29-05-2025
East Kilbride Rugby coach wants 'culture change' at club as he eyes promotion charge
Franklin Clark is keen to change behaviour that he says has cost the team
East Kilbride Rugby Club boss Franklin Clark says changing the culture at the club can have them challenging for the West League 1 title next season.
Clark says their summer rebuilding programme will be crucial to that, but he first has to convince existing players to stay on, while blending that with an emerging crop of youngsters.
The Torrance House gaffer reckons he needs 'two or three' experienced players in key positions to give him a squad that's capable of striving for National League rugby.
But things will first have to change.
Clark said: 'We're looking to win the title or get promoted next season.
'We're looking to recruit fairly strongly, and we're looking to improve the culture within the club.
'The culture within the playing squad has not been quite what I wanted this season, and we've spoken about it with the other coaches and the players.
'We're keen to change some of the behaviours that have had a negative effect on us at particularly critical times.
'We've been fairly clear about that, and I think if we manage to do that successfully, we should be challenging up at the top end of the league.
'The summer is very important, because we need to make sure not only do we recruit new players, but we retain players as well.
'That's always an issue, some players get a bit frustrated if they've been playing in West 1 for a few seasons and think 'I want to play higher up with East Kilbride, but if they're not getting promoted, I need to go somewhere else to play a higher level of rugby'.
'No matter what club I've been at, it has always been an issue, trying to convince people, unless you're getting promoted.
'That's one of the challenges of being a coach, and that's my job.'
Clark's side finished fifth in West Region One this season, just behind local rivals Strathaven on points difference, while also reaching the final of the National Shield, where they lost to Lenzie.
To build on that, Clark knows some strength in depth will be required but has revealed he will be without one key man for next season's promotion push for the National Leagues.
Clark added: 'I think we need two or three, maybe, players in key positions, and retain the ones that we've got.
'There is at least one guy who has already intimated that he wants to retire – Mark Ellison – so we need to replace him.
'Mark is hoping to stay on at the club in some sort of coaching capacity, which I've asked him to do as well, so that's quite good.
'With young guys coming in, hopefully we can blend them in with some experienced East Kilbride guys and some experienced guys we can recruit from elsewhere. '
