A charity match between the Midlands Barbarians and Warwickshire Masonics will take place at Birmingham Moseley’s Billesley Common ground on Friday November 22 (7.45pm) to raise funds for both charities.

The RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) provide support and information to rugby players in England who sustain a catastrophic spinal cord injury or acute severe traumatic brain injury playing the game, and help prevent future injuries through vital research.

The IPF have been a great support to Sutton Coldfield RFC’s Ben Smoldon and his family since his injury, and as a result we are very supportive of the IPF. We hope to host a Midlands Barbarians game later in the season to support IPF fundraising.

There is also a Sutton Coldfield RFC connection with Matt Gallagher and his family. Matt’s Dad (Tom) played for Warwickshire in the first ever game played at SCRFC Walmley Road ground. There are also stories of Tom and his brother, along Simon Smoldon carrying a drunk Ben in his wheelchair out of South African nightclub during the Lions Tour of 1997. Rugby people supporting each other across the world!

The match on 22nd November will feature current Sutton players, alongside past and present stars of West Midlands rugby, many of whom will have played with or against Matt Gallagher during his illustrious career.

Having started his career with Birmingham & Solihull, Matt went on to play for Nottingham and Coventry and for the Midlands division.

Since retiring from playing Matt has established his own successful house-building business but life changed dramatically for him and his family in October 2023 when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease after he fell from a ladder.

Despite this incredibly unexpected and abrupt diagnosis, one of Matt’s first thoughts was that he wanted to help others in his situation, especially after learning that there were just three specialist MND nurses serving the West Midlands, one of the largest health authorities in the UK.

So, the Matt Gallagher Foundation was born, a community designed to support those living with MND and their families.

Although it is more than 20 years since he retired from playing, Matt has retained a close involvement in rugby as an organiser of Coventry’s Former Players’ Association and as a coach at Solihull School.

Admission to the match on November 22 is just £5 but there will be plenty of other fund-raising activities going on and Papa John’s Pizzas will be dishing up pitchside.

If you can’t make it please consider a small donation via the following link:
Just Giving Link