in DB North Plaza, Unit 1, G/F, Office Block 1,Discovery Bay, Lantau, Hong Kong

Wearing a mouth guard not only protects your smile...

Protects against soft tissue injuries

May help reduce concussion

Cushoins teeth against impact No mouthguard no play Protectes against jaw joint injuries

Helps prevent neck and jaw injuries

A custom fitted mouthguard will provide maximum impact protection, enhance performance by allowing you to speak and breathe easily during your game, on top of fitting comfotably and securely. Bayside Dental are proud to be the preferred dentist of DB Pirates, and continue to offer custom fitted mouthguards for the very special price of $250. Call for more information or to make an appointment.

Unit , Office Block 1, 92 Siena Avenue, Discovery Bay North

Tel: 2987 0855

www.baysidedentalhk.com 42

Hockey – A game for all Who are we ….. DB Pirates!!! By Rob Rowe, Head Coach Hockey

“G

o go go! … Pass! ... Tackle tackle! ... Shoot! … Yay! ... Well Done!” And that’s just what’s coming from the sideline. Imagine how much fun the children playing on the field are having! DB Pirates is excited to be entering the second half of its second year of mini hockey and the children are loving it. Young players are introduced to and coached into the sport of field hockey, a game they will be able to play for a lifetime. Field hockey develops agility, quick reflexes and teamwork. Participating players become physically stronger, develop coordination skills, gain confidence in communication, develop self-discipline and learn valuable team-building skills; all in a healthy and enjoyable environment.

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Mini hockey is a modified version of the conventional field hockey game, aimed at children aged from 5 through to 14. Training sessions provide the foundation of basic skills and concepts like passing, receiving, moving, tackling, dribbling and shooting. As time goes on successful players will be those who execute these skills and fundamentals in a fast and intelligent manner with a physical prowess which includes proper body balance, aerobic endurance, flexibility and strong hand-eye coordination. This is a skill based game, unrelated to body size, as the no body-contact rule ensures a game for everyone! Come and join us on Saturday mornings at DBIS where you and the children will be sure to be welcomed and join in on the fun! For further information visit our website: www.dbpirates.com/hockey

Halloween Mini Hockey Tournament 31 October 2015 Hosted by DB Pirates vs HKCC Fun was had by All! See all you ghosts and goblins, witches and wizzards, trickers and treaters next year again! Photos courtesy of

Julie Biddle,Rob Rowe, Jen Rowe, Sharon McEneff 44

U14G Win Cup Final in 59-5 against HKU 1

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B Pirates U14 Girls wrapped up their 15s competition with a convincing victory over HKU/Sandy Bay to win the cup final on Sunday 17 January. Despite cold, wet conditions, a final score of 59-5 reflected significant improvement in the whole team since their earlier loss against the same side in December.

Try-scorers were no.8 Shanna Forrest (1), full-back Blaise Kingan (2), scrum-half Anjalika Ybema (3) and inside centre Flo Symonds (3). Blaise worked double-duty throughout the game, successfully converting all but one of the 9 tries. Pirates dominated the scrums and were particularly effective at drawing the opposition into defending the centre of the pitch, creating space for the backs to score. Our forwards ran crash balls off penalties, which helped to win territory and keep HKU on the back foot. Smart decision-making from scrum-half and captain, Anjalika, led to tries from quick penalties and intelligent use of the blind-side to score. Committed defense and strong tackling ensured that both territory and possession stayed largely with the DB Pirates.

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Despite struggling for numbers this season with only 18 registered (and even playing the final with just 14-a-side) the Pirates U14 girls have combined extremely well with five talented South Lantau Buffalo players to pull together a team that has proved the value of teamwork. The players and coaches are particularly grateful to Craig Hammond and Jamie Pincott for their help in developing a strategy that truly helped to lift the team to a new level of rugby over recent weeks. Most of all, though, credit goes to the players for their commitment and hard work – especially with extra Saturday training sessions in January. Outstanding Players: Grace Clarke, Isobel Littlehailes, Anya Saunders, Jemima Poulter, Paris Hall, Shanna Forrest, Anjalika Ybema, Nancy McGillivray, Flo Symonds, Mia Crawford, Ann-Marie Whiley, Alys Rappel, Blaise Kingan.

“KNEEd” to reduce knee injuries? N

etball Australia is aiming to reduce the prevalence of serious knee injuries by up to 70 per cent with the Knee injury prevention for Netballers and Enhance performance and Extend play (KNEE) Program.

resource has the potential to reduce not only ACL injuries but all lower body injuries across all levels of netball, extending playing potential while also enhancing movement speed, efficiency and resilience.”

