London Welsh
Who is peterh64
By Dragons' Den
October 1 2014
In the latest of our get to know the DD board members we have Peterh64
DD Name:peterh64
Age:54
When did you start watching (or playing) rugby and why?
Watched since I was a little kid as my dad is a Welshman exiled in Oxford and used to get very frustrated in the 70’s when wales were playing and England were as well and I wasn’t able to watch the welsh game on tv. I played at school and university but kept injuring my knees a la paddytaf. I took up touch rugby in my 40s and played for Wales in the 2011 world cup.
Why do you support London Welsh and how long have you been following them?
I’m from Oxford and welsh and a rugby fan so when Welsh moved I thought happy days. I used to go to ODP maybe once a year but only really started supporting properly when they played their second playoff game back in 2012
Which current LW players did you/do you admire?
Seb Jewell, Matt Corker , Carl Kirwan and Gordon
Who’s your all-time favourite LW player?
Merve the swerve
What’s your best memory as a spectator?
The second play off game vs Bristol this year which was epic and Nick Scott’s interception vs Bath 2 years ago right at the end of the game to win it was fantastic.
What has pleased you most about the way the club’s developed over the last few years?
I thought the commitment at the end of last season for 3 years in Oxford before we knew we were promoted was a big moment. What I’m looking for now is the pro side to move to Oxford lock stock and weights room.
How many live games do you see a season?
All home games and as many away ones as I can, been to the 3 pre season games so far.
Do you go to any away games?
As many as I can, I’ve booked Bath and Qunins and Lyon so far.
What’s your particular matchday routine?
Well being in charge of the bungy run before the game but I don’t have a particular routine.
I try to avoid drinking too much
Do you watch any other sports?
Yes I like cycling , golf and boxing.
Do you watch rugby on TV. If so is it club games, internationals or both?
I prefer watching games live but watch both club and international rugby
Any general comments about the club or the game?
Just that I’ve been very impressed with all the London Welsh fans in terms of their friendliness and welcoming all the new guys from Oxford.
Finally, where are we going to finish this season?
8th
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The reason I ask is that, as things stand, training is the one remaining link with London, Richmond and ODP. Once you break that final link then the first team becomes a separate, standalone entity, with no links to the club.
One of the main drivers behind London Irish's move to a new training ground was that they could no longer accommodate the minis, juniors, academy, amateurs, women etc at The Avenue. So while the professionals now have a state-of-the-art training facility, the 'London Irish family' also has new pitches, new changing rooms, and the club as a whole benefits. It was a decision made to support 'the club' not just the 1st team.
Equally, all of the backroom/ office/ admin staff are based in Sunbury. They have some staff on the ground in Reading, but if you need to contact London Irish, they have a Sunbury address and a Sunbury phone number. The same applies to Wasps at Acton. We're the only one of the three clubs who have moved from the general London area to the Thames Valley to have moved more than the 1st XV matches. I'm not saying who's got that bit right and who's wrong, but I think it's important to be a club - and cutting the final link with ODP would cut the professional side adrift from the club for good.
Not so long ago the club itself made a statement that it was looking for an Oxford based training facility and has since u-turned on that, for very valid reasons I would add,.
Personally at the clubs current stage in development, I think the links with ODP and the Welsh connection is important to both sides of the LW family. But equally if the club make a go of it in Oxford and develop in that direction, then surely it's inevitable long term that they must fully move towards their fanbase and I agree that the club won't be able to fully call themselves an Oxford club until they move wholesale.
Wasps are currently sat much closer to their roots than LW and the "everyone wants to be a bit Irish" factor,means that LI could almost pitch up anywhere and create a fanbase.
The current management have made a decision to keep the tie currently and I think that is right for the time being.
Quote:peterh64
If it wants to be an Oxford club with an academy and roots , it needs to do this otherwise I fear it will always be seen as a cuckoo.
Quote:peterh64
After all welsh have moved before
We have. But in the past, the whole club moved, not just the 1st XV. And that's the big difference on this occasion. I'm not even sure that we want to be an Oxford club - ask the amateurs, the Occies, the minis, the women whether they want to be in Oxford or Richmond, and I think I know what the answer would be.
I'm not trying to stir up another Richmond v Oxford debate, I'm just interested in why we should (as I think you're suggesting) completely separate the 1st XV from the rest of club.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:10:03:09:36:54 by Mark W-J.
Its the only way in the long run LW will build an Oxford base IMO
but I may be wrong
To be blunt, it makes absolutely no difference where the first XV train...or where the phone rings when you phone up to book a ticket - neither are activities which people go to.
I could understand an argument to want to move the amateur club so that the club as a whole is in one place - this would give an Oxford member somewhere to go, mini rugby for their kids and a bar to drink at.
If you were saying that you wanted a clubhouse etc to go to and be part of in Oxford I could understand it.
As it is you are saying you want the first XV to train in Oxford. What difference does this make to you?
As for moving the amateur section - pretty unlikely that parents, kids and occies are going to drive to Oxford for everything to satisfy the supporters desire to have everything in Oxford.
What you are actually talking about is starting everything from scratch.
Banbury based season ticket supporter willing to travel the 60 odd miles to The Stoop!
The only London Welsh in the village.
Quote:davidcaldwell
I think the 'training ground' and amateur section of this is the misleading bit.
To be blunt, it makes absolutely no difference where the first XV train...or where the phone rings when you phone up to book a ticket - neither are activities which people go to.
I could understand an argument to want to move the amateur club so that the club as a whole is in one place - this would give an Oxford member somewhere to go, mini rugby for their kids and a bar to drink at.
If you were saying that you wanted a clubhouse etc to go to and be part of in Oxford I could understand it.
As it is you are saying you want the first XV to train in Oxford. What difference does this make to you?
As for moving the amateur section - pretty unlikely that parents, kids and occies are going to drive to Oxford for everything to satisfy the supporters desire to have everything in Oxford.
What you are actually talking about is starting everything from scratch.
To be fair to Peter, think you've got a cross-pollination of his suggestion and my counter-argument. Peter wants the 1st XV training to move to Oxford, while leaving everything else as it is. My argument is that if you do that then you have an Oxford-based team, not an Oxford-based club. I don't think there's anyone who believes that the club should leave Richmond.
Apologies if I've misquoted or given a wrong impression of people's opinions.
It makes little difference to those who post on here and are ardent followers, but with regards to cultivating LW into the minds of the Oxford people it shows further commitment, just as those in Richmond bump into players they would do the same in Oxford and would feel more affinity towards the club.
In response to Duckboard my point is that if Oxford becomes successful then that would mean that they would have a decent fanbase in Oxford. it is unlikely that by being in oxford that the London fanbase is going to grow.
In response to Mark then there is always The Club , London Welsh as a whole, which has several teams based at ODP, don't believe anyone thinks the club should move lock stock to Oxford but as you alluded, Peter is on about the professional team which has already moved all but the training into the city .
The problem as I see it is that over the last 3 seasons the club has been a bit schizophrenic with regards to where it sees it's base and market.
I just want the training and especially an academy in oxford so the pro team can grow some roots
I would like to see top class pro rugby in oxford period whether its welsh or someone else
The fact that LW has some welsh connections is an added bonus and a source of great delight but top class rugby is what I would like
You are ALL now discussing why are we in OXFORD, why did we leave ODP etc, etc, etc. PADDYTAF.
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