Dear Members of the Committee,

We write to you as a collective of concerned current and former players, members, and supporters to express our strong opposition to the proposed merger involving our club. We do so respectfully, but with deep conviction and a profound sense of responsibility to protect the identity, heritage, and future of the club we have dedicated so much of our lives to.

For many of us, this is not simply a sporting matter. It is personal. As lifelong members, and in some cases with families who have represented the club for over 60 years, our connection runs through generations. The club is more than a team; it is a community institution built on loyalty, development, and shared purpose. To contemplate merging with another side, particularly one so structurally and culturally different from our own, raises serious and legitimate concerns that cannot be overlooked.

Our club has been built on strong foundations: a thriving junior section, a second team that provides vital development pathways, and a first team composed largely of players who have progressed through the ranks and carry a genuine affinity for the Beverley badge they represent. This structure ensures sustainability, continuity, and pride. It fosters players who are invested not just in results, but in the long-term health and identity of the club.

By contrast, the proposed partner club does not operate a second team, nor does it maintain a comparable junior structure. Its first team appears to be made up largely of externally recruited players, including former professionals and short-term signings with little long-standing connection to the club itself. While ambition and investment are not inherently negative, a model driven by wealthy external backers and short-term success presents a fundamentally different philosophy to our own. We fear that such a merger would not be a partnership of equals, but rather a gradual absorption.

A central concern is the potential impact on our development pathway. The risk is that decades of carefully cultivated structure and culture could be undone in pursuit of short-term gain.

It is extremely difficult to see how this proposal serves the best interests of our club. We struggle to identify any long-term advantage that outweighs the very real risks to our culture, autonomy, and development model.

We respectfully but firmly oppose this merger as it currently stands. We do not raise these concerns out of hostility or resistance to progress, but out of loyalty and a deep desire to see Beverley RUFC continue to flourish on its own strong foundations for generations to come.

Yours sincerely,

Beverley Players, Ex-Players and Supporters