Tag Archives: rexclub

Sampling and Sourcing

Sampling and sourcing is a constant, it is always on going, present, developing and changing. However, in the very early days it posed the ultimate hurdle, and that is not to say we don’t still get things wrong, it just seemed in the earlies we never got things right. Frankly, without the correct product, well to put bluntly, you are snookered. (Side note, someone told me the other day more money is gambled on frames of snooker than most other sports, how crazy).
What do you think of the photo attached? If you think the embroidery looks dodgy, you should have tried it on. The amount of money I parted with on woeful samples was truly astonishing, and it is harrowing to this day. I spent hours trawling through Alibaba (which by the way is worth billions, and I personally think is useless), and then days going to and fro with my Asian counterpart, only to then wait weeks on some awful samples. Years go by, sourcing and suppliers change, but there is always teething. Patrice Evra always states ‘I love this game’, I am not sure how he’d feel about sampling and sourcing.

A Place to Start

With Hamish playing his rugby in Edinburgh he was tasked in sounding out the market. With his playing time split between Edinburgh Accies and Edinburgh, he employed the double pronged assault, Hamish delivered Accies swiftly followed Edinburgh (I believe Edinburgh Academicals were our first ever cap order) . Interestingly enough, a year later a light ban was placed on the Edinburgh players wearing Rex Club headwear around Murrayfield – something about us stepping on the toes of Macron, if you can believe that. Nowadays, in a normal sporting calendar year, plenty of Rex Club caps and bobbles hats adorn the heads of spectators milling around Murrayfield, a sight to behold.

A First.

What you see here is the first cap to have any association with the word ‘REX’. At this stage there was no business plan in place, no ‘Club’ had been added, and no thought had go towards building a brand. All there was, was a love of sport and an obsession with caps. The very first ‘Rex’ cap was made on a very first trip to New York.

A Photographic Archive

I have over 42,000 images on my iPhone and a good deal of these are of something to do with Rex Club. Some photos are of what has inspired me, others of early designs, essentially the infancy of the brand documented in picture up until the present day. We have an archive of every hat ever made, but this is my personal photographic album. I look forward to sharing images with you, that tell the story of Rex Club to present day. #Biznai

Claire Cruikshank

Claire Cruikshank Rexclub

Thoughts on how the women’s game has developed, and what she believes still needs to be done.

Claire Cruikshank

Photography Oscar J Ryan

The growth of women’s sports in recent years has been dramatic. More money and resources are being injected into professional games, and this change is visibly echoed in the grassroots level. Grassroots sports clubs have seen higher investments in recent years, not only monetarily but also in the form of increased time and interest, leading to higher participation rates.

Local changes start by following public examples. Huge professional sports clubs like Manchester City and Barcelona have helped to drive Women’s Football forward. Large corporations like HSBC have helped to popularise Women’s Rugby on the International Sevens circuit. Most notably, the governing body ‘World Rugby’ dropped gender naming of tournaments, the first federation to do so. Of course, the likes of Wimbledon leads the way and is the clear outlier, having both men and women athletes on equal pay.

Your playing career came to an end prematurely following an injury. Did that encourage you to start coaching?

My injury was unfortunate, as I had always envisaged myself playing for Scotland again. While I was injured, my focus changed. I started to help out with the U15 & U18 girls teams at my local club, and I found I was getting the same enjoyment and satisfaction from coaching as I previously did from playing. With the benefit of hindsight, my injury was the best thing that happened to me. I wouldn’t be where I am personally and professionally without it. I am lucky to call coaching my job.

You started in club rugby, are you still involved in grassroots rugby?

I’m not in a club, but within Edinburgh University we develop players from beginners. This could definitely be classed as grassroots, as many players have never played rugby until university.

How is your time split in a typical week?

A typical week for me starts at 6am on a Monday morning with the Performance group in a S&C session. It concludes at 11am on Saturday after a pitch session. Between then, there are two other early mornings and 2 evenings, days filled with player reviews, video analysis, analysis of our GPS data, session planning, and travelling to fixtures on a Wednesday – we can end up going to the very south of England, to Exeter!

Having been involved in women’s rugby since the early 2000s you must have witnessed a lot of change first hand?

As a particular case study, what have been the biggest changes that you’ve seen during your time at Edinburgh University?

The sport has changed so much. When I started playing internationally, Women’s Rugby was a separate body called the Scottish Women’s Rugby Union, and it wasn’t affiliated with Scottish Rugby. Bringing the two bodies together allowed for more support for the women’s game. I remember our first training programmes,

they weren’t like they are now! We essentially had to make them up ourselves in our own time, with no real guidance. I was really fortunate to go to Northumbria University and get support through their Elite Athlete Scheme, which gave me S&C programming and medical support, but not everyone is lucky enough to do that. Rugby for girls wasn’t a thing when I was growing up in the Borders; we played hockey, it’s just what you did. The boys always played rugby, though. It was at University I was first able to play rugby. I had always chucked a ball about for fun, but I’d never had the opportunity to actually play. Now it’s in schools and girls can play from such a young age, it’s great.

Edinburgh University had a new coach due to start in September 2011. When they pulled out in August, the committee asked if I’d help them out. They knew I was working for the University in Sport Development at the time..I remember it clearly, I said: ‘I’ll help you out for the first semester until you can find someone else’. Well, I’m still here eight seasons later and it’s now my full-time job! When I started, the support offered to the players at Edinburgh wasn’t what it is now. The nights they trained, the gym support offered, and the number of coaches was significantly different. It was only really me coaching, and we sessions with brand new players training alongside players who had national aspirations. No one can develop in that environment. We were struggling to get ten people to training and couldn’t field a 1st XV on occasions. Then, we got relegated and had a season in BUCS Scottish 1A in 2013-14. This was the turning point: we won 1A and the BUCS trophy, but the players wanted to push on. They realised that if they wanted to play at the next level, they needed to make some changes. We reviewed the training days, the number of coaches we had, the differentiation in sessions, the days and times of the training sessions, and the overall support and commitment that we put

into the team. That 2013-14 season was a catalyst for change that led to being crowned British Champions in 2017, and created the programme that we use now. The players at our Performance level now train for about fifteen hours a week, plus a match. I now have a raft of amazing coaches, which allows us to ensure players have the correct session for their ability. Now you can join as a brand new player and train two hours a week, or play for your country and train for over fifteen hours and travel across the UK for fixtures. Our 1st XV are currently one of the best teams in the UK, sitting top of the BUCS National League. We have a 2nd XV in Scottish 1A and provide development games for our ‘futures’ or 3rd XV. So as a club we have gone from struggling to get a 1st XV to now having a 3rd XV, where everyone has their place within the club.

