“A community club first and a rugby club second” – Creggs RFC making strides

Patrick McCarry

It takes a supporter like no other. It takes Aviva.

“This is a community club first and a rugby club second.”

Creggs RFC, located in the village of Creggs, sits on the Galway side of the border with Roscommon and has been in existence since 1974.

The club has just under 500 members and features mini and underage players all the way from six to 18. The club’s most famous son is Connacht star Denis Buckley, who has won over 200 caps with the province and helped them to league glory in 2016.

“My first training session here was with the U8’s team,” says Buckley. “As I got older and got into the Connacht set-up, I still kept a pretty good connection with the club. It’s really important to develop your rugby skills from a young age.

“There’s a lot of home-grown players and a lot of players from Connacht playing for Connacht. That all comes down to the grassroots connections with the clubs… the club built on those close connections and the local community.”

That connection is where companies like Aviva come in. Aviva is a proud sponsor of Irish sport from grassroots to international level, and they know what it takes to be the best – It takes care. It takes commitment. It takes confidence. It takes community.

Great result for Creggs 28-27 win over Connemara in Cawley Cup Semi final pic.twitter.com/vtCS9it4ue

— Creggs RFC (@CreggsRugby) November 7, 2021

After a year like no other, Aviva is looking to celebrate clubs around Ireland who have got what it takes.

To recognise the important work that clubs do and the role they play in our communities Aviva is launching a new video series with clubs throughout the country- first up are Creggs RFC in Co. Galway to tell their unique story. Buckley heads back home to take on a training session with local children, while club president Aidan Farrell gives an overview of the club.

‘The Green’ in Creggs has hosted the club for well over four decades now and has developed massively in recent years. The evolution of the club and its’ facilities was aided, last year, when Creggs RFC was the recipient of the Aviva Broker Community Fund.

“We’ve put it to very good use in the development of the third phase here which is our new bespoke changing rooms for women’s rugby and a full gym with equipment suitable for people with disabilities,” says Farrell.

“The club is fully run by volunteers, everybody, all the coaches, all the people who are out here, well, seven days a week now, it’s a very very busy place with that amount of members.

“This is a community club first and a rugby club second. That’s the only way you can be successful.”