The first of its kind in netball, the KNEE Program, developed with the support of the Australian Institute of Sport, is an on court warm up program designed to enhance movement efficiency and prevent injury.

The free digital resource, available on any connected device, has been designed to educate coaches and support staff by using a comprehensive suite of step by step guides and instructional videos for every exercise.

According to national data, knee injuries are the most common injury sustained by netballers, surpassing ankle injuries, with as high as 25% of all major injuries attributed to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). “The KNEE Program targets a key problem area for netballers and we are optimistic it will have a hugely positive effect on the health and performance of netballers of all ages and skill levels,” Netball Australia’s Head Physiotherapist and KNEE Program creator Alanna Antcliff said. “Used effectively, the

The KNEE Program targets three specific groups of players – junior, recreational and elite level athletes with different exercises tailored to match the predicted capabilities of each group.

Program has a long term program target to not only reduce these injuries by between 40-70% but to reduce the incidence of all lower limb injuries. By improving how players move on court it also aims to increase player’s movement efficiency.” Netball remains the leading women’s team sport and top teams based sport for 15-24 year olds in Australia with over 1.2 million participants enjoying the game nationally, across over 5,000 clubs and 730 associations, from entry level ANZ Net Set GO program right through to the Diamonds. The free resource is available at http://knee.netball.com.au/. Credit to Netball Australia www.netball.com.au

“There are proven effective injury prevention programs that exist for other sports but this program uses those principles and applies it to specific demands of netball,” Antcliff said. “Females are four to six times more likely than males to rupture their ACL. The KNEE 46

Views from the Schools A Valued Relationship

Mark Beach, Principal - Discovery College

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C values the relationship we have with the DB Pirates. Many of our students (and families) are members of the Club and we reap the benefits of this through our own sports teams, both rugby and touch rugby, but also across other codes. The DB Pirates kids come with a wonderful combination of commitment, enthusiasm, skills, teamwork and competition, combined with a sense of fair play. We also see the benefits of strong friendships and mature decisionmaking skills that develop when young people engage in active sports. Several of our Sports Scholarship students are DB Pirates players. The Pirates have been especially helpful through joint coaching, and were a great support throughout the development of the foreshore pitches in front of the College. It is wonderful to have this close association, which we hope will continue to strengthen in the years ahead.

Photo courtesy of DBIS

Sports Strengthens Communities

Paul Tough, Head of School, Discovery Bay International School

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port is such an integral part of everyday life for many adults and children in our community, it’s hard to imagine Discovery Bay without sport. Not surprisingly the role of sport at Discovery Bay International School (DBIS) is hugely important, as is the link between the school and DB Pirates. Helping young people to continue to play sport outside school - when an extensive range of activities and other distractions compete for their time - is crucial to creating a sporting habit for life. Clearly DBIS and DB Pirates want to ensure that there are as many opportunities as possible for young people to play sport both inside and outside of school. Participation in sports and other physical activities can have many benefits for young people such as the opportunity to enhance physical and social skills. Sport helps children in character building and provides them energy and strength. Resilience, determination, self-esteem, teamwork and skill development aren’t the only benefits of playing sports. When the rules are followed and the spirit of the game takes hold, players and onlookers alike become as one. This is how sport transcends differences and strengthens communities such as ours. For me this is the essence of sport at DBIS and the power of our ongoing relationship with DB Pirates.

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Gateway to Success – Values of Sports

Dion Chen, Principle, YMCA of Hong Kong Christuin College (YHKCC)

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HKCC is a big family who strive to enable all students to become confident, happy and responsible “global” citizens.

We put emphasis on “whole-person” development and the provision of all-round educational opportunities for students in both academic studies and extracurricular activities. With 45 clubs on offer students can discover, unleash and develop their talents and interests outside the academic curriculum. Our football, rugby, cheerleading and basketball teams are especially popular and continue to achieve outstanding results in various competitions. The rugby girls A and B-grade teams were Champions and the boys A-grade team was the Plate Champion in the HKSSF Rugby Sevens Competition. Every student is encouraged to join at least one interest group and one sports group to strike a balance between study and sports. Inter-class, inter-house and inter-school activities are regularly organised to engage and arouse students’ interests. Each year, a Sports Prize Presentation Ceremony is held to recognize the commitment and determination of students. Participation in sport is fundamental to the maturity of students and the skills learnt contribute to their holistic development. Sport participation teaches the important key values of honesty, teamwork and leadership, fair play, respect (for themselves and others), and adherence to rules. It also improves learning by encouraging school attendance and a desire to succeed. All of these valuable qualities are reflected in the school’s 5 Core Values: serve one another in love. respect others and ourselves, act with integrity, be responsible and build a community that cares. YHKCC is dedicated to supporting a health lifestyle both inside and outside and looks forward to a continued relationship with DB Pirates.