On one hand you are trying to create a high performance environment, on the other you are trying to grow player numbers by making the sport approachable.

How do you reconcile these two aims?


I think the programme at Edinburgh University proves that both are possible side by side. It’s about giving people the appropriate opportunities. Some players want to play for their country, while others want to be part of the social side of things. Both are great and aren’t mutually exclusive. The key is getting programmes that can support both without trying to cross pollinate. People’s motivations are different and you need to create an environment to suit all of them. It’s not easy and it takes lots of planning, but for me it’s about passion and enthusiasm. I want all coaches within the club to be enthused and pass this onto the players. If we can just pass that enthusiasm on, then we will hopefully cover all bases and have a happy group. We also try and make sure our international players work with our new players: although they are the same age demographic, they are still role models to new players. We run a programme where all of our

Claire Cruikshank Rexclub

Through coaching, I’ve been able to travel the world, made some of the most fantastic friends, met the most amazing people, and experience the immeasurable joy that developing players brings to me.

Performance Rugby Players have to co-coach new players, alongside myself or one of the other coaches. This allows them to pass on their knowledge, but also allows us to ensure all players within the club know each other. That’s great for creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed. It’s really important that those getting great support from the University give something back to their club and peers.

You were previously Head Coach at Red Kites. How has this shaped your understanding of coaching?

Coming in as the Head Coach of Red Kites a few years ago was great. The opportunities it provided for me as a coach have been invaluable. For me, it’s always been about giving a platform to some of the best young players in Scotland so they can play 7s at a high level. What I quickly found was that by extending the player pool to those in the rest of the UK, we could enhance the player experience. By adding in some players who have played to a very high level – for example on the World Series in 7s, Tyrrell’s Premiership or different environments across the world – you can give these players an experience they would never normally get. As a coach, having these other players’ involved challenges me too. I have a short time to get to know them and pass on information, but it doesn’t change my fundamental philosophy of creating an environment that is fun. We all work hard for each other and learn and develop at every opportunity.

In 2006, you represented Scotland at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Edmonton. That tournament has recently been renamed. Having played professionally yourself, what do you think of the name change?

I think it’s a great move, rugby is a

sport that likes to be ground-breaking and to be the first major sports federation to remove gender from a competition title is just that. As a former player, and now as a coach, I know the time and effort that goes into playing internationally for your country. To have this equality is what players deserve. Unfortunately for a large number of females, they still aren’t treated as professionals in terms of payment, and this makes the balance playing sports for a living really hard.

We’re currently undergoing great change, but what more needs to be done to keep momentum going?

The sport is changing and evolving and this is really exciting. Numbers across the world are growing, playing opportunities are increasing, support for girls’ and women’s rugby is increasing from federations. All of these things need to continue in order to develop the sport. There is a real opportunity here, and if nations continue to drive each other then sports will all benefit, globally.

Since you transitioned from player to coach, how has your philosophies about training and tactics evolved? How do you manage the team day-to- day and help them to balance rugby, work, and social distractions?

I think my view has completely changed. Even when I started coaching, I was probably copying what I saw other coaches did. Now I think I have learnt to do things my way, based on what suits me and my players. I have become really interested in coaching pedagogy and the learning styles of individuals, and love finding out how I can maximise the potential of each individual in my group as a coach. Tactically, I would say I am much more aware of this as a coach than I was as a

player. My understanding is totally different.

To help the team day-to-day, we try and keep things are structured as possible. This means that they can plan their time. If our routine changes all the time, this makes it hard for them to plan and make time. As the majority of academics takes place during the ‘working day’, we try to avoid this time. That’s why a lot of our training takes place in the morning before 9am. By 8.30am, we can have finished a S&C and a skills session, and this then leaves the rest of the day for them to focus on their studies and frees up their evenings to spend time relaxing, studying, or being with friends or family.

It’s all about balance and ensuring you know your athletes so you can pick up on things when they seem stressed or off their game. If you can develop a coach-athlete relationship where mutual trust and respect exists, you are more likely to get mutual appreciation. Each knows what to expect from the other: they understand how the other communicates, the environment they work best in, and how to maximize their strengths in the context of their sport. This is key to my coaching and something I hope we have developed here at Edinburgh.

Finally, what advice would you give to the 21 year old version of yourself?

View every change in your path as an opportunity. Everything happens for a reason and I think my injury is a great example. Without it, I would probably never have developed my passion for coaching. Through coaching, I’ve been able to travel the world, made some of the most fantastic friends, met the most amazing people, and experience the immeasurable joy that developing players brings to me.

Edited by Naomi Prakash

Tim Rouse

Tim Rouse Rexclub

In conversation with a young ex-professional cricketer who has his sights on pursuing a new career.

Tim Rouse

 

written by Oscar J Ryan

Tim has been a close personal friend of mine since the age of 4, when we formed a strong bond in the nursery sandpit.We grew up together (Tim probably more so than me), with both of us receiving scholarships and participat- ing in sport together until the age of 18.Quickly,Tim’s talent and drive for elite sport outgrew mine, which was clearly shown by his inclusion in our school’s 1stTeam Cricket at the ridiculous- ly young age of 12, where he padded up to face bowlers aged 17 and 18. From there, he excelled through the ranks, broke school records, was selected for academies, and received a professional contract with Somerset CCC at the age of 18.

Tim’s work ethic always stood out to me. He thrived academically during school, putting my grades to shame – much to the envy of my parents. It was clear that Tim always knew he was a talented sportsman, but he was always aware that professional sport never lasts forever and so a safety net is a necessity. He was accepted to study Philosophy at Cardiff University, and took on the challenge of studying for a degree while also playing professional cricket for Somerset CCC. Upon graduating with a 2:1, he was offered a full-time contract with Somerset and continued playing for another two years.

He has since decided to call time on his cricket career and instead pursue a career in law. I caught up with my old sandpit buddy to discuss the possibility of a law conversion on the horizon, and to pitch the age-old question:

“where do you see yourself in the ten years?”

Tim Rouse Rexclub

Remind me, Tim, why cricket?

“I was just drawn to it really. I first played at the age of 9. I have always loved sport, and I found I had a nat- ural talent for cricket so I just ran with it – playing for Marshfield Crick- et Club, then Bath Cricket Club, and onto the Somerset age-group sys- tem. I was incredibly fortunate to have supportive parents. They nev- er put pressure on me to play but were always there to support me and ferry me around when I need- ed, so I have a lot to thank them for.”

And then you ended up playing for Somerset!

