The Rugby Club Foundation is a strong supporter of Rugby development in NSW, in particular through its support of the NSWRU Development Officers which are embedded in communities across the state.

While Community activities are on hold during the coronavirus crisis, it is a good opportunity to get to know some of the DOs who work tirelessly to support clubs, schools and the community to introduce, encourage and improve the skills of participants.

Let’s get to know Jarrod Simpson, AKA “Choppy”…

How long have you been in a Development Officer?
Started as a casual in 2015 and full time since 2016.

What are the current initiatives that you have in place?
We are currently working with the Central West Rugby Union and the Central West Junior Rugby Union (CWJRU) to provide administration for the CWJRU competition and representative programs.

What is it that you enjoy most about rugby and your role?
Getting to meet and work with people who have similar interests. Supporting people with access to education and resources and how happy they are when they learn something new about the game. Also the people involved are so respectful of the game that you feel as though it’s your role to ensure the game is left in a better place.

What is something unique about your zone? Any highlights?
Basically the CWRU is such a big zone compared with others. We are about 600km long and 350km wide. The senior competition has about 27 senior clubs across 3 divisions. The junior competition has 12 clubs across juniors (Under 12’s to Under 16’s) and sub junior grades (Under 6’s to under 10’s). We have about more than 3000 players playing the game each weekend. We are also lucky to have so many people who support our game and put in a lot of hours so people get the opportunity to play.

When did you first get into rugby and what was it that inspired you to get involved?
I had a lot of friends who played and decided to play with them on the weekends. I found the support of everyone in the club to be fantastic and the friendships I developed have been great. I was then lucky enough to have a great coach who taught me so much about the game. After I finished playing I did a little coaching and refereeing as well as some casual work with NSW Rugby and then had the opportunity to become a full time development officer. I love the fact that the game is simple however you have to do a lot of complex things very well for it to be simple.

Development officers work tirelessly to support clubs in recruiting and retaining participants, developing coaches and officials as well as working with schools to deliver programmes that introduce, encourage and improve the skills of participants.

Through its support of NSWRU’s Development Officer programme, the  Foundation continues to make an important and measurable contribution to Rugby at the grassroots level.