Photo courtesy of DBIS 48

Discussion with Harry Parsons An up-and-coming referee interview by Sam Murray

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n addition to playing rugby, Harry Parsons, one of our U16 Pirates, is also a referee. Harry and his family joined the Club in 2013 following their move from Belgium. We met with Harry to talk to him about his refereeing. What made you decide to become a Rugby Referee? My Dad told me there was a refereeing course and asked if I wanted to do it. I originally did it just for the fun, hoping it would give me a new view on the game. The dad of one of my teammates was a referee who travelled around Europe, and he organized for the course to be run. He actively supported me and his son doing the course, and later helped us get refereeing opportunities with the Belgian Rugby Federation.

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Where did you do your initial qualification? I played rugby for the British School of Brussels and I took the course in one of their classrooms, whilst we did our practical exercises outside in the snow.

into a good position to see the infringements and then making decisions from there simply can’t be taught. It requires experience. What age groups do you referee? I referee Womens’ NL1 [National League Division 1] and Colts.

How many years have you been refereeing?

What goes through your mind before you step onto the pitch?

I’ve been refereeing for almost 4 years now, although I’ve been refereeing much more over the past year.

I remind myself that I’m in charge and remember what I have to work on, and how to do it. I also remind myself to just enjoy it.

How often do you train?

You’re part of the Referee Academy, tell us what that involves?

I go to referee fitness training every other Wednesday and try to referee once to twice each week. Refereeing a match is training in itself because the only way to improve is to get experience on the field. The theory can be taught in a classroom, but actually getting

The Academy develops aspiring referees by offering training, mentoring and the opportunity to practice. I get assigned matches that are at my level or push me to referee at higher levels.

I also have a mentor who answers all of my questions and comes to most of my matches. Some matches are also videoed so that I can analyse them with my mentor. Have you ever received negative comments from parents or coaches when they’ve realized you are referring their match? How do you deal with that? Yes I have received some negative and rude comments, even from Pirates coaches! In the early days when coaches, players and parents realised that they had a non-adult referee they were skeptical and often very vocal about it. However, over time and having watched me referee their matches, they are less negative now. No matter what decision I make, not everyone is going to be happy, so I simply remind myself that I’ve made the correct decision. If a coach makes

negative comments or questions my calls, I remind him that my decision is final and he must respect that.

for further information.

What qualities do you think make a good referee? The two most important qualities are confidence and the ability to make split-second decisions. When I step onto that pitch, I know that I’m in charge of the match. I make the decisions and know the players will abide by them. What advice would you give to anyone considering becoming a referee? Just go for it. It’s not for everyone, but it’s worth giving it a go to find out! If you are interested in becoming a referee, we recommend you make contact with Hong Kong Rugby on [email protected] Photos courtesy of Sam Parsons 50

Pirates U11s Win Bowl and Cup in Hard Fought Micro Tournament at Siena by Rod Dickson

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n a cold and windy Sunday, 6 December DB Pirates U11’s hosted an Valley Fort & HK Football Club invitational mini tournament at North Plaza. The conditions were for rugby, minus the mud. The longer 30 game format showed how good HK mini rugby can be with tough encounters between some of the strongest clubs in the age group. Finals in particular were highly entertaining as the kids raised their standard, knowing they were playing for silverware. From the sideline it was hard not to get caught up in the energy. Despite tents flying away, a good crowd turned up and got through a record number of bacon buttes to keep away the cold. An uncountable number of cupcakes were also devoured to fuel young bodies before and after their games. Games were full pitch game over 30 minutes, using a ‘golden try’ and bonus point scoring system and playing for silverware was a new experience for the kids, more used to playing a series of rapid-fire games on small pitches. • Bowl final had DBP2 v FC2. The highest scoring game of the tournament, with Pirates trailing for much of the game to stage a spirited comeback and run-in tries from all sides of the field in the final few minutes to get home. • Plate final saw VF2 v FC1. Valley 2 managed to get into the Plate by bonus points and performed doggedly against a faster FC team. Eventually speed and continued attack broke through for FC to win by a try.

