Wok's The Matter?

With the season now over it is perhaps a chance to look at some aspects of Wasps off the field. There is a lot of invisible work that we, the paying punters, don't see, or worse only see when it goes wrong. It is too easy to dwell on the negatives and when it does go wrong plenty is written about it on this board.

Some of us will know people behind the scenes and the efforts they go to to get things right - which thankfully is more often than not.

For many people perhaps the best known non-playing/coaching members of staff will be a bald-headed, wok-bellied guy (I'll justify the insults later!) who MCs the Q&A in the Vere Suite and the Wasps Nest before the matches. His name is Dave Larham and he is the Community Manager. The Q&A is, for many of us, an essential part of the match day experience at Wasps with three acts rolled into one; combining the Dave Larham one-man comedy show, some good-natured banter to keep the opposition fans in their place and a smattering of searching questions to management, coaches and players that at times might appear to be career-limiting or at least likely to be rewarded by some afters!

But there is more to Dave's role than the odd appearance on stage. He is also responsible for running the Wasps CoachClass providing a number of courses for u7s to u16 at clubs around Bucks and as far away as Brighton (He only goes there for the ice-cream I hear!). It is at these events that many children will receive their first professional coaching along with the chance to meet Sting and one of the players. Many of the younger children prefer to get Stings autograph rather than that of the player who can seem a little big and scary to a 7 year old. Not satisfied with coaching the players Dave and his team also get out and about and run a number of 'Coach the Coaches' sessions at various local clubs which allows a few Dads to stay one step ahead of their offspring

Returning to the match day experience for a moment the community team also organise a number of thing including the match day mascot, the tunnel of flag waving kids for the players to run out through at the start of the game. The community team also manage and train the ball boys - yes they have to know when and who to give the ball back to and go fetch when they are punted out of the stadium - all of which ensures that the game is played without long delays looking for a ball. Of course their biggest responsibility on the day is to keep Sting fed with jam sandwiches and under control

There is much more than even this short list to what the community team deliver but for most DWs it will be Dave's appearances at DW events that are most memorable. Last year Dave gave his time outside work for two DW events. The Joe Worsley Testimonial Year Curry Night was MC'd by Dave. He went round interviewing many of the players who were there asking them for stories about Joe. Dave's inimitable style dragged out a quite a few good stories from the players but you'll have to watch the video or go to the next one because what goes on tour (to the curry house) stays on tour! Finally Dave interviewed Joe himself and tried to extract some Lions stash from him. After a discussion over sizes Joe suggested that Mrs Larham might iron Dave's shirts over a wok to get the right shape.

The second event of the year was one which saw a different Dave emerge. Dave describes himself as a self-confessed Lions nut so a chance to talk to Geech just after he left Wasps about the Lions tour was not to be missed. Instead of the normal banter a simple Q&A style got Geech talking with great passion about what the Lions is and means to those luck few selected to tour. Dave' deep passion for the game emerged more than at any other time that I have seen. And it should be remembered that Dave did both of these on a voluntary basis to support the fund-raising activities and charities.

Dave and his community team provide an essential role in evangelising London Wasps and rugby in general to young people across local clubs (in the Bucks region, around Twyford Avenue and further afield) and its influence ensures that a new generation of Wasps supporters emerge from the nest. I should know - my 14 year old son, a committed Wasps fan - has been on the courses, in the tunnel, a mascot and a ball boy and I am sure that is true for many other junior fans.

So as we leave rugby for the summer a small thank you to Dave, the community team and everyone in the London Wasps back office that make the invisible things work week-in, week-out.