|
Where is the club located?
The Jeeps club is located at Ashgrove Sports Ground in Yoku Road at Ashgrove, in the inner north-western suburbs of Brisbane, about 15 minutes out of town by car and a bit longer by bus. Buses run fairly frequently from the city along Waterworks Road to Ashgrove. It's about a 10 minute walk from the main road to the grounds; less if you jog.
What time and when is training?
During the season training is on Tuesdays and Thursdays for most teams and starts promptly at 6pm, which means you should be changed, stretched and ready to start your warm up with everyone else at that time.
It's usually all over by 8pm. Training for Premier grade is more demanding, with additional sessions during the week as required by the Premier coaching staff.
Do you pay players?
No. Jeeps is an amateur club, which means players pay to play, not the other way around. We cannot afford to pay players as we do not have the luxury of a subsidy from wealthy benefactors or poker machines.
Playing Rugby at Jeeps is purely for recreation. Your rewards come in non-monetary ways (remember when Rugby used to be played for fun? It still is at Jeeps).
Do you find jobs or accommodation for players?
We cannot undertake to guarantee a job or somewhere to live, but we do have our contacts and if you're a Jeeps player who is in need of work we will try to see what we can do. Two of our sponsors are labour hire firms. But no promises, mind.
As for accommodation, that's usually something players organise amongst themselves. Again, if we hear of anything going we can let you know, but generally it's a "word of mouth" thing. If you're looking to live locally, the median weekly rental for a three bedroom house in the Ashgrove-Gap area is AUD $230-$250. A two BR unit AUD $165-$185 pw. Check here for the latest figures in all areas.
Why do I have to pay to play Rugby?
Rugby at club level is a user-pays recreation, the same as playing cricket, golf or any other sport that requires facilities and support infrastructure. That said, Rugby at Jeeps is subsidised by sponsors and the unpaid work of many rugby-loving volunteers who don't get the satisfaction of shedding blood for relaxation.
The club has to cover: compulsory ARU insurance of $2,000 per open grade team, supply of socks and shorts, use of jerseys by players, irrigation, fertilization, mowing and other maintenance of playing fields (our council rates bill alone is around $5,000 pa), power and maintenance of training lights, coaching courses, garbage collection, footballs and other playing and training gear, wages and clubhouse maintenance.... the list goes on.
Our total outlays in 2005 were almost $300,000. The players' fees covered about 16% of that.
The remainder is financed by sponsorship, grants, bar and gate takings for Premier grade matches and fund-raising activities such as raffles, functions and the like. Playing fees at Jeeps are comparable with other district rugby clubs and less than for other sports. All in all, Jeeps players get good value for their dollars, so do the right thing and pay your fees promptly.
What do I get for my fees?
For a start, you become a member of Jeeps and therefore legally entitled to have a drink at the clubhouse when the bar is open, and to vote at meetings. Non-playing members pay $40 pa (including GST) for this club membership alone.
Those registered players who are following a weights program supplied by the official club trainer can use the club gym at no extra cost. Try buying just a gym membership for what you pay in total to play at Jeeps.
The club also provides playing shorts and socks and a club polo as part of registration of $350 (less with the early bird discount and less for colts because of lower insurance charges), and laundering of jerseys each week.
What is my medical cover?
The ARU compulsory insurance scheme provides limited medical cover but you are strongly advised to take out private medical insurance.
On match days there is emergency medical treatment available from either of the club's two doctors, Dr Pauline Smith or Dr Phil Manfield. In addition, injured players are encouraged to seek treatment of rugby-related injuries under a special arrangement with Dr Manfield. Contact information here and full details in the Players Handbook.
|
About Jeeps 
Web Design Brisbane by Bluewire Media