“Yeah! At 15, I joined Somerset Acad- emy and started playing for Somerset 2nd XI. I had some success for the second team but most of my success came in age-group cricket. I made it clear to Somerset that I was going to university, so they gave me a 3-year deal that only paid between April and September – a development contract as they called it. It allowed me to be in Cardiff and play for them, whilst fo- cusing on my studies, then come back in the summer to play for Somerset, which was ideal for me.After universi- ty,I was offered a full-time professional contract, which was a proud moment for me, and I really looked forward to finally focusing only on cricket.”

The summer contract must have been really crucial in allowing you to focus at university during term- time.

“For sure,sport was always on my mind though. In reflection, the main decision that my sporting life influenced was the subject that I chose at university.

If I didn’t play cricket I think I would have studied law or business, how- ever, I thought balancing those with my sporting commitments when I knew very little about them would have been too demanding, so I chose a subject that I knew I found inter- esting, which oddly was Philosophy.”

We both chose to go to university. What was the draw for you?

“I always enjoyed school and I nev- er really considered the option of not going to university. Growing up I understood how tough professional sport would be, and wanted to give myself options for future careers if I had to move on from playing profes- sionally – which came sooner than I’d hoped! I also don’t think I was quite ready to go straight into professional cricket at the age of 18, so it gave me some extra time to mature and gain some valuable life experiences be- fore having a full-time job in cricket.”

So you knew you would always go to university; did you always know it would be Cardiff?

“No, but it wasn’t a difficult decision to be honest. I chose Cardiff because it was one of the six MCC Univer- sity set-ups, which provide quality coaching and support for people who want to pursue a career in cricket whilst getting a university degree. A huge amount of funding is provided by the MCC to accommodate this, and I doubt I would have been able to achieve both if it hadn’t been for that. We played matches against the other five universities in the program, and also first-class counties such as Glamorgan, Sussex and Essex.”

You graduated with a 2:1 in the end – but what moved you away from cricket and towards continuing your education?

“Really the decision wasn’t entirely my choice. I was told that my con- tract would not be renewed about halfway through the 2019 season. I was inevitably gutted, and I had (na- ively) never really considered life away from Somerset. I never real- ly had a plan for leaving the game – planning it fully would seem to be conceding that I was leaving, which isn’t something I was prepared to do until it was really happening. I had al- ways given myself options by going to university, but they had never really been relevant to me until this point, as I had always truly been focused on pursuing my cricket ambitions.”

Did it take a while to adjust to the idea of stopping cricket, then?

“Yeah, there was an adjustment pe- riod, definitely. For the remainder of the season, I tried to find a way to move clubs, mainly through trialling in other 2nd XIs. Unfortunately, I didn’t perform and nothing came of it. Ulti- mately, I lost confidence in my ability to play well enough at that level, so I had to move on. Past a certain lev- el, I have always believed that cricket (and sport in general) is more of a mind-game than anything. Since university, I had very little success and it got to the point where I thought I had more potential in another career. I realised that now is a great time to capitalise on my experiences in sport and throw myself into a different career, so eventually I began to consider which new path to go down.”

I know that period was tough. Did the move away from playing affect you mentally?

“Oh, the first month was incredibly tough – I felt like I had lost
my identity to some extent. I was always known as ‘Tim the Cricket- er’ growing up, so I had convinced myself that this is what I really was. Whilst I was excited about the next chapter, it was an incredibly daunt- ing experience. I wouldn’t describe professional sport as a part of the ‘real world’, you tend to live in a bubble of thinking that it’s the only thing that matters to anyone, which simply isn’t true! So I had a lot of changes to make. I felt I had to get
a job to give myself some structure whilst I make the decision on where to go next, so I currently work at the local pub. I have found shift work useful because it gives me the time during the day to get some other stuff done, exciting stuff like studying and applications!”

How are the applications going?

“Alright, I think! I have now made a final decision on my career path, which will hopefully be a move into a career in law. I will be doing the law conversion starting September 2020 and I am currently applying for legal jobs for after my next studies.”

Great! I’m glad things are working out. So when you were dealing with the huge decisions surround- ing your next step, did you find that you were well supported by your previous industry?

“Fortunately, yes. Most sports have an independent organisation that

looks after the interests of the players and offers them support wherever and whenever they need it. In professional cricket, we have the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).The PCA has been fantastic for me.They offer support through- out our playing careers, with psycho- logical support, careers support and funding for things from educational courses to driving lessons.What is so brilliant about the PCA is that once you become a member, you re- main a member for life, which means I get the benefit of their support whenever I need it even after leaving the game. Every year they host an event called the ‘Futures Confer- ence’, which is a two-day conference for players and past players to attend to get advice and support for when the time comes that they step out
of cricket. It was fundamental to my decision-making process and coming to terms with the fact that I had to move on, and my transition would definitely not have been as smooth without their support.”

It must have been an odd period, still playing but without the possi- bility of progression, right?

“It’s definitely a strange time playing out the season when everyone knows you’re leaving, but luckily all my teammates are primarily great friends of mine.All of the players and most of the coaching and manage- ment staff offered support, which made the process much easier. Doors definitely closed with regards to my cricket – it was evident that

I wasn’t going to get into the first team unless some freak accident occurred, but I was fine with that.

I tried to enjoy the rest of the season for what it was – an opportunity to play a sport I still love with some of my best mates – what more could you want?!”

How has it been preparing to re-enter university and the world of academia, especially when most of the friends we grew up with have now graduated and are working?

“I do feel like I’m playing catch-up
a bit: I had already fallen behind my cricketing peers and I was slowly falling further behind peers who went into non-sporting careers. I always felt like I could have been good enough to play professional cricket, and maybe if I gave it another year or two I could have broken into a different team.

Tim Rouse Rexclub
Tim Rouse Rexclub

Manchester Storm

MANCHESTER

STORM

edited by Naomi Prakash

ICE HOCKEY

photography by Oscar J Ryan

Manchester Storm Rexclub

When we think of ice hockey, we think of Canada. Montreal is known as the ‘birthplace’ of ice hockey; it’s their national sport and a staple of Canadian social and pop culture. Yet the origins of field hockey are widely believed to be rooted here in England, and by the end of the 1890s the ice-based version had started ap- pearing in the UK. Soon, the Great Britain men’s team was winning in- ternational competitions, includ- ing the bronze medal at the 1924 Olympics, and gold in 1936. So al- though we can’t claim to be the orig- inal ice hockey nation, we did have a big hand to play in its foundations.

