WHEN Geoff Sluman played his last game for Exeter Chiefs back in the early 1990s, little did he realize that almost a quarter of a century later he would still be involved with the game at Bridgwater and Albion, writes Richard Walsh.

Sluman, who is chairman of rugby at the Albion, was born and bred in Exeter and started playing for the Chiefs' - when they were known simply as Exeter Rugby Club - junior sides at 13, from where he graduated up through to the Colts and made his debut for the senior side when he was 19.

He said: “That was before the leagues started and they played teams like Bristol, Bath and Gloucester in the South West Merit table.

“I got my first team badge with Chiefs but my appearances were diminishing and due to working in Bristol I moved to near Bridgwater to live in 1994 and never intended playing rugby again.

“However in the village three of the lads Nick Edmonds and Dave Brommie and Simon Triggol all played for Bridgwater and they talked me into coming along.

“I was made most welcome and since I first walked into the club it felt like home and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

“I played for a couple more seasons with Bridgwater, under Dave Egerton, who was Bath number eight and played for England, and got my first team badge.

“I then finished playing and thought that my rugby was over and done with.

“However my two boys Joe and George both started playing with the Under-8s at Bridgwater so I got involved there and helped coaching. I went right the way up through coaching every each age group side and then I coached the Colts for a couple of seasons.

“It was great to take the Under-16 side back down to play at Sandy Park and have a session on the training pitch there.

“As many as 13 of the Colts side that got through to the Somerset County Cup final have gone onto play for the first team.

“After the Colts team I progressed into coaching the senior sides and started to coach the forwards in the first team.

“However my work career was getting busier and I couldn’t commit to being at the club every Tuesday and Thursday so now I have moved into more responsibility for the management side of things.

“I was first on the Rugby Committee and have gone onto chair it for the last couple of seasons.

“Whilst coaching the 2nd XV I did manage to play a small amount of game time with both of my sons Joe and George.

“I guess that I have done it all; I have played and coached every team apart from the 3rd XV the Dirtrackers - I have never played for them nor coached them - so that’s a gap in my Bridgwater CV!

Sluman added: “Albion is a good, family friendly club.

“We have got ambitions to play at the highest level, but that is within our resources.

“If we go up to the next level there is a lot more money in travel, you need much bigger squads and players want paying, so we want to play at the highest level we can without bankrupting the club.”