A WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT OF BLACKHEATH FC

On behalf of Blackheath FC, the world’s oldest open rugby club, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the Blackheath Mini Rugby Festival which this year is again being held in Avery Hill Park. We are very grateful to be able to use the park again for the Mini’s Festival. Coaches, officials, parents and spectators from 17 clubs and 90 teams are participating.

My own two sons joined the Blackheath Mini section in 1994 and 1995 and I myself was a Mini and then junior rugby coach for 14 seasons. I have great memories of attending Mini rugby festivals and of the excitement that the players experienced as the day of the festival approached. It was always a great pleasure to watch on the day of the festival as hundreds of Mini rugby players enjoyed participating in the event.

For all parents who are new to rugby and a reminder to all others there are high standards of behaviour expected from people supporting rugby. The emphasis is on encouraging all players, recognising sportsmanship and promoting rugby values. Winning and losing at this age is unimportant, it’s all about taking part and having fun.

Remember, the referee is always right even if he/she is wrong!

Blackheath FC took over management of the sports ground at Hervey Road in Blackheath in 2018. This now provides a permanent base for the Blackheath Minis Section.

It was an old sportsground that had been neglected for 20 years. An enormous amount of work has been done to reinvent it as a sports facility, with a new clubhouse, improved drainage and clearance of a huge area of overgrown bushes. It is now a fantastic facility, used by Blackheath Minis as well as by football and cricket teams.

We are all very grateful to Dave Simpson and his team for organising the festival. It’s impossible to imagine the hard work and the huge amount of time and effort required to put on a Mini rugby festival.

So please enjoy the day and I hope that everyone involved has a fantastic time!

Welcome To Avery Hill Park

This is the fourth time that the Blackheath Minis Rugby Festival has been held at the splendid Avery Hill Park. We were last here just before ‘Lockdown’.

Avery Hill Park is one of Greenwich’s Green Flag Award-winning sites.

This large, open parkland with many splendid trees is notable for Greenwich University’s winter garden (a magnificent hothouse), containing tropical trees and plants from around the world. There is also a rose and flower garden, making a pleasant place to sit and relax. The Green Chain Walk runs through the park.

The park has lots of space for informal ball games and a hard standing, floodlit multi-use games area. It also has an outdoor gym installed as part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Olympic legacy and outdoor table tennis tables funded by the English Table Tennis Association. There is a cafe with public toilets situated in the park, next to the children’s playground.

Cricket and football pitches along with changing facilities are available to hire for formal sports matches.

The London Cycle Network has funded a shared cycle and pedestrian route around the perimeter of the park.

The park was once the grounds of Colonel North’s mansion, built in 1890 and now a teacher training college. The domed winter garden houses exotic specimens and a large conservatory.

The winter garden was part of a splendid mansion owned by the Victorian entrepreneur John Thomas North. North made his fortune by exporting fertiliser from Chile. The London County Council acquired the site in July 1902. Currently, the University of Greenwich maintains the winter garden.

Around the grounds on festival day you will find fully marked up pitches, control tent, catering van, confectionery stand, first aid points, cafeteria and toilets. Please refer to the map of the grounds on page 10.

FIRST AID: You will find the First aid tent in the centre of the pitches, please see map on page 10 of this programme.

FESTIVAL CONTROL/LOST AND FOUND: Please see map on following page.

POLICE, FIRE, AMBULANCE: 999 for emergency, otherwise: 101.

Old Alleynians

Blackheath

Whitgiftians

Southwark

Tigers

Old Colfeians

Sevenoaks

Tonbridge

Juddians

Tunbridge

Wells

Medway

Hackney Bulls

Park House

Millwall RFC

Edenbridge

Old Elthamians

Rosslyn Park

Old Cooperians

Richmond