This week I want to talk about a particular interest of mine: rugby. And more specifically, rugby union.

Now, before those that couldn’t give a hoot about rugby switch off, let me explain why rugby is so important in Camborne and Redruth. When I was a kid growing up, we had rugby clubs as well as other sports clubs. Youth centres and schools had the time and resources to organise trips and regular, competitive sports events. Such activities taught me about the value of teamwork, respect for authority, supporting colleagues and learning to lose, as well as win. I was able to go to first team matches with my Dad, who for many years was the Redruth RFC doctor.

One constant is our rugby clubs, as part of the ‘rugby family’. If you attend these clubs at certain times during the weekend, you’ll see boys and girls aged 5 to 18 learning these key life skills, as well as letting off some pent-up frustration and energy, in a controlled and productive way, managed by dedicated volunteers that understand the value of these skills to children as well as the wider community. And how much harder is it for kids these days than it was thirty or forty years ago, with all the pressures and distortions of social media that were never there when I was young? Once you become a rugby fan, it’s very hard to shake it off.

The rugby bug gets into the bloodstream and stays with you forever! Before Christmas I was lucky enough to attend the Camborne v Redruth match with thousands of others in the pouring rain – a match that, along with the return fixture, is so important to the financial well-being of both clubs. The following day I popped down Penzance to watch Pirates beat Doncaster. My own playing career was extremely modest but I used to play for Pirates…or Penzance-Newlyn, as they were called then…at mini-rugby when I was 11 years old! But it was nice to be back at the Mennaye Field.

Last weekend I was also able to get up to London to watch London Cornish play. The director of rugby is my brother Dickon Moon, the longest serving Director of rugby in the RFU, although we do rib him that that’s because no one else is daft enough to take on the job. He was explaining to me that all is not well with grassroots rugby and that poor management at the top means that the vitally important grassroots rugby is suffering with lack of funding, bad organisation and ill-thoughtout law changes.

This is something that should worry all of us that love the game. I’m going to try and get the views of our own local clubs, before deciding if the issues are serious enough to be raised in Parliament. We cannot let the game that is so important across Camborne and Redruth be exposed to damaging changes that risk negatively impacting on these vital local community resources.

Perran Moon

Labour MP for Camborne and Redruth