When Emma Jones saw an advert saying that Cheltenham North were about to launch a youth section she thought that would be ideal for her son Olly, so she made a note in her diary of the enrolment date.

Unfortunately, no one else did because come enrolment day Emma and Olly – plus three officials from the North – were the only people to turn up at Stoke Road.

That was at the end of the 2012/13 season, but from very uncertain beginnings the North’s junior set-up is now flourishing to the extent that they run teams from under-6s all the way through to under-16s.

Much of that is down to Emma, who took it upon herself to help the club make their dream a reality.

“Olly was the only person to turn up to their induction day,” laughed Emma. “The club president Bill Summers was there, the chairman Paul Balmer was there and Daniel Hodge, a senior player who was going to coach the juniors, was there but no one else.

“They gave Olly a membership number – 0001 – and Bill Summers made him match ball boy for every home game in 2013/14 which kept him involved, but he was desperate to play rugby.”

And Emma was determined that Olly, who was 10 when he signed on, would play rugby at the North even if it meant she would have to enter a sporting world she knew nothing about.

“I’d always been a football girl,” said 37-year-old Emma. “My dad used to take me to watch Cheltenham Town play and I knew very little about rugby. These days I hate football. I never watch it, all that rolling around when they get a little knock! I wish I’d got involved in rugby much sooner.”

Even though she knew next to nothing about the sport Emma, a teacher at Tewkesbury School, set about organising an under-12 team at the North.

“I contacted Chris Bayliss, who is the PE teacher at Cleeve School,” said Emma. “He said he’d help me and the kids playing rugby at that age group at his school came down to the North. That’s how we got it started.”

The following year those under-12s became under-13s, of course, and stayed with club in the new age group while Emma established a ‘new’ under-12 team.

While it was great for the youngsters, the club and Emma, it wasn’t quite so good for Olly because he was still too young to play for the under-12s.

“He got promoted to water boy,” laughed Emma. “He didn’t start his rugby career until the 2015/16 season but he’s loving it now he’s playing.

“He’s in the under-14s and he’s definitely a prop, he’s found his position.

“Cheltenham North are his club and he’s Cheltenham North through and through.”

Once she’d got Olly sorted, Emma, who was born in Woodmancote and lives in Bishop’s Cleeve, decided to widen the North net.

“I thought it would be a great idea if we opened our doors to a mini section,” she said. “That was around the start of last season and I thought we’d get maybe 30 maximum turning up.

“Well, it went so well that you can now stick a one in front of the 30. The clubhouse has become a family orientated club.

“The kids love it; the parents love it and I love it too. I see the kids in the street and they say, ‘There’s Emma’. I feel like a superstar!”

Emma, who must be one of the best ‘signings’ ever made by the North, is not finished yet either.

“I’m going to set up a girls’ rugby team,” she said, “and if we’re going to have a girls’ team we might as well set up a women’s team as well. That’s the aim for next season.”

So, will Emma be scrumming down with the new ladies’ team?

“I don’t think so,” she laughed, “I’m too old. I’d love to play, I just wish I was a bit younger.”

When told that The Local Answer had done a story on a player from Dursley – Nicola Davies – who didn’t take up the game until the age of 36, Emma started to get very interested.

“If I could get myself fit,” she said. “I’ll tell you what, if somebody said they’d play if I play… that’s my incentive.”

It sounds like Emma will be buying some new boots, a gumshield and a scrumcap pretty soon because when asked what position she’d like to play she didn’t hesitate in answering.

“I’d like to be in the front row,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to be in the backs because I can’t run. I’m told the forwards do all the hard work and the backs get all the glory but I’m very competitive and you don’t get enough ball in the backs. You can get stuck in in the forwards.”

If Emma does take up rugby, the bigwigs at the North will be hoping that it doesn’t interfere with her ‘day job’ of running the juniors.

Not that they have too much cause to worry because she fits her work running the juniors around her Saturday afternoon commitments when she is the physio for the 1st XV.

It all keeps her very busy of course and with everything that she does for the club, you’d think that come the end of the season Emma would heave a big sigh of relief and put her feet up over the summer.

Not a bit of it. She’s a top baton twirler – she’s been baton twirling for Britain all over the world – and once the sun comes out in May she coaches youngsters in the art of baton twirling.

“It’s great,” she laughed. “The rugby season ends in April and the baton twirling starts in May and finishes in August just in time for the start of the rugby season.”

It’s not often – if ever – that the words ‘baton twirling’ and ‘Malcolm Kedward’ have been used in the same sentence but the long-time North stalwart has watched on in amazement at how the North’s youth set-up has grown over the past three or four years.

“Emma’s a real unsung hero,” he said. “When she first came to the club she had to kick the junior section into shape. She’s a really good organiser. She and Adge Wakefield are the backbone of the youth set-up. If Emma does anything she does it properly.”

High praise indeed from someone who has been involved in rugby for so long.

Young Olly is Cheltenham North through and through… so is his mum!