I have a number of roles at the club but my main role for the Leeds Rugby Foundation is to manage the Leeds Rhinos Community Team. This means I am responsible for liaising with my colleagues to make sure we as a department achieve excellence in everything we do, whether this is introducing Rugby League to Primary School children or organizing a huge event like Run with the Rhinos.
I have a superb job that is so rewarding. I work with a fantastic group of people who are passionate about their job and will go over and beyond what is expected of them to benefit the Leeds Rugby Foundation, the club and more importantly the community too.
Monday
Early start for me at the Leeds Rugby Academy Training Ground at Kirkstall because it was essential I caught up with things in the office. I and the rest of the Leeds Rhinos Community team had spent the majority of last week in Whitehaven introducing and developing rugby league. We attended primary schools and local amateur clubs.
It is a super trip up to Cumbria and the community up there makes us feel so welcome. It was pleasing to see a healthy crowd attend the game on Sunday against our up and coming stars from our Reserve Grade Academy. The Academy boys held their own against a much more experienced Whitehaven team.
So most of the morning was a case of playing catch up on my emails! I also had meeting with Jason Davidson the Leeds Rhinos Head Conditioner. Myself and Jason meet regularly on Monday’s to go through player appearance requests. You will be amazed the amount we get! But positively we always do our upmost to commit to as many as possible to attend events. We are in a fortunate position that we have a group of players that are so appreciative of the support the public give them and this is a way of them paying back the support.
After the meeting it’s a draining job for me, creating the memos for the players and informing the players of their commitments.
Once I had finished the memos I had to shoot up to Headingley for a meeting with Charlie Pyatt and Lucy Young to discuss how the Leeds Rugby Foundation can work even closer with school in Leeds and how relationships can be improved.
By the time this meeting had finished hunger had kicked in it was dinner time!
In the afternoon it was the first training session of the week with Leeds City College Rugby Team. The first part of the training session was a conditioning session with the legend which is Micky Vann! Micky leads the conditioning sessions for the team and on Monday he had a weights session planned for the players that takes place in the Leeds Rhinos gym here at Kirkstall . They are in the 5th week of this program and you could see how the players had physically changed.
Then it was out for a skills session with me. The skills session was based on defensive structures in preparation for the local derby against Leeds Building College.
Once I had finished with my commitments with the college team I was back in the office playing catch up again on my emails! Then home to my family I had certainly missed over the last few days!
Tuesday
Early morning I had a meeting arranged with Leon Crick and Andy Wilson first thing at the training ground. This was a helpful meeting for how Leeds City Council and the Leeds Rugby Foundation can work in partnership to make our events more effective.
After this it was one meeting to the next. I had a meeting with Sam Low from Breeze Leeds about the potential of the Leeds Rugby Foundation delivering a Rugby League Leaders Award to students in Leeds. This was a productive meeting that certainly will benefit the community in the long run.
Once the meeting had finished it was back in the office arranging a program we have in place in partnership with Children Services that involves educating student with things surrounding sex.
In the afternoon the Leeds City College Rugby team was back in. The players had a blast in the gym with Micky and then back outside with me for skills. This was the last training session before our big game on Wednesday. The players worked on their individual position perspectives before coming together for the teams attacking plays. I was in a confident mood going into Wednesday’s game.
Following the training with Leeds City College I made a few adjustments to the agenda for the meeting I had planned in the morning for the Leeds Rhinos Community team.
Then it was my other role with the club coaching our Reserve Grade Academy, I assist Chris Plume. I, Chris Plume, Richard Hunswick and Barrie McD sat down to fine tune our evening training session.
The evening consisted of weights, combat and skills. The attitude and professionalism of the players is pleasing to see. There is a number of promising youngsters that we are nurturing into not just good players but good people too.
Wednesday
First thing in the morning it was our regular two week meeting for our community team. Top of the agenda was the World Club Challenge game.
It is extremely helpful for us as department to have these meeting so everyone understands their role whether that be organising events surrounding the Wold Club Challenge or supporting a festival or an assembly blast. The meetings also helps everyone to understand and offer support if needed to help fellow colleagues with their responsibilities, to make sure what we are delivering is at the high standard that is required.
