Dear SUFC Community,
The past two weeks have been one of the most turbulent, unnerving and challenging periods in this great club’s 157-year history and during these unprecedented times we need to rally together more than ever. As we all know, the successes of our great club have always been a result of the strong character and special qualities of our people, far more than any skill on the field and it is in this very moment that we must all stand up as one. We are all experiencing a difficult and character-building chapter in our great club’s history and as a close community it is important that we rise to the challenge in true SUFC fashion. As a rugby club, there are going to be many times over the coming months we call on the support of everyone in our community to get us through and, at the same time, we will be doing all that we can to support every single member of the SUFC community. If you are a sponsor, player, volunteer, supporter or just a friend of the club, we call on you now to step forward and support our community in any way possible and to those of us doing it tough, never be afraid to reach out and we will help in any way we can.
Following the postponement or cancellation of all our rugby and non-rugby events as well as gym, field and office closures, SUFC, like far too many sporting clubs and businesses, have some tough choices to make as we prepare for every eventuality. While we are not able to play rugby and most of our regular income streams have and will be disrupted, our main priority is to ensure the health and welfare of all our stakeholders, from players to volunteers, supporters and sponsors. Rest assured this will be at the forefront of all our decision making.
At SUFC, we have not generated any substantial revenue for 7 months and yet we have already invested in our 2020 season, this includes purchasing playing kit and merchandise, costs for ground hire, staff and training equipment, as well as other essential purchases that have already been made and are all necessary to run the Club the way we do.
We realise we are not the only organisation in this position and unfortunately a greater number are in a far worse situation. However, for SUFC to continue to play a part in the community we will need all of our community to come together like never before in our great history to help secure the Club’s future and ensure we are able to recover from this as quickly as possible and get back to doing what we do best, playing and enjoying rugby the way only we can.
Everyone at the club is working on a number of initiatives to make sure that SUFC, our sponsors and our community survive these unprecedented times. We will keep everyone up to date with our initiatives as they develop further as we ask everyone to buy-in and to assist making our efforts a success. Initially, there are several ways in which everyone, in some small way can support the club and our community and these include:
1. Make a Donation (Click here) – Any contributions are 100% tax deductible and will be appreciated more than ever.
2. Support our Sponsors – They need your support so they can support us. All sponsors links are on our website and we will be sharing more detail on how you can support them through this difficult time.
3. Become a Member (click here) – We are doing all that we can in conjunction with our governing bodies, to make sure that when things calm down that we are all prepared for a meaningful season to take place. Please, if you are in a position to do so, buy your memberships now and if the 2020 season doesn’t go ahead, we will roll memberships into next year.
4. Purchase Merchandise (click here) – We have a range of apparel items available on our online shop, everything from hats, scarves, polos, jackets and jerseys.
5. Support our Students – As a club, we are about to launch an initiative called Support our Students (SOS). SOS is a directory of services and products, provided by SUFC and our partners in which SUFC directly shares in revenue to assist our club in these difficult times. First deliveries will take place on Friday 3rd April, we ask that everyone supports the initiative and rallies everybody they know to support these products and services that will directly support SUFC.
This global crisis is evolving every day and we certainly don’t have all the answers of how the 2020 season will play out just yet, but in true SUFC spirit we will support each other and tackle any challenge that comes our way, head on and united. SUFC has been the flag bearer for our sport for 157 years and now is the time for us all to stand up like never before and support every effort from the Club and our community to make sure that we all get through this together, so that when the time comes for us to open our doors again, the grandstand of Sydney University will be alive and kicking once more and continuing to provide that outlet in our lives that we all need so much. Stay safe, look after each other and let’s all get ready to embrace the challenges ahead.
Thanks again for your support
David Lyons
SUFC President