Longford RFC resumed their adjourned AGM in the Longford Arms last Wednesday (June 9) with another large attendance.

Having adopted a new set of rules, the AGM was adjourned to allow for nominations for the new chairpersons of the various committees, and positions of President and Secretary.

Chairperson of the club, who will oversee all of the various committees, is Roy Davis. A former player with the club, and a coach at both underage and senior level, Roy will oversee the finance, rugby and administration committees. Owing to a death in the family, Roy was unable to attend the AGM and the club expressed its sympathy with Roy and his family on their loss.

Both the Honorary President, Martin Maguire and Honorary Secretary Tommy Butler will continue on their positions, having been re-elected.

Elected in the new position of chairperson of finance is Brian Dillon, while chairperson of rugby will be Damien Curley.

The position of chairperson of administration saw a contest between Maria Keelty and Louise Glynn. Following a vote, Louise Glynn was successful and was appointed the position.

Over the coming weeks, the make-up of those various committees will be announced. As outlined at the AGM, all sectors of the club will be represented on those committees and the new structure will allow for faster decisions and greater input from club members.

Prior to the election of officers, the club secretary Tommy Butler gave his report for the 2009/10 season. In a very busy season, Tommy said there were a lot of positive aspects at all grades, including the senior's Midland League win, the U17s' appearance in the Leinster League final and the women winning the Leinster League Division Three title.

He paid tribute to the hard working Auld Blacks' committee, in particular Mark Quinn, Derick Turner and Padraic O'Kane, who staged a very successful event in the Mansion House this year.

Tommy also thanked those who have put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes with the development of the clubhouse. He said that when finished, the clubhouse will be the finest in the region. He paid tribute to the club website, which he said was one of the best in Leinster.

He also thanked the club members who voted him clubperson of the year at the recent awards and

Team secretary, Derick Turner was next with his report. He firstly spoke about the 1st XV and their season, and described the 2009/10 team as the most skilful that he has seen in 43 years of Longford RFC, noting that every player was comfortable with ball in hand. He thanked and paid tribute to the coaches - both past and present - for getting the players to this standard.

Derick said the 2nd XV team fielded on numerous occasions during the season, and put in a some excellent performances. He said the club has lost a total of 23 players during a 16-month period, mainly due to emigration.

He then announced that it would be his last report as team secretary, bringing to an end his 43 years on the Longford RFC executive.

Derick recalled the early days of the club, and charted its development from when it was re-formed in 1967, up to the present day. He said that during that time, Longford RFC has continually punched above its weight, through its achievements both on and off the field.

Speaking on behalf of the club, Martin Maguire thanked Derick for his immense contribution to Longford RFC. He said that Derick would remain involved with the club for many seasons to come.

In his address, Youths Chairperson Hugh Connolly outlined the club's success at the various age levels, from U6 right up to U17. He said the development of players at underage level in the club has led to regional and provincial call-ups for various players, including Michael Bannon and Aaron Beirne and U17 level. He said the Midlands squad that won the Shane Horgan Cup featured nine players from Longford.

Longford RFC committee 2010/11: Hon President - Martin Maguire; Hon Secretary: Tommy Butler; Chairperson - Roy Davis; Finance - Brian Dillon; Rugby: Damien Curley; Administration: Louise Glynn.