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• Cup final: DBP1 v VF1. A highly competitive game with great skills from both sides. Scrambling defense and golden tries at key moments kept Pirates in front to win the Cup in front of the most vocal crowd at the pitch yet seen. The event finished with a BBQ and drinks on the Bayside Dental balcony, a fitting end to a great day of mini rugby in HK. A longer game, full pitch and pool and finals format is seen as a great way to develop skills and experience leading up to the expanded game in youth leagues and grow the rugby community in HK. Thanks to the many volunteers on the day. It showed again, that even with limited space and resources, Pirates can stage an event equal to or better, and for sure friendlier than anyone else. Full Scorcard Pool A Teams Game 1 DBP1 v VF1 Game 2 FC1 v DBP1 Game 3 VF1 v FC1

Score 12 v 7 12 v 17 24 v 05

Points 4v1 1v4 5v0

Pool B Teams Score Game 1 FC2 v DBP2 12 v 10 Game 2 VF2 v FC2 29 v 0 Game 3 DBP2 v VF2 19 v 17

Points 4v1 5v0 4v1

Finals Teams Score Bowl DBP2 v FC2 36 v 31 Plate VF2 v FC1 15 v 20 Cup DBP1 v VF1 14 v 5

Result Win DBP2 Win FC1 Win DBP1

Photos courtesy of Neil Robbins

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The Pirates Foundation leaving no Pirate behind by Steve Kean What do we mean?

Who benefits?

Discovery Bay Pirates (DB Pirates, the Club) has long had the mantra “No Pirate Left Behind” (due to financial hardship or other monetary constraints). We have run an informal bursary programme for a number of years to help partially or fully fund registration fees and costs for financially disadvantaged members.

Motivated Pirates playing members who demonstrate commitment to the Club, and their chosen sport, and who may otherwise be unable to play/take part due to financial circumstances beyond their control.

The Club now wants to formalise this support, and extend the reach to a broader part of the community to help encourage participation in sport. With this in mind, the Club is establishing the Pirates Foundation. The Foundation will be a separate legal entity, with no direct management of, or by, the Club in order to further these aims. The DB Pirates Foundation will hold a formal ‘trust fund’ of cash and equipment to benefit Pirates who are in need of financial assistance. 53

The Pirates Foundation will seek to offer such financial support to residents of Discovery Bay, Tung Chung and the wider Lantau Island community as the primary catchment area. However, in time anybody living in Hong Kong who would join or participate in sports offered by Discovery Bay Pirates would also be able to apply to the Pirates Foundation for financial support if they have insufficient personal means to pay membership fees. Who governs the Foundation? A Board of Trustees comprising 5 long-standing Club members (including one ex-chairman) who

sit outside the main Board of the Club and who have no other direct Club responsibility (i.e. not directors, section or age group heads). The Club Chairman will attend meetings to provide a bridge between the Club and Foundation but will have no voting rights on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. We anticipate that each office will be initially held for 2 or 3 years (to be defined for each role). Then, on a rolling basis (i.e. the Chair and the Treasurer role should not come up for re-election in the same year), each position will become available for re-election with the incumbent able to seek re-election if so desired. A mechanism has yet to be established to define who can vote for the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, identification of the initial Board has been by invitation.

Where does the money come from?

prizes/auction items for the fundraiser.

Initially we expect the Pirates Foundation will be established with minimal financial and administrative support from the Club. As soon as the Pirates Foundation is formally established, the Club will transfer all management and financial control of any funds already gathered to the Pirates Foundation, and relinquish direct involvement so as to ensure there are no conflicts of interest between the two entities.

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees will also explore a “Sponsor a Player” initiative for the community to support a specific player, or their kit / equipment. Other similar initiatives will also be developed.

