Why Trinity Rugby Football Club Is Part of Our Journey: Tribe’s Founders Share Their Story
At Tribe, we believe in the power of community and the importance of giving back. Our co-founders, Patrick Smith and Nicholas Stretton, were recently featured in Rugby Club Magazine, where they shared how their backgrounds with Trinity RFC and why Tribe sponsor the Club.
Their stories are a reminder of the values behind Tribe, teamwork, resilience, and supporting those around us. These are the same principles that underpin our work and the partnerships we’re proud to support.
If you’d like to know more about the charities and communities we’re involved with, head over to our Charity and Community page
Patrick Smith, Former Player, Supporter, and Principal Shirt Sponsor: Tribe
I attended Trinity School from the age of 11, and my father, Peter, taught English there, so my connection with the school goes back a long way. My secondary school years were spent in Croydon, where I played rugby, cricket, and hockey. I continued playing rugby and cricket at the Club (then called Old Mid Whitgiftians) after leaving school and stepped straight into playing senior rugby.
Back then, like a few recent school leavers, I started in the third team. I was as a utility player for the lower teams, playing in the backs, back row, and, improbably as it seems now, even in the front row on occasion! In return, I was nurtured by the senior players; never needing a lift and seldom buying a drink!
Although cricket had really been my main sport (I represented England at schoolboy level) my passion was rugby and never wanted to give it up. There was a point where I questioned my focus, turning up without knowing where I would play, so I decided to choose a position. I decided that scrum-half, would be immersive, despite rarely having played there. I started training, and, over time, I became 2nd XV scrum-half, gained my club colours and captained the team. I progressed to the 1st XV and London Division 1 and was elected vice-captain.
Oddly, I never used to work hard at cricket since it came fairly naturally to me, but as I progressed through the rugby club, I had to work really hard to fulfil my potential and this resulted in great personal satisfaction. Nowadays, rugby is the sport that I dream about and despite having achieved higher levels in other sports, my personal pride has always come from my rugby efforts.
My oldest mates, many of whom I’m still close too, come through Trinity school and the rugby club, and we work to maintain those friendships today. One of the things I love about Trinity RFC right now is the effort being made to build bridges with the school and nurture talent. In the late '70s, when I first joined the club and didn’t drive—well before mobile phones—I was tremendously looked after. It could not have been made easier for me to thoroughly enjoy myself and I see this same ethos now. The Rugby is one thing, but the community and brotherhood is what is unique.
Because of all of this, and particularly as you get older, I like many, start looking for ways to repay that debt and, at the very least, help the club and its members understand and benefit from our culture, ethos, and journeys.
I have never sponsored Trinity because of their league position; I support Trinity because I want to support grassroots rugby in a meaningful way. This has to be ethically aligned with my values, beliefs, and passions and those that we have taken forward in our business, Tribe Advisory.
Membership in a club is not necessarily a remedy for the challenges young men face in life, but it helps. I see that with Trinity RFC there is a whole parallel around well-being and mental health, especially where society today is increasingly open about mental wellness and vulnerability. Vulnerability doesn’t necessarily disappear just by being a member of a rugby club, but it’s helpful individually and collectively in a community that recognises its role to play. Trinity RFC ensures that the mental health of our players is as important as the physio’s table and regular training sessions and will, I believe as a consequence, create lifelong bonds with and between the players, throughout and beyond their playing days. I believe this is what a modern club should be all about. This is how close-knit communities are forged and thrive.
One of the things I hope my involvement demonstrates is the journey does not end when you stop playing and that does not need to be the end of your relationship with the club. It may show that when the playing days are over, you’re still not even halfway through—you never have to drop out; you still have a place and a home here. In my view, clubs struggle when any pieces of the puzzle are missing. All I can do is play my part in the hope that others will be encouraged to participate.
As a sponsor of the club for a few years, I have witnessed a really positive evolution, and I am very proud to have been involved in some of the stages that have led us to where we are now. I am really keen for my company, Tribe, to continue being involved. What Tribe stands for as a business completely mirrors the ethos of Trinity RFC. If it didn’t have this alignment, I don’t think I would be interested since it would make no sense.
Living in Central London and having lost my wife, Vicki, not long ago, I’ve only been to the club twice this season, mostly for former players' lunches. I met Vicki at the club, since she was the cousin of one of my schoolmates, who played 1stXV at the Club. When she passed in 2021, many of the guys at the club were incredibly supportive—a real demonstration of the rugby community. I felt, and continue to feel, a sort of “rugby hug” from Trinity, which I truly value and realise is unique to our history
On the playing side, the trajectory at the club is fantastic, very much grounded in how they handle adversity and pressure. Winning games in the last 10 minutes—that’s strong! And if you can deal with defeats and come back fighting, there’s another success and winning character. You’re never going to win every game you play, but if you have a united team with a strong mentality and don’t capitulate, you learn and move on. I see this resilience at Trinity right now, regardless of results. The results, if you like, are just an outcome. It’s important to remember that rugby is meant to be fun and not over-engineered. The real enjoyment, when I look back, was hanging out with the guys before and after games, having a few beers afterward, and recovering for work on a Sunday—that’s what amateur sport should be all about.
For me, what makes Trinity Rugby Football Club such a great club to be part of is the camaraderie, wrapped in a relatively humble culture with no hierarchy, and a core belief that says, “If you work hard and stick together, you will succeed.” Regardless of whether it’s our 1st XV, 2nd XV, the Colts, Minis or the School achieving victory, the joy throughout our Club is equal.
Nicholas Stretton, Supporter & Principal Shirt Sponsor: Tribe
Nick is the Co-founder and Executive Director at Tribe he recently told Rugby Club Magazine:
My eldest son, now 36, attended Trinity School from the age of 11 to 18 and represented the school in athletics and rugby. I spent many Saturdays on the touchline watching James in all weathers! James went on to gain a 1st Class Honours Degree in History from Leeds University. He, and the family, have much to thank Trinity for and whilst James did not go on to play at TRFC, I feel the sponsorship Tribe gives goes some way to acknowledge the family ‘thank you’ for helping shape the man James is today.