The club is aware of an article which was printed in the Daily Telegraph this morning and is currently posted on Telegraph Online, which reports on player payments in the community game. Whilst the article does not explicitly state that Teddington RFC makes payment to their senior players it does report a claim from an unknown source that this is the case.

The club would like to take this opportunity to officially respond to this article. Teddington RFC have categorically never paid a player for playing rugby for the club. Our success at senior level over the last couple of seasons has been based on the ethos that has existed at the club for many years, an ethos which is built on providing a friendly and welcoming place for players of all abilities to play rugby, where everybody is encouraged to chip in and take pride in keeping the club moving forwards. Our senior player recruitment is fed from a number of sources, including an established and very successful youth section, players living in the local area and a network of friends and associates of existing players. Volunteers at the club have worked hard for many years to provide an environment where players want to stay with the club; facilities now include a modern clubhouse and pitches in Bushy Park, an onsite gymnasium, plus excellent coaching and physio services for players. The club has its challenges as well, with limited training facilities a continual struggle. All players pay annual subscriptions to be part of this. They pay for their own club branded clothing and even contribute to post training food. Barring a few post-match celebratory jugs of beer, they receive nothing from the club.

As we move forward the club will continue with this philosophy, and we are happy to see where it takes us over the coming years.