The initiative will be funded by donations raised from among the community, and from business connections of the Board of the Pirates Foundation with additional support around fundraising from DB Pirates. Upon establishing the charity, Pirates Foundation intends to broaden its funding streams to include various events and activities such as quiz nights, fund raising dinners, sports invitationals where entrants will be invited to donate to the Foundation etc. These activities may further broaden out, depending on sufficient volunteer support, to running a stall at the Discovery Bay Flea Market and similar events. Existing (and past) sponsors will be invited to donate something specific to the Foundation in addition to their sponsorship – this could be product (boots, mouth guards etc), cash or

How does someone apply for funding? Informal guidelines will be available from early 2016 for individuals/ families to apply for specific funding in the 2016-17 season. Examples of funding support include: • reduced/free of charge membership fees; • assistance with provision of sports kit; • provision of free of charge tour places; • assistance with travel costs to representative/national training etc. How can I support the Foundation? Individual Club members can contribute by financial donations or considering “sponsoring a player”. The Foundation will take the lead on all the Club’s recycling activities for used playing kit/ boots/trainers, initially from members of Discovery Bay Pirates and, in time, from all sports clubs within Discovery

Bay and the wider Lantau Island environs. We anticipate items collected will be sent to rugby “sister” clubs in Fiji or Kenya (to be confirmed). So, we seek Club members’ support in helping recycle old sports kit, and even spreading the word around their network to encourage nonPirates to donate old kit for a good cause. The purpose of this activity will be to arrange to recycle the apparel and arrange for it to be distributed to, predominantly, children to both encourage them to participate in some form of organized sport and to develop a sense of team identity. Ideally, the distribution of apparel will be supported by “field trips” for younger members of Discovery Bay Pirates to raise their level of awareness of the disparity between those who are better off, and those members of the community who often struggle just to make ends meet. It is the Pirates Foundation aspiration that this will encourage the younger members of Discovery Bay Pirates in a wider engagement with disadvantaged elements within society. Individuals can also volunteer their time in a variety of ways (e.g. organizing Benefits, or smaller fund-raising events, helping the Board of Trustees with specific activities etc). For more information please contact foundation@dbpirates. com

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Pirates Affiliates AEROkids

10% Discount on strapping tape [email protected] Tel: 852 6546 9121 Mysportstape.com My Sports Tape – optimum sports tape designed to provide support and assist with the prevention of sporting injuries. Bayside Dental Practice Discovery Bay North Plaza www.baysidedentalhk.com HK$250 per mouthguard (Child) 10% Discount with selected dentists A modern and child friendly Clinic located at Office Block One in Discovery Bay North Plaza, overlooking beautiful Yi Pak Bay. The Clinic has four treatment rooms and is fully equipped with the latest in dental technology, but with emphasis on old fashioned values like prevention and practising family dentistry with a friendly touch. BodyTalk Discovery Bay / Central http://www.bodytalksystem.com.hk 20% Discount BodyTalk is a simple and effective holistic therapy that allows your body’s energy systems to be re-synchronised allowing for body self-healing by letting bodies Innate Wisdom (inborn healing ability) to operate as nature intended. Carnegies Bar & Restaurant Wanchai www.carnegies.net/hongkong/ 10% Discount off entire bill anytime Carnegie’s HK is the original bar, opened in 1994 and is the original bar-dancing venue. Ladies Night contintues to be one of the most popula nights with free champagne for the women. It has also beceom amecca for the rugby community especialy during the Rugby Sevens season. It has recently ecome a populal live music venue hosing Jam Nights, live bands and more recently Open Jazz sessions. The Diner Central www.thediner.com.hk 10% Discount off entire bill anytime Tel: The Diner is the first truly authentic American diner to open in Hong Kong. Loccated on Arbuthnot Road in Cetnral, they offer traditional American diner experience seen in towns and cities across US. The bar is stocked with four international acclaimed draft beers plus and extensive selection of American and local craft beers. House of Fine Wines Kwun Tong www.houseoffinewines.com 10% Discount Tel: 23445 4377 House of Fine Wines are continually growing and expanding their prolific wine and gourmet food catalog. With a focus on learning, they take care of their wines, staff, and above all their customer. HOFW’s believes in directly sourcing all of their products to pass on the greatest possible value to their customers. Hong Kong is a world class city which deserves world class products attainable for every budget. 55