Club Hockey in the UK became pop- ular in the 1980s, and is now played in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). One of the registered teams, Manchester Storm, was founded in 1995. After finding great success,

including drawing a crowd of over 17,000 for a game against the Shef- field Steelers, they met some diffi- culties. Due to financial constraints, the team folded in 2002 to be re- placed by the Manchester Phoenix. However, in 2015 the Manchester Storm team rose from the ashes – pun intended – and re-launched.

Here at Rex Club, we’re lucky enough to work with lots of professional and amateur teams across a variety of different sports. We get to work on headwear merchandise with some amazing teams and supporters, and as a team of sports enthusiasts our- selves, getting to work so closely with sports clubs is hugely fulfill- ing. One of the teams that we work closely with is Manchester Storm. With the Planet Ice arena just a short distance from the Rex Club HQ, we’ve been able to visit them often.

Manchester Storm Rexclub
Manchester Storm Rexclub

During the week, we brainstorm new designs; and at the weekend, we watch the boys do battle on the ice against the best and brightest in the country. We know how thrilling it is to sit rinkside, but ice hock- ey has a hard battle to win viewership from fans of football and rug- by. We wanted to take the opportunity to go behind the scenes and spend a week with the Storm, giving our community unprecedented ac- cess to what goes into one of the most exhilarating sports in the UK.

The current Head Coach and General Manager of the team is Ryan Fin- nerty. Ryan was a professional player for over fifteen years before going into coaching, and has been with the Storm since 2017. He developed a thirst for hockey at an extremely young age: his Dad coached a local jun- ior team, so he started skating around the age of 2. In fact, Ryan told us that his earliest memory is playing on an outdoor rink in St. Paul, Al- berta, in -30 degree weather. From the age of 4, he started dreaming of playing in the National Hockey League. “Unfortunately you have a bet- ter chance winning the lottery than making the show”, Ryan told us, so he began travelling the US and Canada to play in the ECHL and CHL.

After some years traveling North America with hopes to climb the lad- der into the NHL, Ryan decided on a change of scenery. In 2006, Ryan moved to Europe to play for the Cardiff Devils in the EIHL. After success- ful stints in Sheffield and Glasgow, he moved south of the border to coach Manchester Storm. Alongside coaching, he soon became the team’s Gen- eral Manager, and is now moving towards making that a full-time role.

“Pro hockey can be very demanding and unforgiving. I was lucky enough to play for some great organisations and great coaches. The best part of moving around is the experiences and memories that you collect along the way. I still have great friends all over the world from my travels through hockey and memories that will last a lifetime. The game has prepared me for any obstacles life can throw at you, and I was able to grow and mature alongside some fantastic mentors along the way.”

Manchester Storm Rexclub

The North West is an extremely competitive market with top flight football and rugby on Storm’s doorstep, yet Ryan is confident about ice hockey’s growing spectator base: “Ice hockey is the fastest team sport played and has so many aspects that keep fans entertained. Our games are family-friendly and all the aggression is taken out on the ice, not in the stands.”

The EIHL released figures last year claiming that ice hockey is the third most popular winter sport in the UK, behind football and rugby. Numbers increase every year, and with the added attention of team GB securing their spot in the World Championship A Pool, Ryan is confident that the sport will start receiving the media attention that it deserves. “The UK will become a proud ice hockey nation very soon.”

With so much happening in the ice hockey world, there’s a lot of work needed to keep up. Liam Hesketh, Storm’s Head of Sponsorship and Marketing, took us through a typical week in his life to show us just how much goes on behind the stalls.

A Week In The Eye Of The Storm with Liam Hesketh
Head of Sponsorship and Marketing

Monday: Monday is the most important day of the week, and the busiest one for me! It’s usually an early start, around 7am. I’ll begin by checking the ticket sales for the following home fixtures and look at a few different things, such as how many group bookings we have, which commu- nity groups we have coming to the game, and how many natural ticket sales we’ve made, basically to pin-point what we need to work on throughout the week. We use the week leading up to the fixture as a huge push for ticket sales. I’ll also take care of any housekeeping on the official Manchester Storm website – this usually means mak- ing sure that our home match report is on- line, the league table is updated, and that our next home game is being promoted.

By this point in the season, we already have the blueprint for what our social media is going to look like for the week, but I’ll go over this once I’ve put a plan in place with regards to ticket sales. So- cial media is very organic in sport, so we use what we can, when we can. If we won the previous fixture, then people are go- ing to know about it! We may also change things slightly if there’s a special game next, such as our Pride fixture or our Star Wars night. We try to keep things fresh on social media, but we’ll certainly use it as much as possible to help push ticket sales.

Tuesday: Tuesday morning means a video session and then on-ice practice for the play- ers. I’ll head down to training to get some social media content while the players are on the ice, then catch up with Ryan Finner- ty afterwards and go over the plans for the week. At the start of the season, many of the players who are new to Manchester and the UK have lots of questions and need help with getting settled here, so I’ll pick up and help where I can. This aspect settles down after the first couple of months into the season.

Manchester Storm Rexclub

Sponsorship is key to the running of the club, so I’ll usually catch up with sponsors early in the week. If any at- tended the previous match, I’ll make sure they had a good time. If we have a specific sponsor coming to the up- coming match, I’ll call them and give them a quick rundown of events, like what happens when they go onto the ice to present the Man Of The Match awards at the end of the game.

Wednesday: Wednesday means a quick catch up with netminder Adam Long, who also helps run the community scheme here in Manchester. We’ll be vis- iting a school or community group on Thursday so we’ll discuss that, and I’ll give Adam an allocation of tickets for the community group so they can come to the weekend’s Elite League fixture. We’ll also reach out to schools and community groups across Greater Manchester to discuss visits from our

players, and work on getting commu- nity groups to games as we continue to grow the sport here in Manchester.

I’ll also catch up with any media out- lets and make sure they got the in- vite to our practice session on Thurs- day morning earlier. We may also hold a Twitter Q&A with one of our squad on a Wednesday evening, so I’ll make sure this runs smoothly. I’ll have checked ticket sales around 100 times by the end of play Wednesday!

Thursday: We’re approaching the weekend fast now and it’s all systems go here at the club. I’ll head down to on-ice practice early and grab a coffee. We always invite any media outlets to join us on Thursday to interview Ryan or any of our squad once practice is over. Chris from That’s Manchester TV arrivesontimeevery Thursday to cover us – thanks, Chris! There’s always a

Manchester Storm Rexclub
Manchester Storm Rexclub
Manchester Storm Rexclub

quick catch-up with the Planet Ice Box Office staff to reserve group book- ings and sort through last-min- ute community group tickets. Then Adam Long and the players head off to their community visit to discuss all things ice hockey, healthy eating and living, anti-bullying and more.

