Seaton Rangers, embarking on an exciting new adventure in the National Conference League, have recently elected a new chairman.
Peter Gilmour, a 41-year-old civil servant is steeped in rugby league and the Seaton club so Cumbria Crack caught up with him to discuss his involvement, his hopes and how the club is coping with the step up in level this year.
They are currently joint second in the Third Division table with five wins from their opening seven games.
How long have you been keen on rugby league and when did you get involved with Seaton Rangers?
I have been secretary since 2004, a job that I initially only planned on doing for 12 months! My love of rugby league was something that I got from an early age.
My dad Peter Gilmour senior was a professional referee for 10 seasons and I used to travel away with him to every game.
When younger I tried to follow in his footsteps but found it wasn’t something I wanted to pursue and as I was a pretty average player, at a time when Seaton had a fantastic team, doing my bit behind the scenes was Plan C.
Tell us a little about the club. How old is it, what have been the major achievements, how many teams do you run; what sort of crowds did you get last season compared to the present campaign?
The club’s history traces back to 1895 when we were originally Seaton. In 1937/38 a team containing Workington Town legend Billy Ivison reached the Challenge Cup and faced Bradford Northern. It was then reformed in the 1960s as Seaton Rangers with the team coached by another Town rugby league legend Brian Edgar
We have won the Cumberland Cup seven times, Amateur cup twice, BARLA Cumbria cup three times, and won the CARLA league 4 times since 2004.
We run 12 teams this season. Our crowds have always been good but we have seen a big increase this season as we seem to be attracting more neutral spectators to our games.
Was being elected chairman a surprise, an honour or something you took on reluctantly?
If I am being honest it was a mixture of all three, although the overriding feeling now is one of being honoured, It’s a chance to follow in the footsteps of giants and continue to move the club forward on its current path which is one of a community asset that is accessible to the whole of the community.
I have been fortunate to have been influenced by so many great people such as my dad who has always supported and encouraged me; Paul Hodgson my predecessor, his brother Mark Hodgson, Dave Straughton and a fantastic friend and inspiration, Charles Nicholson, all of whom have offered me advice and wisdom over the years.
I hope I can pass on some of the things I have learned from them onto the future generations of the club
You’ve taken over at an exciting time in Seaton’s history, what has it been like around the club since being told you were going to join the NCL?
Realistically this is one of the greatest periods in the clubs long and proud history and the whole club has gone to a different level since we were accepted into the Conference League, in terms of sponsorship, the clubs ability to generate revenue and above all the commitment levels of the players.
We have an extremely talented bunch of young players and after really throwing themselves fully into pre-season and bought into what the coaching staff are trying to achieve, they have reaped the rewards with a very good start to life in the National Conference league
What are the club’s aims or targets for this first season in the Third Division?
We have got off to a great start to the NCL season as its fair to say we were not sure what we would be coming up against but the players have been excellent so far this season.
We have set ourselves a target of reaching the end of season play-offs, ideally finishing third or fourth and getting ourselves a home tie.
Kells remarkably went through the divisions from Third to Premier. Do you feel eventually that you can get there?
That’s got to be the aim, especially with the excellent conveyor belt of talent we have coming through from our excellent youth set up.
We are under no illusions as to how difficult that is going to be though. It’s a real tough, unforgiving standard of rugby week in week out and I think what Kells did, and Wath Brow before them, was a phenomenal achievement,
You are running a second team in the Cumberland ARL, is it a concern that the game seems to be struggling at that level?
It is. Through our second team we remain fully committed to CARLA which is a great league that a small core of dedicated people are giving their all to keep moving forward but there has been a decline, that hopefully can be arrested by the rising number of kids participating in the sport.
The biggest challenge is that there is a gap in quality of the teams and no matter what format is attempted at the moment that obstacle can’t be overcome.
What’s needed to give amateur rugby league a boost to increase participation and a higher profile in West Cumbria?
The first thing is that the RFL need to provide some much needed resources. The second thing is that the professional clubs in the area need to formulate a joined-up approach that can help drive participation.
The third thing is a way of stopping the player drain we get every season when they’ve played under 16’s rugby and they aren’t ready for open age rugby.
The final thing, and in my eyes the most important thing, is that the clubs need to have a culture change. There needs to be realisation that we’re all in it together trying to keep the flag flying for the sport.
In my view if you are coaching a team and your main aim is to win games and create the next Jonathan Thurston you’re doing it all wrong. No group of people now outside of parents has a bigger chance to shape a young player’s future.
Aim to have them enjoy the game with no pressure, and strive to create respectful, employable adults because to me that is the ultimate yardstick of the impact of a coach or volunteer and by doing that we will create a culture that keeps more players involved in the sport.
