Wednesday 9 January 2008

Harlequins RL December round-up

The off-field progress made by the club in November continued through into the final month of the year with Paul Brown formally taking the reigns as CEO (although his influence could already be detected behind the scenes).

The family fun day aimed at building ties with the local community was positively received, whilst Brown made a solid start on reconnecting the club with the views of supporters via the first in a planned series of fans forums. The club acknowledged the challenges faced in the coming season; building up poor attendances, squad development, the demands of the licensing process as well as many other issues, outlining where progress was being made and where improvement is needed.

In on-field matters Brian McDermott moved to strengthen the squad with the addition of Canberra Raiders centre David Howell, whilst it was acknowledged that the club was in talks with another player, though to be former Newcastle Knight utility Daniel Abraham. Whilst throughout the month the academy set-up ran a series of recruitment trials at the Roehampton Vale training ground.

Details of the annual pre-season friendly against London Skolars were announced, with the two clubs taking the bold move to switch the game to a midweek afternoon slot close to the City of London in the hope of attracting corporate sponsors. Season ticket holders also found their packs dropping through letterboxes at the close of the month, a positive sign that the often maligned ticketing process is making progress.

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