SP Energy Networks Community Spotlight | Ali Anderson

For Ali Anderson, getting stuck into life at Hamilton Rugby Club was never in question.

“My husband and I first took our son down to Hamilton when he was five – for context he’ll be 18 soon! – and we quickly got involved with the club,” she explained.

“You can’t help but get absorbed with wanting to make everything better at a club like Hamilton, it’s a real community within a community.”

Now the club’s Youth Convener, it’s clear that Anderson’s impact has been keenly felt across the club, with a thriving youth section and the community feeling stronger than ever.

Indeed, perhaps the only person surprised to learn that she had been chosen as the SP Energy Networks Community Spotlight winner for October was Anderson herself.

“Honestly I can’t believe that!” she laughed.

“I am very lucky that I’ve been selected to be part of such a brilliant team at Hamilton.

“Youth Convener is part of our constitution at the club, which means that you need to be voted in. That’s a huge honour for me, because it means people trust you with their kids and trust you with things that’ll help to shape their experience at Hamilton.

“These kids will never forget playing rugby and being part of this club, and whatever we can do to help make that experience as memorable as possible.

“For example, one of my best memories is when my boy got the chance to play at half-time in the PRO14 Final at Celtic Park, and hearing everyone in the stand that day cheering for them and the other teams involved just as much as they were cheering for the Warriors and Leinster – that’s phenomenal. That’s the sort of memory that every boy and every girl playing rugby deserves to have.”

It’s that drive and enthusiasm for ensuring each child has the best possible experience at Hamilton that saw Michael Gillen nominate Anderson for the award, as he explains.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint just one story or one reason that captures everything Ali does for the club, because her impact is constant, wide-reaching, and deeply embedded in the day-to-day running of Hamilton,” he said.

“Over the years, she has worn countless hats—rugby mum, team manager, first aider, midi coordinator, and now Youth Convener—always stepping in wherever the club needs her most.

“She goes above and beyond to create opportunities for local residents to engage with the club, including playing a key role in safely delivering our annual fireworks event.

“Thanks to her efforts, this event has become a highlight in the community calendar, offering families a chance to experience the club environment in a fun and inclusive way. Ali is dedicated to ensuring that all club events are family-friendly and appeal not only to rugby players and their families, but also to those who may not yet have a connection to the sport.

“Her work has significantly strengthened our ties with the local community and helped create a more open, welcoming atmosphere at the club.”

It’s not just through one event that Anderson has embedded the club at the heart of the community, however.

“Hamilton isn’t a wealthy area – there are pockets of wealth, but we’re what used to be known as a social inclusion area,” explained Anderson.

“It’s all about what we can give the young people – rugby can offer so much to young people that don’t necessarily have much to aspire to.

“It’s not always about finding the next Jonny Gray or Finn Russell, it’s about giving kids a good grounding, setting boundaries and helping them grow and develop as people as well as rugby players.

“Seeing these kids develop the soft skills as well as the rugby skills is brilliant – they learn things like teamwork, resilience and so on, but also about their own physical and mental well-being.

“We’ve got such a good group of people that care about our local community too, and that feeds into everything we do at the club. We want to give everyone – players, coaches, volunteers – the best opportunities that we can.”

With the next generation of prospective rugby players coming through the club day by day, it’s clear that Anderson’s role as Youth Convener has a key part to play in shaping not just their rugby development, but their personal development.

That’s the emphasis that Anderson places at the heart of her role, as she continues to champion her sport – and her club.

“The youth section at Hamilton is the best in the country and I’ll not hear anyone say otherwise!” she laughed.

“It’s really important for everyone involved that every young person that comes through our gates, whether they’re five or 15, is given the opportunity to develop and realise their own personal potential.

“If that means they go on to play for the Warriors, brilliant. If that just means they come down on a Saturday and help us lay out the post protectors, that’s just as great as far as we’re concerned.”