The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past.
Much as I’d love to be able to claim such profundity as my own, it is only fair Canadian author and literary professor Robertson Davies is given his dues.
Penned more than half a century ago Davies’ words are particularly relevant nowadays, as both the past and future of Birmingham’s rugby scene have been thrust on to the agenda recently.
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That was particularly the case at the Rugby World Cup legacy conference held at Villa Park last week where more than 200 delegates recognised the value of the fact the third biggest sporting event on the planet is coming to this country in two years.
Indeed two of the sport’s powerhouses, South Africa and Australia, will actually be based in the West Midlands, potentially at Birmingham University or Sutton Coldfield Rugby Club, and will play pool matches at Aston Villa’s plush home ground.
That prospect has focused the minds of many influential people on the Birmingham rugby scene and the phrase ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’ while perhaps not as grandiose as anything Davies wrote, is in fact just as true.
Indeed as officials, coaches, players, supporters and sponsors all met at Villa Park last Thursday it was impossible not be energised by the fact so many disparate groups were in the same room, wanting the same thing – the advancement of rugby in Birmingham.
More than once speakers referred to the past, perhaps idealised, in which the city boasted one of the leading clubs in the country and sent handfuls of internationals to the England team. If Moseley was the tip of the iceberg, then 32 junior clubs and a culture of strong representative sides supported them just beneath the surface.
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The present? Well, let’s just say the global warming of professionalism has seen the iceberg melt away alarmingly. Moseley struggle to stay afloat in the elite game, a third of clubs have closed their doors and representative rugby continues thanks only to a handful of believers who refuse to let it die.
A satisfactory future would certainly be a return to that idealised past although one wonders if such a time has gone forever. Many would say it has, too much has changed in society, sport and our city. Indeed having written about the Birmingham rugby scene for the last ten years there have been times when I have felt it appears to be withering on the vine. But last Thursday’s conference was different. Delegates had come from all walks of life and seemed united in the common goal of making sure the opportunity presented by the city’s two RWC 2015 fixtures is not wasted.
The Birmingham Rugby Partnership is central. This does not appear to be your run-of-the-mill alphabetised talking shop, the Partnership have gathered an impressive array of supporters, not just including clubs and schools but Aston Villa FC, West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council too.
For the first time ever a critical mass has built and RWC 2015 has thrust them to the forefront of a movement to promote and improve the sport in the Second City.
There is both an urgency and a cross-section of skills to significantly change the rugby landscape. At one end that includes restoring Moseley to its flagship position, people are even talking about helping them reach the Premiership. The imminent construction of a new grandstand is evidence of that conviction.
At the other it means linking schools, clubs and parks with a view to having all forms of rugby played by all types of people in all kinds of areas. But it’s more than that. Through the Young Ambassadors programme it’s about inspiring and supporting the next generation of kit-washers, cone collectors and committee contributors. Birmingham United, from top to bottom.
Maybe in another ten years we’ll look back and think that nothing changed, as soon as the Springboks and Wallabies walked out of Villa Park everyone retrenched. The only certain thing is that if we allow that the future will not be satisfactory never mind ideal. And so to leave where I came in by borrowing words from another eminent North American: Ask not what rugby can do for you but what you can do for rugby.
Don’t miss
* The BRP
Formed three years ago in an effort to improve the profile and prospects of rugby in the city, the Birmingam Rugby Partnership has made significant progress in engaging a wide range of partners.
The group brings together around a dozen interested parties with obvious members like Moseley RFC, the city’s junior clubs, schools and the Rugby Football Union.
But with the Rugby World Cup wind at their backs they have also been able to attract Aston Villa and Birmingham City Council, who to their credit helped stage last week’s Birmingham Rugby Conference at Villa Park.
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