Rugby Club Issue 71 | Page 14

Huddersfield FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG Fitness XCL Management operates in specific sectors With a wealth of experience in the recruitment market and the knowledge of our dedicated consultants we are confident in providing you with the best solution both as a client company and an individual candidate. Congratulations on a great season, a great achievement, long may it continue! Phone (Huddersfield): 01484 819900 www.xclgr.com | [email protected] Huddersfield Rugby Union Football Club Ltd Lockwood Park, Brewery Drive, Huddersfield, HD4 6EN “In those games that we lost by a handful of points last season it was usually due to leaking a score in the last few minutes of each half of the game or from conceding penalties as players made errors when they were knackered! The coaches made a clear decision to make fitness a big focus of pre-season training. The club enlisted the help of Matt Green the ex-Huddersfield Giants Strength and conditioning coach who has done a fantastic job with the players. The players valued Matt’s contribution so much they helped fund his periodical return through the season. This financial contribution from the players reflects very much on the culture that Gaz has endeavoured to get the players to buy in to. This team culture involves monthly team meals out after training and regular socials after a match with the squad staying together long after the game has finished.” Youth “Youth rugby is very important for us as a club. Three of the Yorkshire U20’s mentioned earlier came through the clubs ranks and it is not unusual for 50% of the First team match day squad to be home grown players. But equally important is that we also have two other senior sides to try and run and fulfil fixtures every week. We need players of all abilities to play at the club whether that is in the Firsts, Falcons or the ‘A’ team. A vibrant and committed age grade section is key to making that happen. At the moment we are running sides in every age group from U6’s to U18’s with over 50 qualified junior coaches so we are well on the way!” Integration We are a leading firm of Chartered Accountants based in Huddersfield, offering a full range of traditional accountancy and tax services, as well as innovative business advice and tax planning. We believe in building one-to-one relationships with our clients, who know we’re just on the end of the phone, whenever they need us. Why choose Sheards? Practical advice from a local, friendly firm of accountants Fixed fees at competitive rates and monthly payment plans FREE cloud based accounting software 100% satisfaction guarantee Access to our in-house wealth management experts Free initial consultation … plus, we’ll make sure you don’t pay more tax than you have to! Tel: 01484 541 155 W: www.sheards.co.uk | E: [email protected] Vernon House, 40 New North Road, Huddersfield, HD1 5LS 14 Issue 71 “Young players like to play rugby with their mates so the step in to Senior rugby can be a step in to the dark and the unknown. We are fortunate that our Academy Manager and assistant coach is also our Second team manager; this has a number of positives. Firstly, the players have someone they know from a Sunday with them on a Saturday; Secondly, we always try to make sure we give Academy players their first senior experience accompanied with a team mate. We rarely move a player up on their own. We also have some of the Academy players train up with the Seniors on a Tuesday. Often this can happen for a few weeks before the players experience a senior game on a Saturday. Player development and safety is always central to our approach making sure players are not picked too soon or too often. This philosophy helps try and ensure that the transition to Senior rugby is a smooth, successful and enjoyable experience.” Community “I would like to think we are a community club, but having said that it is not an easy label to achieve year on year. At one end you have the minority, a senior squad who are paid to play rugby on a semi-professional basis. At the other end you have a much greater number of club members ranging from senior players, junior players and their parents and then an army of volunteers who work hard to make sure the club is run in a professional manner. I spoke earlier in the season about having a ‘one badge one club’ mentality and I hope this is something we continue to work towards. Mark Birch, the full club Chairman along with Tracy Davis our Age Grade Chair did a lot of work two