Friday: Friday is an important day, it’s one final ticket push and it’s also important to make sure all group booking tickets are taken care of,

along with any community groups and tickets for sponsors who may be attending. I’ll also catch up with the match night crew to make sure they are ready to go for the upcoming match. I’ll also get any sponsor mate- rial ready for our fixture as each week we have a different ‘match sponsor’, so we’ll make sure we have all the graph- ics ready for in-house screens. I’ll do final checks of the ticket sales and to- do list, then I’ll report back to Jamie and Ryan for any last minute requests,

We’d like to thank Ryan and Liam for taking the time to talk to us about their favourite sport. With the season officially over and no clear start date for the 2020-21 season, the EIHL clubs and players are working slightly in limbo. While bigger, established sports clubs should be able to survive the pandemic, smaller clubs are more at risk. We’d like to take this opportunity to encourage our readers to support their local teams and experience sports outside of rugby and football, there really is room for them all. We hope that once life is more normal, you’ll visit your local rink, particularly if you’re in Manchester. We promise, the atmosphere is second to none!

Sarah Wilson

‘STAYING GROUNDED’

 

edited by Naomi Prakash

 

SARAH WILSON

photography by Oscar J Ryan

Sarah Wilson Rexclub

“Seeing the Olympic rings and then hearing the national anthems, it was that sudden realisation of where I was and what I was about to do. That was such a special moment.”

Sarah Wilson could be forgiven for sometimes forgetting which hat she is wearing. On the world stage, she is the renowned international hockey umpire who shone at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Nationally, she is known for managing the elite group of twenty-two hockey players contesting major medals. Locally, she goes by Miss Wilson, a PE teacher at George Watson College in Edinburgh. It’s a lot to balance, but Wilson does it with joy. She juxtaposes her roles to great effect: using her stories from international sport to engage, motivate, and inspire her pupils; and tapping into her communication and people management skills to make sure that on-pitch flashpoints are avoided and the game runs smoothly.

She has been umpiring since her early teens when an injury curtailed a promising playing career, but it’s only in the past few years that Wilson’s umpiring profile has become global. After moving up through the ranks from club to national to an international umpire, the Olympic Games in 2016 and the World Cup in 2018 cemented her spot as one of the best female umpires in the world.

In her earliest days as an umpire, Wilson’s young age meant that some of the more experienced umpires didn’t take her seriously. It was learning to cope with sometimes negative attitudes that allowed her to develop her own style of dealing with adverse situations. For an international umpire, the pathway can be challenging. In Wilson’s case, she completed all the

Scottish qualifications, up to and including National League Division One. She then joined the European Umpire Development Programme – a three-year-long course with other umpires from around Europe. From there, she started to attend world level games and eventually was promoted to the higher level tournaments. The culmination of any umpire’s career is to join the World Panel, which is now known as the Olympic Panel. Throughout the entire journey, there are workshops and training programmes to ensure the umpires are at a level that reflects the standard of competition.

Yet umpiring wasn’t always part of Wilson’s plan. “It certainly wasn’t an immediate thought. I was quite fiery on the pitch, so umpiring didn’t seem too appealing at first,” she says with a grin. “But then my club needed an umpire, so I helped them out and really enjoyed it. A couple of other umpires with great experience told me that I could make a career out of it if I wanted to go down that route.” Despite starting by chance, her career has taken her onto the field at some of the world’s largest sporting events. The 2016 Games were her first Olympic Games. She performed so well in the pool matches and knock-out rounds that she was allocated the bronze medal match between Germany and New Zealand. After that mind-blowing moment, she was then able to watch Great Britain win gold in a classic encounter with the Netherlands. “Stepping out into the stadium for my first match [of the Rio Olympics], which was Germany versus Korea, was one of the best moments of my umpiring career,”

says Wilson. “Seeing the Olympic rings and then hearing the national anthems, it was that sudden realisation of where I was and what I was about to do. That was such a special moment. It was the same before the bronze medal match. I just took it all in. I looked around and I thought ‘this is just incredible.’ I was hugely nervous but it was also a massive sense of pride, achievement and excitement.” Just days after that experience, she was back at the day job, working as a PE teacher at George Watson College in Edinburgh. Wilson is actually an alumna of George Watson College, and carries with her a wealth of stories and experiences that she inspires her pupils with. As a school known for great hockey, a lot of the pupils look up the Great Britain team, often asking Wilson for tips and tricks. “I’d like to think I am quite humble about what I have done and achieved so I don’t go overboard when I’m back at school,” she says. “But, following Rio, I was asked to do an assembly to talk about my experiences. I really wanted to use it as inspiration for the pupils going into the new term. A lot of what I spoke about in assembly was about being brave, achieving your dreams, working towards your goals and just trying to be better people.” When she’s at school, Wilson drives herself hard. The demands of the international game are huge and she spends many weeks in the year on umpiring duty. Generally, the department covers her absence but luckily a lot of the tournaments coincide with school holiday time. Besides regular teaching hours, including Saturdays, she will also offer to take assemblies and other

roles where she can use her umpiring experiences to inspire and inform the pupils. She’s also introducing an umpiring course at the school, offering any pupil the chance to take umpiring qualifications.

When she’s at a tournament, such as a World Cup or the Olympic Games, Wilson’s support comes from the umpire managers who look after the entire team of umpires. They are not there to tell her what to do, but rather to offer guidance. “In both cases, they are there for you and offer you the chance to come and have discussions with them. To be able to tap into their experience is invaluable,” says Wilson. The support network between umpiring and teaching is similar, but in other respects, the two roles are poles apart. During a competition, she is a vital cog in a drama that is playing out on a hockey pitch, often on a stage that is in front of thousands of spectators and screened to a global audience. Following a grand final, the noise of the crowds and the buzz of adrenaline can stay with you for hours, even days. While Wilson’s umpiring commitments take her all over the world, it can mean that there is very little time for her to transition from the world of elite international sport to being back in the school environment. “For the majority of tournaments that I go to, I fly straight home and I am back in school the very next day. I don’t always have a lot of time to reflect back. It’s strange – I could be umpiring the final of the European Hockey League on Sunday night in Amsterdam and then teaching badminton to 10-year-olds on a Monday morning. But that’s just what I do! I am so lucky to have such a supportive department

They are genuinely interested to hear all about it.” The sports department at George Watson College is packed with former international sportspeople, many of whom are still playing club-level sport. Wilson told us about the sense of community that stems from this: “they’ve all been there, they get it and understand it”. When returning from a sports- based trip, her peers can’t wait to hear about the competitions, in fact, she says they have usually followed it on social media or television. Excitingly, Wilson is one of a handful of top umpires selected to officiate at the Tokyo Olympics next year. With Rio 2016 and a bronze medal match under her belt, could this be her swan-song and, if so, how on earth will she replicate the excitement and adrenaline of international competition? “That has been on my mind,” she says. “I have always thought that I would go on for as long as I possibly could. But now I’m not sure that I’ll continue for that long. The mental pressure combined with physical training is tough. I’d like to keep going for as long as I am physically capable, mentally tough enough and, importantly, still enjoying it. I also only want to keep going as long as I am continuing to learn and doing the game justice. Once you get to the top of the game, it is very tough to stay there.

