It wasn’t about creating a huge festival on year one. It was about getting the club moving again, welcoming everyone back and starting to build something that we can hopefully make bigger and better every year.

And there was plenty going on.

• Bringing players, coaches, parents, volunteers and families together to mark the start of another rugby season at Watchetts Park
• Squads were back out on the pitches training and getting ready for the season ahead.
• Behind the scenes, volunteers put in a brilliant shift around the clubhouse, helping tidy, organise and get things ready for another busy year.
• We had a welcome stall open throughout the day for anyone interested in finding out more about joining Camberley RFC.
• There were cakes and cookies, the BBQ was fired up, the Club Shop was busy and — for those brave enough to have a go — we even had a Hit the Bar challenge. We might need to work on the prize fund for that one next year… uptake was perhaps slightly more cautious than hoped! ?

And we finished the day with another first for the club — our inaugural live-streamed raffle draw.

The day also generated some really useful income for the club:

• BBQ – £252
• Club Shop – £816
• Additional raffle tickets sold around the club – £215

That’s £1,283 across the day, alongside all the work that was done getting the club ready for the season.

Most of those attending were already part of the Camberley RFC family, so there is plenty of opportunity to grow the Open Day side of the event in future. But there were good numbers down throughout the day, plenty of energy around the club and a lot of people giving their time to help. That is something we should be proud of.

So what about next year?

This year showed us what the day could become. With a longer run-up, more promotion, more activities, more squads involved and — most importantly — more volunteers helping us put it together, there is no reason this can’t become a brilliant annual event to kick-start every Camberley RFC season.

A day where current members come back together, new families can discover the club, the local community can come through the gates and everyone gets a taste of what Camberley RFC is about.

Because we want Camberley RFC to be more than somewhere people simply turn up to play rugby. We want it to be a genuine community club, where everyone feels welcome and there is a way to get involved whether that is playing, coaching, volunteering, supporting or simply coming down and being part of it.

Thank you to everyone who trained, cooked, baked, cleaned, served, sold, organised, bought something, entered the raffle or simply came down and supported the day.

Welcome back, Camberley. The 2026/27 season is underway.
Next August… let’s see how big we can make it.