What is success?
By Marist St Pats President, John Spillane...
What is success? I have been thinking about this for some time and believe that success cannot simply be defined by Jubilee Cup victories.
That measurement is far too basic and means that only one club can enjoy success each season.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the Cup in our trophy cabinet, but I can’t accept that this is the sole measurement of success. Too many people work far too hard for that to be true.
So, what does success look like in 2024?
I think that success – in the Marist St Pats context – has a far broader definition and involves things like:
1. Player engagement – a cohort who love the Red Machine – from Little Rippers right through to Presidents (irrespective of the results of the games).
2. A full clubrooms – a mix of past and present players, their families, and our wonderful supporters all together – the MSP family!
3. Players learning to love rugby and making lifelong friends
4. Coaches and players learning new skills.
5. Young men growing into respectful, well-balanced adults.
6. Past players continuing to contribute long after they hang up their boots, and
7. An engaged supporter base all over the planet who remain interested in the MSP journey.
I am delighted that I have seen examples of my definition of success in action this season but possibly the boldest example in 2024 was this weekend.
Soody, Pinhead, Jethro and Toby imagined and delivered a J6 reunion over the Kings Birthday weekend.
The idea of uniting a rabble that played average rugby at a very modest level over forty something years was ambitious – I mean this is a team that struggled to get fifteen players on the field some weekends despite boasting huge player rosters.
So, success was not guaranteed.
But, armed with the belief that most of the surviving players would never miss a good party, the organizing committee reached out via social media and word of mouth, to contact those that may be interested in reconnecting.
Soody’s aim was twofold:
1. Soody wanted to turn the Kings Birthday weekend (with only two MSP senior teams playing and it being an “away” game) into a money maker for the Club and bringing these guys together was guaranteed to boost the bar take.
2. Soody also wanted a way of reconnecting with a lot of great people who may have lost contact with the Club for whatever reason – he was thinking that these guys are the reason that the MSP 500 Club was established – but most would never have heard of it.
The result of all the effort by the organizing group was a fantastic weekend attended by past J6 players from across the forty years, club management, club legends – who were far too capable to play for this outfit, and of course many long-suffering partners.
Soody and his team arranged a true three ring circus for the attendees – with a Friday session at the clubrooms, a chance to support the Red Machine as we battled the Street Kids in the local derby followed by another clubrooms event on the Saturday and then a nostalgic get together at the old sponsors in the city on the Sunday.
I attended two of the three events and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with a heap of people I had not seen for many years.
I loved the fact we were celebrating a “social” team that only won a handful of championships in all those years – and the fact that the organisers did not look to the Club for any financial support – rather looking at giving back to the Club that they love.
I love the fact that people travelled from “all over” to attend.
I loved seeing Brendon O’Connor there – even though his health is not too good at the moment.
I loved the fact that so many people who did not play for the J’6’s attended and supported and the fact this reunion turned what could so easily have been a loss-making weekend into a bit of a bonanza for the Club.
I loved that the Premiers beat the Street Kids and after attending to their obligations down at Kilbirnie Park, they were back in our Clubrooms in substantial numbers to rub shoulders with the gathered J6 relics.
Sincere thanks to Soody, Pinhead, Jethro, and Toby – a job well done guys.
It was a great success and it epitomized, for me, what this Club is all about and displayed graphically what success in action looks like.
MSP Supporters
Shamrock Club
