San Francisco Golden Gate is one of the best known and most active rugby clubs in the country. In addition to their well-respected men's 15 side which won the inaugural Elite Cup this year in Denver - their 7's team competed at the World Club 7's held in the UK at Twickenham . SFGG have also developed a very active youth coaching program as well as a very competitive women's team. At the heart of the Club driving everything forward is Club Director Bruce Thomas who we recently caught up with to reflect on the team's summer of 7's, to look ahead to the new year, as well as discussing the club's developing financial sustainability.
This Is American Rugby: With your elite team playing in the American Rugby Premiership ( ARP ) , how will you approach D1 this season?
Bruce Thomas: Our 'development side' will compete in the newly re structured Nor Cal D1 - which will give them a good standard of competitive games in a meaningful league.
This Is American Rugby: With your elite team playing in the American Rugby Premiership ( ARP ) , how will you approach D1 this season?
Bruce Thomas: Our 'development side' will compete in the newly re structured Nor Cal D1 - which will give them a good standard of competitive games in a meaningful league.
Take the jump to read more.
TIAR: Will there ever be a conflict between your ARP and D1 schedules? Do you have any matches planned for outside of the ARP and D1 ?
BT: Short Answer - there will be no conflict. In 2014 we are looking to play St Mary's and BYU in the 'Champions Challenge' and we would happily add Cal to this list as well! We are constantly looking for high quality fixtures such as our match against Tonga which is the first time a full international side has played a US club team; this was a great success for the club both on and off the field .
TIAR: The club has been successful at bringing player from overseas, like Tevita Koloamatangi. Is the club planning on doing something similar next year?
BT: With the strong NZ connections we have at the Club we will again be looking to recruit some new talent . No idea yet who they are but discussions have begun as it is a great opportunity for a player to be based in San Francisco for 6 months .
TIAR: The 7's team had a great summer at the Club 7's Nationals and the World Club 7's. Is 7's something the club is going to place more emphasis on in the future?
BT: Absolutely yes . Our 7s season was pretty good but we know it could have been a lot sharper . It is now very clear that the competition is rapidly improving and we will be focusing on creating a dedicated 7s program as a priority in order to field a very competitive team . Furthermore, 7s is currently the “ hot “ version of rugby in the USA so SFGG would be crazy not to get on board with this. We have taken note of how the 2013 season turned out and we will be improving massively for next year, so its onwards and upwards.
TIAR: How much exposure did the club gain from the World Club 7's? Was it an overall positive for the club ?
BT: Very much so . To be invited as one of the two US teams to a very well organised televised event put SFGG firmly on the international stage. Having come from the UK where rugby is fully professional I have an acute awareness of the importance of developing a professional approach both on and off the field . From being on time for training to making sure the guys are turning up to social events in the correct sponsor’s polos, etc. We were surrounded by fully fledged professional teams with well drilled in every aspect and we certainly did not look out of place. We could of exploited the opportunity more - but it was a steep learning curve and as a whole the Club came across very well. Having Carlin Isles play for SFGG was a huge boost - getting the SFGG logo and brand out there via someone like Carlin helps us big time.
TIAR: Finally, SFGG has been known as one of the most consistent clubs in the country both on and off the pitch, what has been the key to that consistency and success?
BT: SFGG on the field has been very fortunate to have had a talented group of players ( such as Samu Manoa ) over the last 4/5 years who have stayed together and been supplemented by good players like Tevita Koloamatangi . In addition we have been building closer ties with all the major rugby colleges in the Bay Area to attract collegiate players who want to progress to play a higher level of rugby . Off the field - last year was my first year as the club director and it has been a major challenge to create a financially sustainable business . The club has received significant support over the recent years which has created a good infrastructure which we are now exploiting to create a year round revenue stream . This past season was the first year that SFGG was financially self-sustaining which is a great achievement and we are looking to build a sound financial foundation with our off field business activities . Flying a team around the country, funding a D3 campaign, fielding a 7s team, maintaining a Club house and having a year round green playing field in the middle of San Francisco Bay does not come cheaply . It requires a lot of work from a team of dedicated volunteers and this last year has simply been about running the Club as a business and streamlining processes to achieve maximum efficiency. Rugby in any aspiring form is now a business and should be managed that way.
TIAR: Will there ever be a conflict between your ARP and D1 schedules? Do you have any matches planned for outside of the ARP and D1 ?
BT: Short Answer - there will be no conflict. In 2014 we are looking to play St Mary's and BYU in the 'Champions Challenge' and we would happily add Cal to this list as well! We are constantly looking for high quality fixtures such as our match against Tonga which is the first time a full international side has played a US club team; this was a great success for the club both on and off the field .
TIAR: The club has been successful at bringing player from overseas, like Tevita Koloamatangi. Is the club planning on doing something similar next year?
BT: With the strong NZ connections we have at the Club we will again be looking to recruit some new talent . No idea yet who they are but discussions have begun as it is a great opportunity for a player to be based in San Francisco for 6 months .
TIAR: The 7's team had a great summer at the Club 7's Nationals and the World Club 7's. Is 7's something the club is going to place more emphasis on in the future?
BT: Absolutely yes . Our 7s season was pretty good but we know it could have been a lot sharper . It is now very clear that the competition is rapidly improving and we will be focusing on creating a dedicated 7s program as a priority in order to field a very competitive team . Furthermore, 7s is currently the “ hot “ version of rugby in the USA so SFGG would be crazy not to get on board with this. We have taken note of how the 2013 season turned out and we will be improving massively for next year, so its onwards and upwards.
TIAR: How much exposure did the club gain from the World Club 7's? Was it an overall positive for the club ?
BT: Very much so . To be invited as one of the two US teams to a very well organised televised event put SFGG firmly on the international stage. Having come from the UK where rugby is fully professional I have an acute awareness of the importance of developing a professional approach both on and off the field . From being on time for training to making sure the guys are turning up to social events in the correct sponsor’s polos, etc. We were surrounded by fully fledged professional teams with well drilled in every aspect and we certainly did not look out of place. We could of exploited the opportunity more - but it was a steep learning curve and as a whole the Club came across very well. Having Carlin Isles play for SFGG was a huge boost - getting the SFGG logo and brand out there via someone like Carlin helps us big time.
TIAR: Finally, SFGG has been known as one of the most consistent clubs in the country both on and off the pitch, what has been the key to that consistency and success?
BT: SFGG on the field has been very fortunate to have had a talented group of players ( such as Samu Manoa ) over the last 4/5 years who have stayed together and been supplemented by good players like Tevita Koloamatangi . In addition we have been building closer ties with all the major rugby colleges in the Bay Area to attract collegiate players who want to progress to play a higher level of rugby . Off the field - last year was my first year as the club director and it has been a major challenge to create a financially sustainable business . The club has received significant support over the recent years which has created a good infrastructure which we are now exploiting to create a year round revenue stream . This past season was the first year that SFGG was financially self-sustaining which is a great achievement and we are looking to build a sound financial foundation with our off field business activities . Flying a team around the country, funding a D3 campaign, fielding a 7s team, maintaining a Club house and having a year round green playing field in the middle of San Francisco Bay does not come cheaply . It requires a lot of work from a team of dedicated volunteers and this last year has simply been about running the Club as a business and streamlining processes to achieve maximum efficiency. Rugby in any aspiring form is now a business and should be managed that way.
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