LAUNCESTON Rugby Club supporters were given a big reality check last week when the board members invited everyone involved with the club to an open forum meeting to discuss the future of the club.

Club officials were keen for supporters to know the facts and to instill confidence and transparency going forward.

The meeting, at the club’s Polson Bridge ground, was held in the Lanson Suite and there were that many in attendance, there was only standing room left and it ended with a real air of optimism about getting the club back on track on and off the field, with many volunteers voicing their determination to roll up their sleeves and help the club out however they could.

The first team, the All Blacks, will be playing National Three South West next season after a disastrous campaign that has seen them yet to win a single game, and only drawn the one.

It has to be said that a large reason behind relegation has been down to the fact they lost eight players to National One side Plymouth Albion on the eve of the season, but if anything good has come out of the club’s current plight it is that the off-field problems that have seen them struggle financially for a while now will be dealt with.

Treasurer Roy Webb reported that the club had recorded financial losses in three of the last five seasons since going into administration in 2010, including last season, and had taken out loans, mainly with individuals, of just over £100,000 over the past six years, with little of that being paid back so far.

He said the club hoped to just about break-even this season, adding: “It has been a very tight year and cash-flow wise, we are pretty much hand to mouth, waiting for money to come in before we can pay money out. It is quite difficult at the moment.”

He reported that all revenue streams were down year on year, such as match-day sales, bar takings and food, and that was due to three main factors.

“The World Cup did not do for this club what the RFU said it would do, and people had better rugby elsewhere to watch on their televisions.

“We rely heavily on the home games the mini junior section have for food and drink sales and we had so many called off this winter due to bad weather; and people do not want to pay £10 to come down and see the first team lose.

“We are in a sticky situation financially, and going forward, that needs to be addressed next season. I feel going down a league will help us to look very closely at what we’re spending and reconsolidate, and know where we stand to come back up.”

Board member Ian Warren, who chaired the meeting in the absence of holidaying club chairman Paul Harrison, said: “We are a club desperately in need of some reinvestment. We lost hosting the Tamar Cup this year because the ground is not up to scratch, which is unacceptable.

“The pitch needs some fairly serious work done to the top end this summer to sort the drainage out, and the clubhouse is starting to look a bit tatty.

“The club is trying to keep up with the off-field demands of National Two rugby, and at the moment, it literally just can’t, as much as we want to. We need to start putting back a bit of a war chest so we can reinvest in the club, and as well as that, we do need to start setting about this private debt.

“It is the support and generosity of these individuals that has kept this club, that has been struggling financially, in a position where it can continue to operate. But we can’t carry on relying on handouts and increasing the club debt to go forward. We need to get back to zero. One way or another, it is going to be painful along the way, but it will be better for the long-term future of the club.”

In a rallying call to supporters, Warren said: "We all want to see Launceston RFC play at the highest level possible, but at the moment, this club cannot sustain itself at this level without significant and prolonged outside investment. The way forward is to become self-sustainable and live within our means."

Warren announced a ten-year plan, and said: "At the end of that our debts will be paid. This gives us time to do things at a sensible pace without seriously jeopardising our status in the leagues.

“We feel the league we are about to go into, which is a very good and very competitive league, is where we must live sustainably. We can build foundations there, but we know next season will be a massive challenge. Once we have built a good foundation, then maybe we can raise ourselves back to the division we are in now.

"We have got the most amazing mini junior set-up — I think we have got the biggest one in Cornwall — run by some amazingly wonderful people, and we need to show them loyalty and reconnect with them, and show them there is something to strive for.

"Let’s draw on this amazing resource and invest in own and nurture them through to create a platform for not only them, but others who come to this club and be part of it, to prove themselves at our level, and be proud if they move onto another level.

“We need to rid ourselves of the ‘them and us’ scenario between board, players, supporters and mini juniors, and pull the club together as one.”

The club are hoping to increase membership levels from their current level of 198, improve their social media, website and the way they communicate with supporters, and they are also seeking more volunteers.