Ipswich School rugby has a new sponsor, Clear Idea Finance, which is a local company established by Old Ipswichian Richard Grainger.
Richard said: “I’m absolutely delighted and honoured that Ipswich School has chosen Clear Idea Finance to be a new corporate partner and sponsor of the School’s ground-breaking rugby programme.”
He added: “My family has a long-standing connection with rugby at Ipswich School, which goes back three generations and almost 75 years. My stepfather played rugby here in the 1940s and 1950s, I played rugby until 1990, and I have two young sons, one already in the Prep School, and another hopefully joining soon. And I really can’t wait to see them both on the rugby pitch representing Ipswich School in the near future.”
Jacob Ford, Head of Rugby said: “Our mission is to become the leading rugby school in the country, and we are delighted to have Richard and Clear Idea Finance on board with us on this journey. Having a sponsor who is passionate about the game will really help us to transform our ambitions. We look forward to welcoming him to the school to watch a game or two.”
This sponsorship comes on top of Ipswich School’s partnership with HUDL and has enabled a new analysis room to be opened in the Sixth Form Centre. Here pupils can meet with the sports coaching teams to review their match play and training performance in order to improve their techniques on the pitch.
Richard described how rugby has changed since his time at Ipswich in the 1990s. “I have to be honest, rugby during my time at Ipswich School looked nothing like this. We had a few tackle bags, maybe a plate of oranges at half-time, and that was about it. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it – but it could hardly be described as high-tech or cutting edge. Today’s rugby experience at Ipswich School is completely unrecognisable from those days: it is high-tech, it is cutting-edge, it is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with school rugby, and I think that’s incredibly exciting!”
He is a life-long rugby fan, having started playing mini-rugby at the age of six in Colchester, and playing pretty much solidly through school and university. He continued playing – including a spell in Hong Kong when he was living there – until his late 30s when “one of my knees gave up on me.”
Richard explained: “Rugby has given me some of the best memories of my life. From being at the World Cup Final in Sydney in 2003, to the Lions tour of Hong Kong and Australia in 2013, to touring myself and playing rugby in America, in Hong Kong, Thailand, Holland, Italy, Ireland. And of course at Notcutts when I was at here at Ipswich School.
“I never excelled as a rugby player, but my rugby memory bank is filled with truly wonderful experiences that have given me lifelong friends, godparents to my children, and business connections.
“Rugby is such a wonderful sport, providing huge benefits for physical and mental health. There’s nothing like it to build friendships, team spirit, camaraderie, and strength of character. The benefits it can bring to everyone who plays rugby or follows rugby are, I believe, second to none.”
Clear Idea is a commercial finance advisory and brokerage business. Contact Richard at richard@clearideafinance.com or on 01473 598132. www.clearideafinance.com
