At last months Annual General Meeting, Tony McNally, a proven leader in the game with a track record of success, was elected as the clubs new Vice Chairman.

Tony started in rugby administration while still a relatively young player, taking on the role as Yorkshire 6 League Secretary in the early 80s, which led to over 30 years of involvement with the RFU North Competitions Committee. After his then club, Armthorpe, ceased to exist in 1996, he joined Doncaster Rugby Club and began coaching within the Mini Junior Section. This led to his involvement in Doncaster Phoenix, where he became Chairman in 2004 and enabled him to become involved with the South Yorkshire District.

In the mid 2000’s Tony took on the role of Chair of South Yorkshire, a role that he held for 17 years and led to his involvement on the Community Committee and U20s Standing Sub Committee within the Yorkshire RFU structures. He is currently the Yorkshire County Teams Development Chair and in 2021, had the honour of being elected Yorkshire RFU President in 2021.

Dearne Valley Chairman, Ant Hamilton, commented on the appointment “We are delighted to have someone of Tonys calibre and experience join us at the club. He has truly done it all in terms of leadership within the game. Just having someone like Tony want to join us is testament to the journey we are on and what we are trying to achieve”.

He added “Tony will add a high level of rugby management and governance knowledge to the club and will be able to use his experience to guide us as we develop and grow. He is a proven leader, driven and has a track record of success, so I have no doubt he will help drive Dearne Valley forward.”

Tony McNally said about his election “I have been big supporter of what Dearne Valley are trying to achieve and the way they are going about their business. It is only a young club, two years old, but they have made great strides forward and the fact that they are trying to things differently, with a blank canvas, is a really enticing prospect. I am excited to be able to get involved with the club and assist with its development”.