As previously seen in The 18th Man match day magazine, England University Head Coach Richard Tate gives an insight into his role at the club…
(Please note, this piece was originally published before the new Government guidelines on ‘social-distancing’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)
This point of the year is certainly one of the busiest for the Hull FC Community Foundation, but it is such challenges that I enjoy being a part of.
My role as Head of Programmes for the Foundation means that I am co-ordinating the delivery and events for our SkyTry Schools and Partner Schools Sport Programmes; such as player appearances, match-day experiences at the KCOM Stadium and trips to the Jacuzzi Elite Performance Centre to meet our first team.
It is fantastic to see how rewarding this can be for the young children, especially because so many of them are Hull FC fans.
I am also working on the new Youth Endowment project, which is aiming to reduce youth crime and violence that has unfortunately become prevalent in our society over the last couple of decades.
The project is trying to engage, educate and inspire youngsters and steer them away from that sort of lifestyle.
Over at Selby College, we are working hard with their Rugby League development. The College is in the middle of our sports Yorkshire heartlands, like Hull, Leeds, Castleford and Wakefield.
There are some very talented players at the College that the Hull FC Academy staff are keeping tabs on, with some naturally gifted players only taking up the sport this academic year.
Meanwhile, I am also overseeing a good relationship with University of Hull, whose Rugby League team is currently coached by the Foundation’s Head of Education and former Hull & England Universities player, Ryan Langton.
With the Rugby League season now well and truly up and running, I am enjoying working with a coach held in such high-regard like Kieron Purtill with Hull FC’s Reserve Team.
Alongside Kirk Yeaman and John McCracken, we have enjoyed a good start to the season, although it has been a bit disruptive due to postponements. Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather, but as we move into warmer weather, the players will start to get some very good & consistent game time under their belts in a competitive environment.
Consisting of a small group of part-time players, young first team players and upcoming academy stars, I believe we have the perfect blend of rugby league talent in this year’s Hull FC Reserves squad.
Whilst I am assisting with the Hull FC Reserves team, I am also the Head Coach of the England Universities team, which is obviously a major achievement for me personally.
I have been the Head Coach of the National University team for two years now; enjoying back-to-back Student Four Nation title wins against Ireland, Scotland & Wales and a Test Series victory over New Zealand Students in 2018.
Due to the University season running through the winter period, our selection process always begins in October.
From the initial regional trials, I am able to select 60 players for an ‘Origin’ style fixture between the North and the South. We then narrow this down to 20 players for each side.
The Origin games are extremely competitive because all of the players are battling for a place in the final England Universities squad.
I am only able to choose 26 from the 40 players in action for my squad, so there are some very important decisions to make.
I have recently named my 26-man squad for the 2020 programme. This will then be narrowed down to a 20-man squad for the Student Four Nations in June, where we are looking to retain our crown for a sixth straight year.
Many people have overlooked the University system, but there has been some real success stories over these last few years; James Woodburn-Hall, who now plays for Halifax in the Championship, was born in London and came through the student system at University of Leeds. There is also Marcus Stock, who now plays for York City Knights in the Championship – he was born in Milton Keynes and came through the student system at University of Sheffield.
Here in Hull, we have a very exciting player coming through at the moment. Keep an eye out for Ryan Johnson, who has had some game time with our Reserves recently after impressing with University of Hull last season. He has also been training with the Hull FC first team squad during preseason.
I’m sure he has a bright future ahead if he can continue to work hard.
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