Page 26 - All Shapes & Zebras From Treorchy

At the beginning of the ‘Clubhouse’ section, I referred to those hallowed buildings as the ‘heart’ of the rugby club. If you’ll allow me to extend this metaphor further, if we compare rugby clubs to human bodies once more, then the fans can certainly be considered the lifeblood.
Of course, fan numbers will inevitably vary from amateur club to amateur club. Much will depend on factors such as form and geographical location and yet, the song remains the same: without their fans, clubs would not be able to survive. The reasons for this are numerous – some obvious, some more subtle. A club’s reliance on their fans spreads far and wide, permeating all aspects of the organisation.
Firstly, the obvious. Fans line the touchlines on Saturdays, willing their teams on, berating the opposition and, hopefully, making a whole lot of noise by supporting their side. As mentioned above, there are numerous factors impacting on the number of fans that amateur clubs can boast, ranging from geography, history, current form, fixtures and even the weather to name but a few.
Some British amateur clubs will be able to boast hundreds of genuine fans who’ll attend games week in week out, home or away, come sunshine or come rain. At the other end of the scale, there’ll be some clubs that will be able to count their fans on one hand – literally so if they’re playing away from home. All clubs, regardless of form and success will always have a core group of supporters who will turn up, home or away, and will seldom miss a match and will always back their boys or girls to the hilt, no questions asked.
In professional football parlance, such fanatics may be classed as ‘Ultras’ or ‘Casuals’ – fans renowned for their fanatical support and, at some points during the past, their hooligan tendencies. In amateur rugby, particularly in South Wales, I’d say that the core, die-hard supporters of various rugby clubs match the fanatical support of a football ‘ultra’, but rather than donning Stone Island gear, swinging punches at police horses,
24 ALL SHAPES & ZEBRAS FROM TREORCHY