
Another week of ‘Lockdown’ under our belt and the first signs of Coronavirus easing are beginning to appear. The government are allowing Premiership Football and Horse racing to resume, although events will take place behind closed doors with spectators confined to their armchairs in front of the TV. No mention yet of rugby returning, but that day must surely be getting closer.
Ex American president Barack Obama said; “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” A sentiment we recognise well here at Brickfields. The work continues as we firmly believe we are ‘walking down the right path’ and we have the will to keep on walking to achieve our dream of ‘Making Albion Great Again.’
First up this week I am delighted to announce that James Bish has joined our backroom staff leading the team in player fitness, strength and conditioning. In welcoming James to Albion, I am confident we have the right man for the job and another key member of our backroom team.
With the margin between winning and losing so often wafer-thin, player individual fitness is a key element in building a competitive and successful team. James is the owner of Plymouth’s city centre-based CrossFit affiliated gym. CrossFit offer unique functional strength & conditioning programs. In his role with Albion, James will be pushing the limits to bring the very best from our players. Opening the doors to 3000 square ft of state of the art gym facilities for specific sessions for the team is a major boost.
It’s not good enough to do things well, it’s essential that we do the right things well. James’s knowledge of cardiovascular endurance, strength, stamina, agility, flexibility, balance, power, speed, coordination and accuracy will dovetail well with Damian’s skills, tactics and strategy coaching. Not bad for starters?
I can also report that James has been in contact with Plymouth Athletics club with a view to giving our players access to their specialist facilities for sprint and speed coaching. James and Damian have similarly been in regular contact laying plans and putting programs in place to make Plymouth Albion the fittest, fastest and physically strongest team in our league. Welcome to the team James, keep walking on the right paths as we all work together to Make Albion Great Again.
Moving on, Chris Bentley is contacting existing sponsors over the next two weeks to discuss the coming season and the exciting opportunities of becoming a Sponsoring Partner with the club.
The theme of our highly successful Albion 2020 Heroes initiative allowed fans to pay in advance for future benefits and privileges. It worked exceptionally well for all concerned and a similar ethos is at the core of our pitch to sponsors, old and new.
We are introducing the Plymouth Sponsoring Partner Payment Plan allowing staged payments that will only commence when there is certainty about the start of the season.
In the interim, my backroom team at Brickfield continues to recruit quality members, who are working hard, walking together down the right path and willing to keep walking until we achieve our dream of ‘Making Albion Great Again’.