“But, it is adrenaline-fuelled. It is addictive. That said, if I step away from umpiring I don’t have to step away from hockey altogether. I can take up roles as an umpire manager or umpire coach. I will then be able to invest more time into my career. I think I will know myself when it is time to step away.”

Robin Hislop

ROBIN HISLOP

Pro Rugby Player, Head Coach Sheffield Tigers, Rex Club Sales Agent

“BOMBER”

Photography Oscar J Ryan

Robin Hislop Rexclub

After a career of playing, some are lucky enough to land commentating or coaching roles. Many, however, are faced with a forced retirement from the industry that they’ve spent over a decade in. A back-up plan is essential for anyone who intends to make a career in sports. To discuss the importance of this, we spoke to Robin Hislop (affectionately known as Bomber). He is currently a professional rugby player at Doncaster Knights, head coach at Sheffield Tigers RUFC, and a sales agent here at Rex Club. With a varied group of projects behind him, and a career change expected after he finishes professional play, he shares his plans, experiences, and musings about the life of a pro player and what comes after the final game.

What makes you so keen to throw yourself into so many different roles?

A few reasons. For one, I’m a tight Scotsman who enjoys having some extra cash! I think it’s also influenced by the way I was brought up. I grew up on a farm and my parents were both extremely hard working farmers. I think that rubbed off on me. Another reason would be that a few years ago, at the end of the 16/17 rugby season, I was thrown into the real world. I had a fairly bad injury to my shoulder and neck which required an operation.

How did you bounce back from that injury?

I went back home and worked on the farm for a few months while I did my rehab, but there wasn’t enough work for me on the farm so I had to get a real job. I’d only ever played rugby or worked on the farm for a living, so that hit me pretty hard. But I got a job and worked hard on my rehab and got back playing some amateur rugby, then I was lucky enough to get back into pro game the following season. But from that point

on I realised how fortunate I was as a pro rugby player and how much spare time I had, so instead of playing football manager and going for endless coffees with the lads, I decided I needed to get busy and prepare myself for life after rugby whenever that point comes again.

Has it always been rugby? Were there ever any other sports or hobbies?

Growing up on my parents’ farm, most of my childhood was spent working alongside them and helping out whenever I could on school holidays. I don’t get back now as much as I would like as there’s games on most weekends, but I do enjoy helping out on the farm when I can get there. I love my football. I support the famous Glasgow Rangers and have a soft spot for Manchester United. I never really got to play too much football as a kid because I was already playing rugby and things were busy on the farm. I did play a couple of games for the school though, the last one ending in a red card and the PE teacher suggesting that I should stick to rugby, so that was that! A few years ago I would have backed myself to beat anyone at Fifa, too.

How do you find your satisfaction differs between success when playing personally and coaching?

That’s quite a tough one, really. I guess with playing you are in control over how you play and how you prepare yourself for games. Then with coaching, you feel you have a bit more control over the whole game. Before kick off you pick the side, you decide which tactics are best to use, and how you want to play, but I guess as soon as the game kicks off you have zero control as it’s all down to the players. I pride myself on working pretty hard so most of the time I’m fully prepared to play, but we all still have the odd bad game. So I guess,

at the moment, there is a little bit more satisfaction in coaching as you have a bit more say on how the side can play.

What are your career highlights?

My career highs would definitely be playing for Scotland across the age group levels, especially captaining the U20s and going to two Junior World Cups in Italy and South Africa. Making my professional debut for Edinburgh by playing in the Heineken Cup away at Munster in a packed out Thomond Park was pretty cool. I joined Rotherham Titans on loan during the 13/14 season and it’s probably the most I’ve ever enjoyed my rugby, we had an awesome group of lads and I made some incredible friendships. We also made myself two Championship play offs along the way. Last year didn’t go as we would have liked as a team at Doncaster, but we were delighted at the end of the season to get the Players’ Player award.

What about your coaching highlights?

My coaching highlight is pretty easy to pick. In my first season at Sheffield Tigers, the head coach left about two thirds of the way through the season, so the backs coach and I became joint head coaches. At that point, we were rock bottom of National 2 North and about eleven points adrift at the foot of the table with nine games to go. At that point we had nothing to lose, so we put a big emphasis on having fun, which I think took a lot of pressure off the lads. They also worked incredibly hard. We went on to win seven out of those nine games which was amazing considering where we were a few months before that. The last game was particularly special. We were away at Luctonians and things couldn’t be more simple: win we stay up, lose we would be relegated. We started the game pretty nervous and didn’t actually play that well,

Robin Hislop Rexclub
Robin Hislop Rexclub

but by the second half we finally found our grove and went on to win by ten or twelve points. We had pulled off “the great escape”! Save to say, it was very enjoyable bus journey back to Sheffield. I learned a lot in that short spell, but what made it so enjoyable was how close all the boys were with each other. They’re all really good mates and you could see how much it meant to them all.

It can’t all be good, can it? Have you had many career lows during your time in sport?

In terms of career lows, I guess there has been a few along the way. I had my first proper injury in the summer of 2013. I fractured my leg but it wasn’t too bad. I got back playing after about three months. There’s also been a few exciting contracts on the table that fell through at the last minute for one reason or another. But the toughest time by far was about half way through the 16/17 season when I was at Doncaster. I had some pain and weakness in my shoulder after a game so I went and saw a specialist. They said the issue was coming from my neck. I then had to have an operation. In total, I was out for about nine months. That’s a long time to be out, but not that uncommon either in pro rugby. It was more the events over those nine months and the uncertainty that came

with it that were difficult. My contract ran out at the end of April and no club wanted to sign me because it was looking like I’d miss the majority of the coming season. Along with that, my Dad passed away that summer, which was pretty tough to take. He was my best mate and the reason I had even started playing rugby. So at the age of 25, I had been dumped out of pro rugby and had to find myself a job.

What helps you come back from such lows?

