One of Perth smallest rugby clubs, the Ellenbrook Vipers, has taken out first place in the Celebrate with the Force community competition.
With just over 100 club members, the junior rugby club brought through over 700 people to watch the Western Force take on Kagifa Samoa and the Fijian Latui in the Global Rapid Rugby Pacific Showcase.
The Vipers won the biggest share of the $25000 up for grabs, receiving $6000 worth of prizes. A haul that the Vipers Chairperson Abby Manson ensures will go a long way for the club.
“Where do I start, without getting emotional because I probably will. All of it is going to make a huge difference in our club and help us give more to the kids that need it the most. I can’t even put into words what it would do for us,” Manson said.
“We’re a little club, and we put absolutely everything into this club, literally our blood, sweat and tears. I couldn’t even list how many people have put in their own money to fund this club and we have all bought stuff out of our own pocket when the club’s funds haven’t quite been able to stretch that far.
“It would mean so much for us, for some clubs $2000 might not be that much, but for us, it means we a huge deal, and the Rhino voucher – the things we can do with that is incredible.”
The club’s motivation throughout the competition was their “mad” passion for the rugby and growing the game. Manson praised the work of the parents, players and the committee for everything they do for the club.
“It just came down to the fact that we are really passionate about rugby, we’re simply mad about it. We have a standout committee and our parents circle absolutely live and breathe rugby,” Manson said.
“This competition was a way for us to present it to our extended family, friends and people who have never really watched rugby before, people who are AFL crazy. And after the first game they were asking us for tickets to come to the second game because the atmosphere was something they had never experienced before.
“It’s the passion of the parents that made this happen. One of our U14’s mums also organised a bus from Ellenbrook, because for us it’s a little bit away, so she overcame that obstacle by booking out a bus to get the kids and their families there.”
Force Head Coach Tim Sampson said he is proud to see the initiative reward passionate rugby supporters in WA.
“On behalf of the Western Force squad, I would like to congratulate the mighty Ellenbrook Vipers, and personally thank them for their wonderful support and involvement throughout the Celebrate with the Force competition.”
“The competition, to give back to the community was a great initiative and we sincerely appreciate the support we received. It is fantastic to see the end result and prize go to a proud, passionate Junior club such as the Vipers.”
“For a small club to finish on top of the leader board, it is evident how much passion there is throughout the Western Australian Rugby community and I would like to wish the club all the very best for the future. Go the Vipers!”
View final Top 3 Leaderboard.
