by Rhys Fullerton
The Bach Breakdown and The Bachline offer fresh insight into a thriving club.
Sandbach RUFC are thrilled to have launched The Bach Breakdown, their first podcast, and The Bachline, a new digital match programme, providing fresh content and unique insight into a thriving club.
The podcast, with Episode Two out now, is the brainchild of the club’s General Manager Mat Dolan. Speaking about the podcast, Mat said:
“The main thing is to showcase the personality of our club. It lifts the lid on the characters and traits that make things so great. It provides great insights into our structure and the foundations that carry into our development of players and people, so the audience can learn about what goes on both on and off the pitch.
“There is a real energy and honesty to it as well, which reflects how we try and run things. Although it’s still in its infancy, we have some great things planned for it and it will continue to improve.”
The Bach Breakdown is presented by Paul Stock, who captains the club’s Walking Rugby section. Paul steers the conversation through a range of rugby and club topics, whilst keeping it friendly and light.
Available on YouTube and across podcast platforms, The Bach Breakdown is produced by Orange Bear Audio Production, which is run by Archie Lea, who also happens to be a 1st XV player. Archie creates an engaging and professional production with stylish graphics and music.
In Episode One, Director of Rugby Andrew Bird talks about the club’s culture and the thriving rugby ecosystem, from mini and juniors, right through to Walking Rugby. Senior Coach and 1st XV Captain Laurie Essenhigh talks about the team’s ambitions for the season and praises the coaching setup and their vital expertise.
Both Jensen Horton and Ted Aspin, two Colts graduates who are playing senior rugby this season, impress with how they talk about rugby and the club, but also the mental side and how actively taking part and being in a team makes them feel.
Other guests in Episode One include Mike Barlow (1st XV Player/Coach), Ant Dowell and Jake Jackson (2nd XV co-captains), Connor Radcliffe (3rd XV co-captain) and Joe Cooper and Archie Irlam (Social Committee). Senior Coach Lee Pickles joins Paul and Connor in Episode Two.
Anyone can start a podcast. Those who are successful though, need to do two things. Appeal to their natural audience and reach across to those who might otherwise not listen. The Bach Breakdown does just that. There are enough in-jokes to appease the club regulars, but also enough insight into the inner workings of a local amateur club to provide a broader appeal.
If the podcast wasn’t enough, the club’s new digital match programme has arrived and supplements their matchday activities.
Designed by Stuart Lea, another club volunteer, The Bachline covers warm welcomes from the Chairman, President and Club Captain, as well as Director of Rugby notes, news, events, a popular rugby opinion column and match reports.
The club already had a successful printed match programme, which was the envy of many community clubs. However, due to rising costs and being a predominantly volunteer based club, a decision was made to go digital.
Rather than a standard PDF, Stuart looked at the services available and decided to design his own bespoke, mobile-first digital programme.
Accessible through a link or QR code, no downloading is necessary, giving instant access to all supporters. One of the innovative features includes the ability to make real-time updates. The new programme now reduces the admin required and creates a streamlined production process.
Most importantly, it shines a spotlight on the valuable sponsors that the club is so lucky to have, as well as providing them with digital value. Whether they are a club sponsor or a player sponsor, they all get a mention, a logo and a link to their website.
Both The Bach Breakdown and The Bachline are innovative additions to an already thriving community rugby club. The product on and off the pitch was already good. Now it’s got even better.
The Bach Breakdown: You can watch Episode One and Two at https://www.youtube.com/@Sandbach-RUFC, or listen on your preferred podcast platform.
The Bachline: You can catch up on all the match programmes from this season at https://programmes.rufc.org.uk/srufc/.
Photo: Paul Stock and 2nd XV co-captains Ant Dowell and Jake Jackson discussing the new season. Archie Lea (front right) records the episode. Photo by: Josh Randle
