There was a positive step for recreational sport in the United Kingdom this week, as clubs were allowed to meet-up and train for the first time in what seems like forever, due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday 29th March, sports centres opened their doors and outdoor spaces were again to be used, offering some normality again for many Brits.
One of the clubs who have gone straight back to work on the field, is Millwall Rugby Club. The side train weekly at Millwall Park and have a big impact on the surrounding community, so the return is a great boost for the locals. Any regular visitor of the park will tell you that the club’s loud, competitive training sessions that bellow over the rumbling trains of the Docklands Light Railway beneath them, have become a staple sound for the tight-knit area, and something many look forward to hearing and watching as they loop round the greenery.
Situated on the Isle of Dogs, East London, Millwall Rugby Club prides itself on sticking to its roots. The ever-changing community of the island since the emergence of the Canary Wharf development in the 1990’s meant that many businesses, residents and clubs were priced out of the area, as many of the working-class people who once lived here felt the need to move away. The club and its founders had other ideas and formed in 1995 to fuel a rugby revolution on the island, as many prior residents had to travel over the river or further from home to partake in the sport. It’s clear to see, as you watch the Millwallians train on their home-turf with the modern, ever-changing skyline behind them, that they haven’t allowed the transformation in the area and the new residents to affect their community and working-class spirit.
I spoke to one local, an on-looker at the Monday night training session, Ryan Walker, who believes the young club have made rugby a more fashionable sport to play in the area. He told me, “the club as a whole has done very well for itself and it’s been interesting to see the growth. Especially when I was younger in East London, or London as a whole in the 70’s and 80’s, everybody just played football, whereas now it’s good to see that youngsters have got another option and it’s now more ‘in’ to play a sport other than the usual.”
In regard to how young Londoners can use it to their benefit, he said, “this isn’t the worst area in London for crime as we’re a bit more secluded, but it still isn’t the best and you hear of the young kids getting caught up in bad things. These local clubs are there for you, to help you and if they can commit and improve every week then it offers them a great opportunity to do something good for the area.”
Now, with Millwall RFC still being a relatively new club, there has been a lot of work and changes in the past two decades. At the start of the club’s journey they hopped from pitch to pitch, but needed to find a base and ideally wanted it to be as easily accessible and as close to the roots as possible. In 2007, the club bought a space under the now disused railway arches that lay parallel across one side of Millwall Park and set up their club’s main hub and clubhouse. In 2009, permission was granted by Tower Hamlets Borough Council, to use the opposite park as their place to train and play games.
The park and the nearby clubhouse now act as a central point for newcomers, first-teamers and fans to interact. The club as a whole train on Mondays and Wednesdays, and look to mix ages and genders, with some non-contact sessions to introduce new players to the set-up. The 1st and 2nd Men’s and Women’s teams, also then meet up separately when it comes to game-day preparation, with the hope of putting on a show when the weekend comes, and locals are there to watch.
As an amateur club, they are always looking for fresh talent, and more information can be found on their website: www.millwallrugby.com
