Coachplans fornextterm
East Kilbride Rugby Club coach Craig Brown has unveiled ambitious plans for the Torrance House club from next season, and is targeting promotion.
Brown also wants to put things in motion that will result in East Kilbride providing players of the future through their youth set-up.
Saturday’s 41-10 defeat at Lenzie left East Kilbride seventh in West League 1, ahead of their National Shield final against Stewartry on May 6, and Brown is already looking to next season.
He said:“I want to get promotion next season, because I know if we get the right personnel in place we have the team and the style of play that we can beat anybody.
“I know we have the skills and the team that can compete at the top level in the table, so next year that’s really what we’re going for. We’ve already got plans in place as to how we’re going to improve our player pool, skill-sets, and game understanding, so we start firing straight away.
“With any change, you’re going to get inconsistency, and it can drive you crazy, but the work now will provide that consistency in years to come, so we have a really strong base.
“We need more numbers, we need more guys at training, and players at different levels to come into the club.”
A youth coach in the past, Brown has been working closely with coaches at East Kilbride to future-proof them.
He explained:“I kind of expected my first year at the club to be about understanding the players and the club, the way things work, and the junior section. I’ve been working with the junior section quite a bit to try and get the understanding of what we’re looking for from them
“The plan is that two or three years from now the under-15s and 16s from just now will be physically ready for the seniors, and have that style of play and skill level that we’re looking for.
“The junior academy is fantastic, really good guys, and there is a lot of communication happening between them and the seniors that just wasn’t happening before.
“The future is looking bright.”