The HIT Room Discovery Bay www.thehitroom.com.hk 10% Discount Tel: 852 6621 7410 Set on the pristine waterfront of Discovery Bay North Plaza, The Hit Room will re-ignite, re-model and re-engineer your training. As the only independent studio in DB which links indoor and outdoor training together with a variety of highly-effective program,s their dedicated workout areas include two purpose stuideo for group exercise classes, spin classes and personal training. Hemingways - Clubhouse Sponsor 20% Discount on Food & Beverage https://www.facebook.com/Hemingways-DB-254996844547333/ Tel 852 2987 8855 Hemingway’s by the Bay offer its diners all the flavours of the Caribbean islands have to offer with a beachside view. The BBQ grill gets fired up on a nightly basis, offering a comprehensive getaway experience. Kip Moving Discovery Bay http://www.kipmovin.com 20% Discount Packages KIPMOVIn is an outdoor fitness training program in a disciplined, fun and supportive environment and based in Discovery Bay. Members can recevie a training program to keep you motivated and commited. KIPMOVin is for people of all fitness levels. Whether you are an uninitated exerciser, age group competitor or elite athlete, KIPMOVIN will help you build on your present foundation of fitness to achieve your health and fitness goals. Thomas Kiprotich, an elite athlete MOW Discovery Bay 20% Discount on the standard commission rate for any purchase or rental Tel: 852 2499-8826 MOW offers customized massages and facials, specialized treatments for men such as traditional wet shaves, and a range of treatments for teens. Co-owned by Kit Lau and David Sheehan, this pair has a different approach to the average spa, customizing their treatments according to their clients. If you have a skin concern, they want to hear about it... they will then find a solution to this specific concern and adapt the facial accordingly. MOW is solution focused Mimo Brazil Fitwear Ltd 20% discount on online shopping Use code - DBPIRATES20 www.mimobrazil.com Tel: Mimo Brazil Fitwear embraces the passionate and strong Brazilian spirit, adding a splash of glamour to the fitwear market. They combine high quality technical garments with the Brazilian eye for fashion. We deliver products made specifically for a gruelling workout, but are also stylish enough for every-day use. Sense of Touch All over hong kong www.senseoftouch.com.hk/ Tel: 852 2987 9197 15% off Facials and Massage treatments for first time clients / 10% off Facials and Massage treatments for subsequent visits Sense of Touch is a multi-award winning day spa operator with six prestigious locations in Hong Kong. You can re-discover the pleasures of live at Sense of Touch. As you enter, you will leave behind all the responsibilities of daily life and enjoy a calm, peaceful environment that will allow you to unwind and indulge in the relaxing treatments and services they offer. 56

Coaching

Sport

Board

Pirates Directory Chairman Steve Kean [email protected]

Deputy Chairman Steve Tait [email protected]

Treasurer Sharon McColm [email protected]

Membership John Parsons [email protected]

Director of Academy Jason White [email protected]

Director of Communications Jamie Dickson [email protected]

Director of Rugby Colin Olsen [email protected]

Director of Netball Jessica Bowden [email protected]

Head of Mini Rugby Guillaume Mauffrey [email protected]

Head of Youth Rugby Phillip Baldwin [email protected]

Head of Senior Rugby Ido Tomasis [email protected]

Head of Youth Netball Melanie Potgieter [email protected]

Head of Senior Netball Faith Considine [email protected]

Head of Mini Hockey Rob Rowe [email protected]

Head Coach U6 Rugby Bruce de Jager [email protected]

Head of Coach U7 Rugby Ross Criddle [email protected]

Head Coach U8 Rugby Martin Buddle [email protected]

Head Coach U9 Rugby Craig Thomson [email protected]

Head of Coach U10 Rugby Kaz Naito [email protected]

Head Coach U10 Girls Rugby Nick Wade under [email protected]

Head Coach U11 Rugby Rod Dickson under [email protected]

Head of Coach U12 Rugby Keith Moran [email protected]

Head Coach U12 Girls Rugby Sherryn Hancock [email protected]

Head Coach U13/14 Rugby Edward Coebergh [email protected]

Head of Coach U14 Girls Rugby Sue Gourlay [email protected]

Head Coach U16 Rugby Paul Hobson [email protected]

Director of Operations Steve Tait [email protected]

Head of Pirate Admin (T8) Liz Nettleton [email protected]

Admin Support (T8) Paula Andrea [email protected]

Accounts (T8) Marie Fauvin [email protected]

Pirates Ball (T8) Liz Nettleton [email protected]

Pirates Transport & Pitches (T8) Paula Andres [email protected] *Bus Booking Deadline 5pm Tuesday

Pirates Kit Manager Samantha Murray [email protected]

Pirates Medical & EFR Steve Tait [email protected]

Director of Ladies Renee McCreadie [email protected]

Operations

Head Coach U19 Rugby Brian Lewis [email protected]

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E T A R I P P M A C T OO

B

Two sessions per week Starting 25 January Monday and Thursday at 6.15 to 7.00am Location: Tai PAK Beach Cost: FREE for Pirate sports and Social memberships Attendance: Fitness Training for Beginners to Advanced. Over 16s only. Contact jason white on [email protected] or call 9318 3705 for more information

www.dbpirates.com