Cath and Stuart Brobin make an outstanding contribution to Rhiwbina Under 11s age group and the club as a whole.
For this involvement they were nominated for the Tinys Choice community award by Rhiwbina junior coaches, parents and representatives of the club, a nomination supported by Future Blues Development Officers.
Tom Shanklin, whose adopted club is Rhiwbina was on hand with bmibaby.com Managing Director David Bryon to present the award at half time during the recent Cardiff Blues home game.
The couple are die-hard Rhiwbina RFC. They have been involved with the club since their son Huw started with the Under 8s. As Huw has progressed, so has their involvement increased. So much so that Under 8s coach Terry Gooding says, it is now difficult to imagine life in Rhiwbina Minis and Juniors pre-Brobin!
Typically modest, Cath said,
"We were flattered to be nominated for this award and grateful to the Blues in conjunction with bmibaby.com for considering us. Its great to be recognised for the work you do especially when we really enjoy it.
We are just a small part of a large team of coaches, managers, parents and not forgetting the players themselves, who are all working together to promote the playing of good Welsh rugby.
This is certainly true, but the Brobins are just two of a band of volunteers across the Blues region that go the extra mile to help out with all the behind the scenes running of their club. Whether it is emailing fixtures and directions, organising kit and equipment, tours, tournaments, coaches, fund raising, establishing new teams, meetings, sponsorship and so on, it will be them pulling the strings.
Rhiwbina has the largest registered RFC junior section in Wales and is very successful too. Demand was so high for places amongst the Under 7s, that the WRU had to impose a waiting list, going to show the work Cath and Stuart do is no small task.
A final word must go to the winner, Cath Broabin, who said,
In coaching and developing young players, we hope many of them will follow the likes of Nick MacLeod and James Goode, after all they herald from Rhiwbina and are both full members of the Cardiff Blues first team squad.
With the recent launch of the Future Blues we can contribute to the solid platform that underpins junior rugby in the region. We are looking forward to meeting and working with the new community coaches.