HELENSBURGH Rugby Club’s new chairman David King insists things are looking up for the Grizzlies after a summer of changes on and off the park.

King has taken over from Jon Simmons as club chair, Simmons has changed role to club president, while Iain Ross is the club’s new coach, taking over from John Cashmore.

On the pitch, club stalwart Ally Rogers has been named the new club captain for the season ahead with James Musset and Jonny Drake taking the mantle as vice- captains.

Since Ross has taken the reins, the early signs have been positive with a good number of players attending pre-season training sessions, which started last month.

Following a disappointing West District First Division campaign last term, King is confident that things are going in the right direction for Burgh ahead of the new season which begins at the start of September.

He said: “There have been big changes at the club, we have a whole new committee as well as the changes in the first team.

“Iain Ross used to coach at Loch Lomond and he worked alongside John Cashmore and Bill MacDonald at the club previously. He was really up for taking it on this year and we felt he more than deserved the opportunity.

“There has been really good numbers at training.

“Iain has brought in a different style of coaching which the guys really seem to have taken to. “We want to improve on last season, I think anything around mid table would be good for us this season. We are up against teams with much bigger resources, but we have historically been a club who has punched above its weight, so it would be great if that could continue” The club have managed to secure further sponsorship for this season and have started a ladies team. Their mini section continues to thrive, which King is adamant will be the future of the club. The chairman is pleased with how things are progressing at Ardencaple on and off the pitch, but he insists Burgh are always on the lookout for new players with the first competitve tie of the season due to take place on Saturday, September 5.

He said: “We’re trying to make the club more social and get a bigger bond within the club. The ladies team starting has been fantastic and the minis section has hundreds of players. We will start to see the benefits of that in a few years as players come through.

“One of the issues Helensburgh has always had is when players go off to university and move away with work, it can be difficult to keep players here for reasons we can’t really control.

“We’re keen to get more players in from the base this year, we’re always keen for new players from anywhere to come along.

“We have had a big boost by receiving sponsorship from Silvers Marine in Rosneath, they have been fantastic. We’d like to forge more relationships with local businesses too.” If you are interested in playing for Helensburgh or want to find out more about sponsorship opportunities, contact david.king@cars-billington.com or visit the club’s website http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/helensburghrfc/.