After this meeting I had to jump in my Ferrari and get up to University of Leeds, next Weetwood Hall. I and Lucy Young had a positive meeting with representatives from the university surrounding students from the university potentially doing work placements with the Leeds Rugby Foundation. The work placement work will certainly benefit the students, the Foundation but also the community too.
Once the meeting had finished we was given a tour of the facilities, which was certainly impressive and it a facility we may use for camps in 2013.
In the afternoon it was back to my coaching head on! Leeds City College were playing away to Leeds Building College. We did not start the game too well and conceded an early try. A few abrupt words from me and we never looked back. We ended up winning the game convincingly 94-6! With strong performances from Joe McGechaen, Rafat Bashir and Captain, Dwaine McRae.
Once the game had finished I took my coaching head off and put my journalist head on and came back into the office and wrote a match report on the game. The reports are put on the Leeds Rugby Foundation, Leeds Rhinos and Leeds City Colleges websites.
Then it was home at reasonable time to see my family
Thursday
We have built a grand relationship with Leeds Children’s Hospital based at Leeds general infirmary over the years and after our annual visit to the hospital at Christmas we was informed Ward 48 was been refurbished suitable for teenagers.
It was ironic because our Players Lounge based at the training ground was been refurbished too. We were getting rid of a football table to make room for some more tables and chairs. We decided to donate the football table to the ward so I and Leon Crick decided to get our hands dirty!
We picked up the clubs wagon courtesy of our Head Groundsman Jason Booth, thanks Jas! And loaded the 14 ton! football table on the wagon and headed off to the hospital. We showed our poor DIY skills by struggling to put up the table! But job done!
After we had dropped off the wagon it was back in the office organising Leeds & Hunslet Schools 9’s Tournaments for all high schools in Leeds. This is organised for each year group with the tournaments been held at the Leeds Rugby Academy Training Ground.
Once I had finished that I had a few player appearances to organise and arrange a few things surrounding our camps, then it was a catch up with Chris Plume to touch base with our Academy Training that evening.
Once I had finished with Chris I was on my way to South Leeds Academy High School to coach their Year 8 rugby team. They are a special group of talented rugby players who had the amazing opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium last year after reaching the Carnegie Champion schools finals.
The training session was based on attacking structures that the players seem to be taking on board and we will see by how much with the game that is in place for next week.
Once I had finished with the South Leeds boys, it was back to the training ground were Sian Hills was hosting a touch rugby tournament for girls high schools. She had informed us she needed support at this event on Wednesday at our team meeting. I became Steve Ganson for an hour or so showing off my awful referring skills!
After the girls tournament it was back into Academy training. I and Chris Plume did some various tackle techniques the players need to improve on from their last performance against Whitehaven in the combat room. At the same time Richard Hunswick did conditioning in the gym with the over half of the group.
Once the combat and conditioning rotation was finished it was on to the Leeds Rugby Foundation Archie Gordan 3G Pitch for the players to fine tune their skills.
Friday
I was working from home. Working from home gives me so much more time to get key things done. We have a hectic office at times which can be difficult to get things done if you are been interrupted from time to time.
I put plans together for our Breeze Leeds Project and also began to put our application together for our approved provider’s registration.
Once I had finished this I organised with Damian Gibson, Junior Academy Coach for his team to do a bucket collection at the Asda in Morley to raise money for PDSA and the Leeds Rugby Foundation. Damian seemed very supportive towards this project and understood the benefit of this to his players. Events like this keep his players grounded and for them to understand the positive effect the club can have on the community .
I then caught up on a few work placement requests from our scholarship players and replied to all my thousands of emails!!!
On the evening it was up to Headingley for Leeds Rhinos first game of the season against Hull KR at home.
After the game I was handed the microjphone in the Executive Suit and interviewed Brian McDermott and got his thoughts on the evening’s game. I interviewed Carl Ablett for receiving the Gala Casino Coaches Award for the game and I also interviewed the Trio Man of the Match that went Callum Watkins for an impressive display after scoring a hat-trick.
These interviews are great for the supporters so they can hear first-hand the player’s thoughts on each game.
Saturday
An early start!!!
I made sure the Junior Academy set off to the Asda with the boy’s full enthusiasm!
Then it was into coaching our Reserve Grade Academy. This was our last weekend training session before our season starts which is next week against Wigan. This was a brutal session with the boys that will set the standard of what was expected from the players in the coming session.
That is the end of yet again another busy week!!! Over and out!