Royal High RFC has officially entered a 2nd XV into the reserve league this season, a further positive indicator in the club's growth plan.

Club President Paul Dalgleish shares what it means for the club;

I'm delighted to confirm one of the biggest steps forward for Royal High RFC in some time: we will officially be re-launching a 2nd XV, with confirmed entry into the reserve league for the coming season.

On paper, it might read as purely a single line in a fixtures list, however for our Club, it means a great deal more.

It means allowing more of our growing player pool, access to regular, competitive rugby — Not only to those already established in the 1st XV.

It means greater strength and depth across the Club, more competitive game time for our squad and further evidence of a true, genuine pathway for anyone coming through; whether that's players returning to the game, new to the area, looking to be involved down at Barnton, or young players emerging from the School, who ultimately want to play and push for 1st XV honours.

This hasn't happened by chance, it’s part of a deliberate roadmap to grow Royal High RFC, not just in numbers, but in what we offer as a Club.

The question we keep coming back to as a Committee is a simple one: “what does it take to build a Club that players want to be part of, not by just turn up to?”

Fielding a 2nd XV is one of the clearest answers we can give and ensuring in totality, we keep a squad capable of pushing forward in our ambitions.

As many of your know, Rugby clubs live or die on environment, culture, community and and a sense of belonging.

Of course, results matter, but they follow on from something more fundamental; players feeling valued, continuous improvement both on and off the pitch and as much commitment to training on a cold, wet Tuesday evening, as much as on matchday.

By widening, expanding and improving our playing base, we are providing both a platform and genuine route into the game, creating this pathway is important and one of the clearest ways we can back that up with definitive actions, rather than words.

None of this happens without the players who put their hands up to make it possible, or the coaches and volunteers who worked behind the scenes to get our 2nd XV off the ground.

I would just like to thank all involved who took the time and vision to make this happen, you know who you are.

We are just at the start of our rebuild and are ahead in progress, in the main due to the combined efforts of all involved, we’d love to see as many of you as possible down at Barnton, supporting both teams this season, starting next month.

Additionally if you know anyone who's been thinking about playing again, or picking up a rugby ball for the first time, there's never been a better time to point them our way.

Our future is bright, our future is Black and White.

Paul Dalgleish, President, Royal High RFC