Promotion a realistic target at Balreask Old

this week the Navan RFC players will kick-start their preparations for the 2010/2011 All-Ireland League when they hold their first training sessions. This will represent the start of a new era for the club in more ways than one. This is Navan's second year as a senior side and after finishing eighth out of 16 in their debut campaign in the AIL Div 3 they will be aiming to put themselves in line for promotion. Navan PRO Darra MacNamara pointed out that the Balreask Old side picked up seven bonus points (for losing by less than seven) last season and if just three of those narrow defeats had been converted into victories the side would have finished fifth. Now, the next step awaits to be taken by new coach Leon Jordaan and his men. Jordaan, a South African, is well aware of what will be required to complete the task having led Corinthians out of AIL Div 3 during his spell in charge of the Galway club. Navan will be hoping he can replicate that particular achievement. Prospects of promotion have been greatly helped by sweeping changes in the structure of the AIL, due to come into effect over the next two seasons. The changes for this forthcoming season include four automatic promotion places (instead of two) and one play-off between the bottom club in Div 2 and the fifth team in Div 3. There will be no relegation from Div 3. Further changes are proposed for the 2011/2012 campaign. By that stage Div 2 will consist of two sections (2A and 2B) of 16 teams each playing 15 games. Promotion and relegation between Div 2A and Div 2B will consist of two teams automatically going up and down. However, McNamara says that seeking to gain promotion is not the only challenge facing Navan RFC over the coming seasons. The bigger, arguably more important issue, is to forge stronger, lasting links between the club and the local community. "Obviously, the more people who are involved with the club the better, on all fronts," he told the Meath Chronicle. "It's important to build a close connection between the club and the community. I see people walking around Navan wearing Leinster, Munster and Ireland jerseys, yet they may not be involved with the local club and we have to ask ourselves 'why is that?' "There is a fabulous youth structure in Navan and we would hope to benefit from the population boom and continue to develop the club on all fronts. "It would be nice to have players who go through the ranks up to AIL standard play for Navan and not for a Dublin club," he added. Navan RFC will also host the popular summer camps for boys and girls aged between six and 14 years over the next two weeks. The first week, from Tuesday, 6th to Friday, 9th July will cater for children in the category up to 10 years old and the second week, which will feature an extra day, from Monday, 12th to Friday 16th July will cater for players aged between 11 and 14 years. Further details are available from the club or contact Scott Ennis at (087) 2599313. The highlight of the annual youth awards night, which took place in June, was the presentation by Navan player Conor Ryan to club president Michael Gavigan of his u-18 international jersey which he earned after he was selected to play for Ireland in the u-18 Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur tournament. Ryan was selected along with another Navan player, Akalaque Khan, and they helped Ireland to achieve the runner-up position. Club awards presented on the night were: u-19 player-of-the-year: Kyle Dunphy (most improved player - Ronan Smyth); u-17: Darragh Mink / Richard O'Brien (Adam St Leger); u-16: Jack Condie (John Skelly); u-15: Fearghal Cleary (Darragh Greene); u-14: Ronan Meegan (Ross Clarke); u-13: Ben McEntaggart (Matthew Rattigan); u-12: Luke Morgan-Doherty (Cathal Murphy); u-11: Cathal Wall (Conor Kelly); u-10: Niall Hurley (Padraig Nangle); u-9: Conall Bird (Evan Meegan); u-8: Aaron Rafferty (Jude Daly); u-7: Adam Milner (Cormac McCarthy); Girls - u-13: Rebecca Halligan (Tara Hurley); u-11: Aoife Farrell ( Isobel Hemeryck).