There’s been some tough times but my partner Rachel was a huge help. I’m a massive believer that there’s no point in just feeling sorry for yourself: what’s done is done, you just have to get on with it. A lot of my motivation came from people assuming that I was done and wouldn’t play again, so I wanted to prove them wrong. I also wanted to make Dad and my family proud. So I just kept my head down, did my rehab, weights, and training around whatever work I had on, and I was lucky that Donny gave me a shot again.

There is a clear issue facing sporting professionals when they leave the game. Often careers finish in late 20s or early 30s, leaving young people stuck without a clear career path. What are your personal thoughts on this?

There are issues, definitely. I think a lot of that comes down to people not being prepared for it, I know I wasn’t when I had to take some time out. I think the biggest issue is that you go from being in an environment where you are surrounded by thirty blokes who are all your mates to not having that anymore. It’s pretty impossible to replace. But at the end of the day, we all know that we can’t play forever and it’s a short career so we should be prepared for that and have plans in place – but it is easier said than done.

There is plenty of discussion at the moment based around mental health in sport and the struggles young men face when their careers come to an end. However, we still want and need great professional sports players. What are the pros to entering a career in sport?

My career has given me so much. I’ve made some amazing friends, got to travel to some pretty cool places, and had some epic nights out along the way too! I’d also say it’s shaped me a lot regarding who I am as a person. It’s easy to take for granted that I can do my hobby for a living: there are some crap days when it’s freezing, pissing down, and you’ve got twenty live mauls to get through. But then I remind myself that it’s nothing like having to shear a couple hundred sheep or muck out a cattle shed with a shovel!

Robin Hislop Rexclub

You have a number of involvements already, you must have a good idea of what you would like to do in the future?

Easy answer – Gus has promised me a six figure role at Rex Club HQ, haha! But seriously, I think I do. Being out of farming for so long, it would be tough to go back to that now. I would love to stay in rugby and especially pro rugby with coaching, but it’s a fairly unstable business and I don’t want to move my family to a new place every few years. I really enjoy the sales work with Rex Club so I would definitely be interested in doing something along those lines, either in sports or alcohol sales, so I’m keeping my options open. I still feel like I’ve got my best playing years ahead of me, so hopefully it’s still a while away yet.

You seem to keep very busy! Does playing professional sports does allow you a healthy amount of time off?

There is a decent amount of time off, as you can’t train for eight or nine hours a day, obviously. Most of the boys look after themselves pretty well with their recovery, but we still get a good two days off a week. Everyone’s different with what they do with that time off, but I guess it’s doing what’s best for you to ensure you perform on a weekend.

You have filled this time with coaching and working with Rex Club. How integral is it for you personally to keep busy, juggle commitments, and maintain balance throughout your day to day life?

I enjoy being busy and I want to be as prepared as possible for when my playing days are over. Rachel, my partner, would say I maybe take too much on, but I think

I get the balance about right most of the time. Playing is still my priority so I make sure I’ve ticked all the boxes with recovery before I do my other commitments. I still reckon I work less than if I was in a ‘proper’ job, but hopefully that next transition won’t be as big of a shock as it was the last time.

As children, we all had sporting heroes and idols. Who were yours?

My parents, for sure. My dad was a huge influence on me and someone I looked up to a lot. My mum has been amazing, especially in these last few years with what she has been through. She’s a proper tough person and I am incredibly proud of her. Tom Smith and Jonny Wilkinson were my favourite rugby players growing up, and it was class to play behind the “Chunk” Alan Jacobson at Edinburgh. He’s a hell of a player and legend of a bloke. Sir Alex Ferguson, too!

Any words of wisdom or advice that you could offer our Rex readers?

Appreciate what you do. If you’re lucky enough to be a professional sports person, don’t take it for granted. Whether you’re an international superstar or dogging it out in lower leagues, it’s a privilege and a lot of people would love to do it. Just be as prepared as possible for life after pro sport; we know it’s not going to last forever so be as ready as you can be. If you don’t know what you want to do, try lots of things. Sure, there’s things you might not like, but at least you can rule that out and move onto something else.

Edited by Naomi Prakash

Collaborations

Titans Snapbacks

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

King

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Team Bin Juice

£20.00

Collaborations

Toft CC Stretch

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Clapham Falcons

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Chief Chat Officer

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Team Bin Juice

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

So Money

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Team Bin Juice Carton

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Clapham Falcons Bobble

£12.00

Club Colours

Club Colours

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Hammersmith Hussars

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Putney Pirates

£20.00

Collaborations

Kobe Coffee

£20.00

Custom Cap Builder

Customise: Mavericks

£20.00

Custom Cap Builder

Customise: Coin

£20.00

Custom Cap Builder

Customise: Tour de Rex

£20.00

Collaborations

Bach 95

£20.00

Collaborations

Bach 95 Trucker

£20.00

Custom Cap Builder

Customise: SUNDAY

£20.00

Collaborations

Shrewsbury CC

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

More Lash

£20.00

Rex Club

College

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Team Bin Juice Benchwarming

£20.00
£20.00£25.00

Collaborations

Mo Bros Rugby

£20.00

Custom Cap Builder

Customise: Monogram

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Love & Champagne

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

The Rugby Pod Stretch

£23.00

Athlete Collaboration

The Rugby Pod Trucker

£23.00

Athlete Collaboration

Chat

£20.00

Collaborations

Ludgrove

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Wasps Bobble

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Sheffield Tigers Stretch

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Sheffield Tigers Trucker

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Trinity Academicals Stretch

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

Trinity Academicals Trucker

£20.00

Athlete Collaboration

OSFC Beanie

£20.00

Coach Logic

Coach Logic Rexclub

BY JAMES MUIR

COACH LOGIC

EDITED BY NAOMI PRAKASH

REX CLUB SPENDS A DAY WITH COACH LOGIC FOUNDERS TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PLATFORM

Coach Logic Rexclub
Coach Logic Rexclub

Coach Logic is a digital tool designed to bring coaching to the next level.
By merging footage of real gameplay with a live online chat, Coach Logic allows players and coaches to spot crucial moments of a game, facilitating discussions of future improvements and appreciation of times of good play. To start the process, video footage of a practice or game is uploaded and accessed by the players and coaches: members can then note important moments, tag relevant players, and suggest alterations; plus coaches can share game plans, gym routines, and encourage consistent bonding throughout the team.

The elite level can get hung up in short-term gains due to the pressure they are under to win, so players can often be viewed as commodities, but it’s great to see the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Steven Hansen at the top of coaching being so successful with an obvious focus on building positive relationships with their players.

