GETTING people to help out on junior sporting committees is an annual struggle for clubs across the country.

But not for the Orange City Junior Rugby Union Club.

The Lions will have 17 people to help the club’s wealth of juniors wrest back the Central West Junior Rugby Union club championship from the Dubbo Roos in 2011.

Jeff Taberner will step up as president and is looking forward to continuing the good work of his predecessor, Steve Doulman.

“I’ve been involved [on the committee] for a few years now. Steve Doulman had formed a really good committee here in recent years and I’m looking forward to continuing on from that,” Taberner said.

“Every year in recent years we’ve had an increase of 20 or so kids per year, and we’ve got a really good group of people on our committee, which is a great sign for the club that there are so many people willing to help.”

Fletcher Niven (vice-president), Pat McDonald (treasurer), Jim Fogarty (secretary), Tony Aumuller (registrar), Jayne West (uniforms), Allan Bailey (Wallas) and Rod Carpenter (fundraising) will be supported by nine other committee members next year.

The club is set to again field two sides in the under 13s and under 15s, along with one strong outfit in the under 17s and good numbers in Walla rugby, under 9s and under 11s, in 2011.

The Lions also sponsor several Sudanese players, which involves raising several thousand dollars in playing fees for the youngsters throughout the season, a program that will continue in 2011.

“One of our mottos is that we like to give every child a rugby experience,” Fletcher Niven said.

“This then comes back in the end and helps us with good rugby players.”

Orange City will hold its sign-on day in February, with training to begin in mid-March and the competition proper expected to start after the first school holiday break in April.