THE SEASON STARTS HERE

The end of the holidays means one thing for everyone. No, not the return of school. And no, not the end of great summer weather either (which actually applies to Northern Ireland for once). Rather, it is the return of the rugby season after a long drawn out three months of a wait for those dedicated fans.

“Silly season” as the summer months are branded, are close to unbearable for many rugby fans and whenever the pre-season friendlies roll round in August once more, the excitement is undeniable – rugby action is back again! But the friendlies do not pose the same excitement as a competitive match, there aren’t the nerves of a league or Heineken Cup match to get the blood pumping.

Therefore I feel it is slightly fitting that rather than focus on the friendlies with my first blog post of the 2013/14 season, I will focus on what I want to see from Ulster in this upcoming season, and not just on the pitch, but off it too. What many don’t realise is that Ulster stretches beyond what we see on the field – it is a full-blown organisation with the goal of turning a profit at the end of each year.

Therefore, target number one of the new season has nothing to do with the team, but more with the organisation:

1) Spread the Ulster Rugby brand

You might think I’m being slightly too vague but this one is exactly what it says on the tin – get the Ulster team, name, logo, everything about the club known to more people both in the province, and outside of it. Be that through advertising, open training sessions or through other means, it doesn’t matter. But Ulster need a strong fan base and they will gain that through the spreading of the Ulster brand. Much like the well known Manchester United or Real Madrid brands, that is where Ulster want to be as a club.

Target two is one which I stated around March last season and it is one which I will maintain for the whole of this season too:

2) Win a trophy OR reach two finals

The brightest of you eagle-eyed readers will work out that either Ulster will win the Pro12 or the Heineken Cup, or they will reach the finals of both the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup if this objective is to be fulfilled since there are only two competitions Ulster are entered in. But this is where I (and many others) believe Ulster are at right now: they are one of the best teams in Europe, as highlighted by two finals in as many seasons.

Unfortunately defeat at the hands of Saracens at Twickenham last April meant that objective two was sadly not achieved last season, but this season they will get another shot at it. Certainly one final is a minimum goal for the Ulstermen – anything less now will be a disappointing season by their standards.

And it is a very positive thing that those standards are very high. Four seasons ago a realistic aim was simply qualifying for the next season’s Heineken Cup. Fast forward to today and winning the competition is considered a target for Anscombe’s players. As I have mentioned many times, it is incredible how far Ulster have come in such a short space of time and this is again mirrored in these aims.

Youth is integral to any side – it is where the future of the team lies. Every team wants to have a core base made up of good young players to make sure that they will be successful for many years to come. So my final target for Ulster this season is that:

3) Create a good youth base

Ulster’s success over the past few years cannot simply be short-lived – there must be a continuity plan in place so that they will be competitive for a long time into the future. Mark Anscombe has already laid the foundations with plenty of young guys featured in teams last season, but this must now continue for many seasons after that in order to give Ulster the best chance of bringing back a trophy to Ravenhill soon.

2013/14 begins on Friday as Leinster come calling in Belfast. While not imperative, it would be good for Ulster to get off to a positive start and they will be looking to do just that. It’s good to have rugby finally back at Ravenhill isn’t it? So here’s to a great new season – and hopefully one with a trophy at the end!

SUFTUM!