Founders Andy Muir and Mark Cairns are truly in love with sports: they met while both playing sports, both went on to work in sports, and now the two coach sports. Their partnership first began back in 2005, when they found themselves playing first team rugby together in Scotland’s top club division at Currie Rugby Club (Andy was in the backs, Mark in the forwards). Later, after finishing their studies, they both sought out careers teaching sport; Mark became a P.E. Teacher at George Watson’s college, and Andy worked at Edinburgh College as a Lecturer. It was at this point in their lives that they began to reflect on their collective experiences as coaches, players, and teachers, and realised that the current process of game analysis was ineffective. Not only was video analysis frustrating and time-consuming, but the players weren’t involved in the process at all. From there, their idea of interactive digital gameplay analysis started to take form.

When video analysis platforms first hit the sports scene around twenty years ago, coaches were more independent from the game at that time. At the time, it made sense that they’d be the only people able to access videos and pass insights along to the players. Now, however, coaches are more interested in what their players can see, which demands their presence during the analytic phase. Andy and Mark know that our current use of technology is fast, immediate, and mainly smartphone based. So, they designed their interface to be mainly used from an app and feel informal, similar to a group chat on WhatsApp with all the players. On Coach Logic, the full match is divided into five minute segments and each player is given a slot to analyse. After that, the full match is accessible

and annotatable from both smartphones and larger screens, and discussions about gameplay can commence. The quick, easy format means that fits into anyone’s schedule, from pros to schoolchildren. Although Andy and Mark both come from a background of rugby, they’ve designed Coach Logic to work across all sports. During their time spent in different teaching careers, they both noticed that coaches and players in different sporting disciplines essentially needed similar things from technology. Each client needed pro-level capabilities, be it for use with schools, grassroots, amateur teams, or the pros themselves. Coach Logic platform allows a squad to use their time effectively, so they can actually spend more time playing and practising. Additionally, it encourages the development of many essential life skills, especially in younger teams. The format promotes, and in fact relies on: the ability to give and receive constructive feedback; the building of relationships within a squad, and with authoritative figures like coaches; and taking responsibility for mistakes and committing to improvement.

To our delight, it’s also used as a tool for referees. Every sports player knows the frustration of a wrong call, so it seems totally intuitive that referees and players should analyse gameplay together. Andy and Mark believe that referees should be integrated into the team. Take, for example, the Umpires of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World League. They have a match team that includes on-field and video Umpires, and they’re also remotely supported by the Umpire development manager who supports match reflection using Coach Logic.

Given their extensive experience, Andy and Mark are the perfect people to understand the demands of those in different levels of sport. Mark has been involved at national level for Scotland sevens and club level as a player and coach, and believes that there’s a lot that elite levels could learn from the top grassroots environments he’s encountered. Notably, their proclivity to focus on long-term personal development and positive relationships.

Andy and Mark’s goal is to continue to facilitate a similarly collaborative working atmosphere in different teams across the country, using Coach Logic.

Prior to coaching and starting their business, Andy and Mark ended their playing careers whilst working in education. We wondered how they knew it was time to hang up their boots, and how they adjusted to the psychological leap from playing to coaching. It turns out that, coincidentally, that both men moved into coaching at a similar time following some injuries. Andy’s took him straight out of play, so he began to focus his passion into coaching and the business. Mark decided, after one too many head-knocks, that he needed to be careful for the sake of his young family. Neither Andy nor Mark took this as a chance to slow down, though, throwing themselves straight into coaching commitments, business planning, social matches and sevens tournaments (after some recovery time!). For Andy, “there is still a massive desire to play”, but he is comforted by the strength of the rugby community. While he may not be playing competitively, there are numerous ways for him to stay involved, connected and contributing to the sport he loves.

Coach Logic Rexclub

players need to be students of
their own development

When we spoke to them, Mark and Andy had just returned from Japan after presenting at World Rugby’s Training and Education Conference, following an invitation to highlight their work with the RFU Game Development pathways. We asked them how they keep on top of everything: travelling with Coach Logic isn’t uncommon, plus they are both involved in grassroots sport and have young families, all on top of starting and running their business. Andy’s philosophy is simple, to “try to avoid doing much on the weekends and keep them as work- free as possible”. However, both men acknowledge that turning away from work isn’t always that easy.

“It’s probably more important to be aware of the mental switch-off from it all, that can the bigger challenge”, said Andy, a sentiment echoed by Mark. After spending hours thinking of nothing else, Mark can find it tricky to leave work behind and enjoy his evenings at home. He tries to practice some mindfulness by focusing his attention on the specific environment he’s in, which often means he leaves his phone upstairs when at home so he can enjoy uninterrupted quality time with his young family. Andy finds that planning for and delivering his coaching sessions is helpful, as “when you have twenty 5-year-olds charging around in front of you, there’s not much else on your mind!”. Both men love

to coach, but part of that responsibility is appropriately delegating. Learning to spread the workload helps them balance their busy lives, and Coach Logic is the perfect tool for them to do that. As Mark said, “there would be no use creating Coach Logic and not living it”.

Before we left, we asked Andy and Mark for any advice they’d give to players at school and junior levels. They both strongly believe that ambitious young players should keep playing other sports and have outside interests, too, as they’ve seen many get tired of their once-favourite game or fall prey to an injury. “I think players need to be students of their own development,’’ Andy told us, “they should gain knowledge and understand why they are doing what they are doing”. While knowledge of their chosen sport is important, he encourages learning about other facets of the sporting world like nutrition, strength and conditioning, and psychology. Mark shared a piece of advice that he recently heard: “value your future self”. For him, this means taking himself into consideration before committing to things in the future. A final piece of advice from Mark was less profound, but equally passionate: “enjoy your hair while you have it!”.

When we reflected upon the fact both men have young families, employees, and clients relying on them, we imagined

that it might be tempting for Andy and Mark to put their own sporting ambitions onto the back burner. However, after spending a day with them, we could see they were truly practicing what they were preaching. Mark, for example, was using the Coach Logic platform to manage his Head Coach position with the Currie Chieftains first 1st XV team, in addition to using other technology to help Coach Logic clients when traditionally he’d have been on “Currie time”. At Rex Club, we see a lot of people in similar positions; it seems a passion for sports gives people a reason to organise their time well. This is especially important given the nature of sports fixtures and commercial opening hours, which means few of our clients are working traditional 9-5 hours. The ability to delegate tasks and organise time is as imperative to grassroots players as it is to pro teams, especially for those who do tremendous work voluntarily.

Coach Logic seems to have hit a sweet spot. Not only can coaches drastically reduce the amount of time they spend analysing footage, but by involving players in the process they are facilitating self-awareness, team-bonding, and responsibility. We can’t help but imagine that this new format is also making coaching seem much more manageable and therefore more appealing, so perhaps the next generation of coaches will be reared from Coach Logic.