The Day Job – Coffee Entrepreneur Joe Sproston

Being a Raver is not easy. Despite Championship clubs being designated as part of the professional game by the RFU, playing in the second tier of English Rugby is largely unfunded by the governing body. In the 2024/25 season the RFU’s contribution to each of the 10 Premiership clubs is £3.3m per annum (up from £2m in prior years). However, the RFU ‘s 2024/25 contribution to the second rung Championship clubs falls away alarmingly to just £133k per annum (down from £150k last year and £650k p.a. pre Covid). This annual £133k RFU contribution to Championship clubs is completely swallowed up by insurance, medical and travel costs.

Accordingly, the only way a ridiculously small club like Caldy RFC is able to play Championship rugby against full time sides is through the enthusiasm and passion of part time coaches, players, volunteer backroom staff and the support of the Wirral public who attend home games.

Ravers’ playing and coaching staff competing against full-time professional sides must fit in the day job before travelling twice a week for evening training sessions at Paton Field and devoting their weekends to match days and recovery days. The longest away trip is to Penzance for the fixture against Cornish Pirates. This 750-mile round trip with an overnight stop over has the longest travel in the top four divisions in English rugby. Caldy’s average away fixture eats up 400 miles.

The Caldy 1^st xv squad generally departs Paton Field at around 7.30 am or earlier on a Saturday morning returning at 10.30 pm on Saturday evening. Sunday is very definitely a day of rest and recovery before the players, coaches and support staff return to their day job early on a Monday morning.

For Caldy prop Joe Sproston, the day job is his coffee shop ‘Kiln Coffee’ in Buckley, North Wales. The 33-year-old 6ft 4-inch 20+ stone Welsh giant arrived at Paton Field at the start of the 2023/24 season having previously enjoyed a distinguished professional playing career with Championship clubs Ampthill and Doncaster interspersed with a few seasons as a full time professional with Beziers and Stade Dijonnais in France.

Joe at Kiln Coffee
Image – Joe Sproston

This personable and eloquent entrepreneur quickly faced up to the very significant challenge of combining a new business venture alongside the demands of Championship rugby. Living with his partner Charlotte in Oxton on the Wirral, Joe alighted on the idea of opening a coffee shop in the North Wales town of Buckley. This wasn’t a random pipe dream. Born and raised in Buckley gave Joe a constituency and his research strongly suggested that the town could support a new independent coffee shop.

Joe’s first outing for Caldy, in early Autumn 2023, a pre-season evening warm up match against North Wales side RGC was immediately followed by a dash back to Buckley to ready ‘Kiln Coffee’ for its first day opening on Saturday 1^st September 2023. Even Joe’s enthusiasm would surely have been tested by the all-night preparatory shift until 5 am before his Kiln Coffee debut. However, such is his easy and engaging manner it is doubtful that any of his new patrons would have been other than charmed and delighted by their first Kiln Coffee experience.

Only about 10 per cent of business start-ups succeed, with most failing in the first year of trading. It is not difficult to see why Joe Sproston and Kiln Coffee, which has recently celebrated its first anniversary, is one of the more successful ventures. Everyone in Buckley seems to know Joe. Whether it is the delivery driver calling in with supplies, the family out for a walk with the dog or the working at home contingent looking for a caffeine ‘pick me up,’ all the constant stream of customers leave Kiln Coffee enlivened and better placed to face the challenges of the day.

Equally adept either side of the scrum or packing down at second row, Joe is now an indispensable and integral part of the Ravers. Last season his standout game was perhaps his ‘wrecking ball’ of a performance against his former club Ampthill. His ferocity and power so overwhelmed the visitors he was the clear and obvious pick for the Rugby Paper’s Star Player accolade.

Joe Sproston in the middle of it against Sale Sharks 
Image – Barry Quatermass

From the reviews and comments from patrons on Trip Advisor and on Buckley Neighborhood forums it is also clear that Joe Sproston is consistently a Star Player at Kiln Coffee.

Joe’s superpower isn’t his giant stature or his tremendous rugby talent, it is his ability to communicate effectively and effortlessly and make everyone in his orbit feel just a little better about their day.

If you are in the Buckley area do drop in and pick up a coffee and a cake from Kiln Coffee in Church Road, Buckley. You will feel all the better for your Kiln Coffee and a few minutes of Joe.

Joe Sproston will be in action this coming Saturday for the Ravers in their first Championship home fixture at Paton Field against Cambridge with a 3 pm kick off.

Tickets for the Caldy v Cambridge match can be purchased here: 
https://caldyrugbyclub.com/buy-tickets-membership/

Please come down and support Joe and his fellow Ravers as they look to pick up their first Championship win of the season.