Wallaby and Queensland Reds player, James Slipper, has been appointed to the Bond University Rugby Board to support the Club in its plans to strengthen its grassroots and community connections.
Slipper is a Gold Coast rugby success story, having risen through the ranks of schoolboy rugby at TSS and club rugby to captain the Bond University Queensland Country NRC squad and the Queensland Reds, and represent Australia as a member of the Wallabies.
Bond University Rugby Board Chairman, Dr Manny Pohl welcomed the fresh perspective and ‘new blood’ Slipper would bring to the Board.
“It is really important to have a player viewpoint in the decision-making process and future direction of the Club,” Dr Pohl said.
“James’ perspective is all encompassing and will provide us with a player view from schoolboy to Wallaby.
He has a passion for rugby at a grassroots level, he is highly-engaged with the Club and despite his professional rugby commitments, he makes time to come and watch the games.
James is very well-respected, puts back into the team and gives back to the Club – which in essence, embodies everything we are looking for in a Board member.”
“It is no coincidence that the James Slipper Award is the highest accolade a player can be awarded at the Bond University Rugby Club – it is voted for by the players and honours their commitment to training and on field performance.”
Dr Pohl emphasised that James was someone that young players from the Greater Gold Coast and Tweed regions could aspire to be like.
“We want today’s young rugby players to understand the value of playing club rugby and realise the pathway from schoolboy to Wallaby is alive and well right here on the Gold Coast.”
“Bond has superb facilities, an excellent stable of high-calibre coaches - including world champion player and women’s sevens coach Ben Gollings responsible for our very successful sevens programs – which ensures we now have a great management team in place.
“Looking to the future, we need young blood on the Board to help us strengthen our connections with the community and further entrench our pathway, to ensure we can continue to identify, nurture and deliver the next generation of rugby talent for Australia and the rest of the world.”
Slipper said he was surprised, but delighted, when Manny reached out to him about joining the Bond University Rugby Board.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but I knew immediately that it was a great opportunity and I had to grab with both hands,” Slipper said.
“Not only does it provide me with the chance to get more involved with the Rugby Club, but also to give back to the game that I love, and that has given me so much.”
“I think that I can bring to the Board a player perspective based on my experience at a grassroots, club and professional level.
“I’m really looking forward to being able to share my insights from on and off the field and bouncing ideas around with the other members of the Board and Club.
“It is hugely important that we continue to invest in the Club and the game to ensure we have a strong rugby presence on the Gold Coast and beyond.”
Slipper joins a heavy-hitting line-up of local and national, business and rugby identities - including Terry Jackman, Bob Gordon, Matt Windle, Brian Hain (TSS) and Selena Trantor - on the Bond University Rugby Board, effective immediately.
Bond University Rugby Club is home to the Gold Coast’s only premier grade squad and Bond University is the naming-rights sponsor of the NRC Queensland Country squad. It has very strong ties to QRU and ARU with more than a dozen Bond rugby players currently playing with the Reds Super Rugby, Reds U20s, Reds Sevens (men and women), Reds Academy and Australian U20s (Junior Wallabies) squads.