After 18 months of negotiations with the Rugby Football Union at Twickenham, Broadland RFC has been granted permission to change its name to Broadland - Great Yarmouth RFC, finally adding the full name of the town it has represented for a generation.

After 18 months of negotiations with the Rugby Football Union at Twickenham, Broadland RFC has been granted permission to change its name to Broadland - Great Yarmouth RFC, finally adding the full name of the town it has represented for a generation.

The playing of senior rugby in Yarmouth reaches its 25th anniversary this year. Broadland RFC was founded in 1983.

In the early Eighties the club initially requested to be called Great Yarmouth RUFC.

However Suffolk-based Lowestoft and Yarmouth objected to this and as a result the club was founded as Broadland RFC and began playing on the western side of the town, between the A12 and Breydon Water.

Broadland, however, were given permission to use the Yarmouth town crest as its logo, which has been proudly worn on all playing shirts for the last 25 years.

The change in name will be formally launched at the club's first league home game of the season on September 13 when they play Harwich & Dovercourt. Kick-off is at 3pm.

Summer training has now concluded and a mixed senior side from the club's three teams entered into its first fixture against Lowestoft & Yarmouth.

L&Y wanted to put their first team through their paces, with their 2nd and 3rd XVs playing each other in a warm-up fixture, also playing at Broadland - Great Yarmouth's pitch as Lowestoft & Yarmouth's home pitch in Lowestoft was still being used to play cricket.

Broadland could offer little in return to an almost full-strength L &Y team which ran away with the game.

However, Broadland had the opportunity to provide a number of players new to senior rugby an opportunity to adjust to the senior game as well as providing the opportunity for 2nd and 3rd XV players to play along as first XV players

Broadland - Great Yarmouth is running a number of events during its 25th anniversary, the first being an open invitation to all former players and members to return to the club on September 27 for a reunion barbecue.

The clubhouse will open at 2pm and an inter-club rugby match will kick off at 3pm

Numbers for training have been excellent over the summer and training continues on Wednesday night 7-9pm through until April.

The club also has fixtures lined up for 1st 2nd and 3rd teams for the season as the playing membership continues to grow.

Matches are scheduled for Saturday afternoons and anyone interested in playing rugby in Yarmouth should contact head coach Andy Hargrave on 07702 673259.

Playing membership at the club is only £15 per annum and the match fee is £5 per game

Broadland - Great Yarmouth's youth rugby begins again on Sunday, September 7 from 10am-noon at Cobholm playing fields which are just of the A12 between the Gapton Hall roundabout and Breydon Bridge

Boys and girls aged five-16 are welcome to attend and all sessions are taken by qualified coaches.

The clubhouse is also open serving bacon rolls, tea and coffee for parents and guardians.

There is no charge for children to attend youth training and there are no match fees for youth players.