Bridgend Athletic toasts its Worthington’s Character of Grass Roots Rugby
Wednesday evening the climax of a wonderful campaign that Worthington’s launched last January.
Parent Company Molson Coors have been a major sponsor and supporter of the Ospreys since the regions inception and are proud to supply around 65% of Welsh “Grass Roots” rugby clubs.
It is often in the local “Grass Roots” clubs across Wales that the heartbeat of Welsh rugby can be found. Within each club there are always to be found great characters that are the heart and soul of their own club. That “special person” who has done so much over so many years to build the club in the first place, captained, coached and worked so very hard to ensure it thrives and prospers.
Worthington’s wanted to find out from clubs just who their characters were. In this competition clubs were asked to nominate their own special person. With the winning Characters club receiving a magnificent £10,000 - to be spent on improvements and modernization. Not an easy thing as it took lots of time and effort to compose a good entry nomination. A total 120entries were received from clubs all over Wales.
A short list of ten was such a difficult task but amazingly in that final ten was also outstanding people from three other Ospreys regional clubs, Kenfig Hill, Pencoed and Porthcawl RFC all had worthy nominations. The calibre of the entries was amazing showing just how hard the prize was to win!
However head and shoulders above all was a man with Bridgend Athletic RFC stamped like rock running through his veins – Philip Rees was the “Worthy” winner. Thanks to him the magnificent first prize of £10,000 was won for his beloved club. All spent and quite a bit more on a magnificent revamp of their main bar. But further tribute to this remarkable club was this inspired the club to come together to do so much more, like painting the outside of the club – a real combined great club effort.
Diane Rees, Molson Coors, Regional Director said:
“Worthington’s congratulate Phil Rees a man who helped found the club and has done so much over so many years, to help make it the great club it is today. We wish him and all at Bridgend Athletic RFC every good fortune both on and off the field in the season ahead. We are grateful to the Ospreys for sending Justin Tipuric and Tom Grabham who together with a club full of its members all raised their glasses to toast their very own Worthington’s Character of Grass Roots Rugby – Philip Rees.........”Picture shows Winner Philip Rees behind “his bar” with Molson Coors Regional Director Diane Rees and Ospreys Justin Tipuric and Tom Grabham.