It is my honour to address you as the 2026/27 President of Greystones RFC, proudly recognised as the Leinster Senior Club of the Year for 2026. 

If you are planning to visit Dr Hickey Park I would like to extend a warm Greystones welcome, whether you are an existing club member, player, supporter, match official or visiting with an opposition teams; we all share the common enjoyment of our great sport and I hope you can enjoy the wonderful facilities we have on offer.

Unlike many of my esteemed predecessors, my own journey to this office did not begin with heroic exploits of rugby skill on the playing fields, instead my journey began through volunteering with our thriving minis and youths, from starting out coaching under 7’s and carrying on through to youths before serving on the club executive for much of the last 15 years, first as Director of Youth Rugby and latterly as Club Chairman.  

In that time, I have witnessed first-hand the incredible growth experienced, both in playing numbers and in the development of the facilities we have at Dr Hickey Park. From the nascent beginnings of our minis when I first stood on a sideline almost 30 years ago to more than 600 mini and youth players today, the growth has been phenomenal. Alongside the growth in playing numbers has been the huge step up in the number of committed volunteers and coaches supporting and guiding the players at all levels and without whom we could not function.

Perhaps the most satisfying part of being involved in both youth and senior rugby for so long is witnessing the number of players who go on to play for our U20s or directly into our senior teams. Indeed, the backbone of all our adult sides, men’s and women’s, comes from our youths and minis. With four Adult Men’s teams plus U20s and a fledgling Women’s Second XV fielding this year, we are the envy of many All-Ireland League clubs.

Supporting all this growth and development is a hard-working executive committee. I would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude for the fantastic work Niall Savage delivered as Chairperson over the last five years and to wish our new Chair, Marc Evans all the best wishes and support as he leads the club into the next phase of development. 

This next phase will see the opening of our new Gym during this coming season along with significant work on incorporating the additional strip of land we acquired from the council into expanded playing areas and upgrading our floodlights. This work would not be possible without the support of our members and the generosity of our sponsors, notably Peter and Ross Doyle, NFP, Dwyer Nolan, Spirit Ford Wicklow and O’Gorman Properties to name just a few. 

I also want to acknowledge my immediate predecessor, Liam Murphy and the time and commitment he dedicated to the role of President last season, a year which culminated in receiving the Leinster Senior Club of the Year award. Liam leaves big shoes to fill as he transitions to the crucial new role of Commercial Manager in the club, driving and maximising the revenue opportunities our facilities have to offer.  To this end, I am asking all members to make full use of the club facilities, support pre-match lunches and the different events planned during the year. The club is very much open for business and we want to see it full and busy every weekend.

We proudly display our Club Values on the front of our club house, Honesty, Respect, Ambition, Inclusion, Enjoyment, and Family and these underpin everything we are striving to achieve as a club, all leading to our core ethos of developing better players to be better people for a better community. 

I am confident that in combining the efforts of everyone associated with the club, from coaches, players, supporters and mentors that we achieve success on the field of play.

I look forward to joining as many of you as possible in supporting all our Greystones selections, from our Senior Men in the All Ireland League, our Senior Women in Leinster Div 2, our U20s and Metro league sides, in addition to our Women’s 2nd XV, our youths and Minis. 

I will close by wishing all of our teams proudly wearing the colours of Greystones RFC, the success your effort and commitment deserve in the season ahead.

C’mon Stones!

 

Gary Nolan

President 2026/27