Firwood Waterloo Rugby Club is delighted to congratulate Steve Thompson, stalwart of our Minis and Juniors section, on the award of a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
Steve was awarded the honour for services to Rugby Union Football and to the community in Crosby and it couldn’t be more deserved.
For the last 28 years Steve has given up his Sunday mornings (September to May) to spend at least three hours each week introducing young children (both boys and girls) to the sport of Rugby Union.
Each season he takes responsibility for coaching the very youngest children aged 5 to 8, gradually introducing them to different aspects of the game through age-relevant training. He is calm, patient and above all fiercely passionate about the sport.
Every season his enthusiasm for rugby is transferred to the children under his guidance. In terms of the breadth of his impact, over those 28 years he has introduced many hundreds of children to the game, many of whom have carried on playing rugby into adulthood. Two current England Women’s internationals - Sarah Beckett and Holly Aitchison - were first coached by Steve Thompson at Firwood Waterloo RFC.
Just last month, Steve was awarded our annual Tony Pugh Award, which recognises above and beyond contribution to the life of the club, and he has also received a ‘Lifetime of Coaching Award’ from the club and has been made an Honorary life member.
Well done Steve – well deserved!
