South Wales Freemasons have begun a three-year partnership with St Peter’s RFC in Cardiff, supporting grassroots rugby while creating new opportunities for Freemasonry to engage with players, supporters, volunteers and the wider community.
The partnership was marked at the club’s home fixture against Aberdare RFC with the presentation of a sponsored jersey featuring South Wales Freemasonry’s 300 Years branding.
A partnership rooted in the community
Known as ‘The Rocks’, St Peter’s RFC has played rugby in Cardiff East since 1886 and has more than 400 players across its age groups. The club encompasses Mini & Junior, Youth and senior rugby and has links with local businesses and the wider community.
Under the three-year sponsorship, South Wales Freemasonry will be represented on playing jerseys across the club and through a full-page presence in the St Peter’s match programme.
For the Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales, however, the partnership is intended to go beyond visibility. From its earliest discussions, the relationship has included opportunities for Provincial representatives to meet players, supporters and volunteers and to build connections with people beyond Freemasonry.
Robert Payne, Provincial Grand Master for South Wales, said: ‘Our role as Freemasons extends well beyond our Lodges. We want to be an active and positive presence in the communities of South Wales, building relationships and supporting organisations that bring people together.
‘St Peter’s RFC has a proud history and a strong sense of community, and I am delighted that we are beginning this partnership. We share an understanding of the value of friendship, respect, service and supporting one another, and I hope this will be a relationship that grows over the coming years.’
More than a name on a rugby shirt
The partnership was originally identified and developed by South Wales Freemason and former St Peter’s prop Chris Gough, who serves as the Province’s Community Engagement Liaison Officer. Chris Gough established the relationship with the club and worked with its representatives to develop the sponsorship arrangements.
Merrick Jones, Assistant Provincial Grand Master responsible for Publications and External Relations, said:
‘I am particularly pleased to see this partnership become a reality because it represents exactly what we want our external relationships to achieve.‘Our name on the jersey gives us visibility, but visibility alone is not the objective. What matters is what we do with it. This gives us opportunities to meet people, support an important community organisation and allow people who may know very little about Freemasonry to get to know us naturally.’
Recognising the work behind the project, Merrick Jones added:
‘Chris deserves considerable credit for making this happen. He identified the opportunity, opened the relationship with St Peter’s and did a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to turn an initial conversation into a partnership we could confidently support.‘This is exactly the kind of purposeful sponsorship we want to develop, and Chris’s work has provided a very strong foundation on which we can now build.’
St Peter’s RFC Social Secretary Pete Grzonka said: ‘We’re delighted to welcome South Wales Freemasons as a sponsor. Our sponsors make an important contribution to St Peter’s, and we look forward to developing this into a genuine relationship over the coming seasons.’
Building relationships through shared values
The Province’s presence in the St Peter’s match programme focuses on common ground between Freemasonry and community sport, centred on shared values, strong communities and proud heritage. It also invites supporters interested in Freemasonry to learn more about the organisation.
The jersey presentation marks the beginning of the relationship rather than its conclusion. Over the next three years, South Wales Freemasons intend to develop the partnership through visits, conversations and engagement with the St Peter’s community.
The partnership reflects a wider approach to community engagement in South Wales: supporting organisations which bring people together and creating opportunities for communities to encounter modern Freemasonry through the relationships Freemasons build.
Find out more about Freemasonry in South Wales on the South Wales Freemasonry website
