My Coaching Career.

There are 3 defining moments in my coaching career at Seaton Carew , the first one was being told when I was 15 to play where whether I like it or not by the worlds worst coach, the second was being told off for some choice words at a under 12s fixture and the 3rd and final was being stood in the rain at West Hartlepool RUFC watching my team lose a cup final 66-0. That one was tough to take.

I’d never given much thought into coaching until I turned 17, before that I had every intent on stopping rugby after my final colts season at Seaton Carew. I’d had a good run won more games than I’d lost, won a few trophies and made some friends that I’ll probably still be friends with come 50 years time.

Chapter Two: Fastening my coaching boots.

It all started one Thursday at Hartlepool Sixth Form, I was studying , well turning up to Sociology, History and Maths. Myself and Benji Clayton who had persuaded me to come back to Seaton a few weeks prior after my West Hartlepool commitments had finished, where curious what to do with our Thursday night. Do we risk the trust of the bouncers at the local nightclub or go home and play Playstation 3. Then a out of the box idea popped into one of our heads, ‘’Let’s go to the club and see if anything is happening’’. So we begin. 

We walk the 3 ½ miles to the clubhouse where sure enough there is junior training underway. This allows me to introduce two characters who are crucial to my coaching journey the first is one of my neighbours ‘Joe Aird’. Joe is a bit of an enthusiast without an idea. He’d run 30 , 40 miles and still have no idea where he was going. But his commitment was second to none , unshaved , coach carter fuelled 17 year old. He was also one of my closest friends as well as captain of our colts team. 

The second was my Colts team coach, current 1st team coach, Under 12s coach and full time bar proper ‘Billy Lithgo’.  He is without a second thought the best coach I have ever come across at any level from tag rugby through to county squads. The bloke can pick you up after being bulldozed by a 20stone prop forward making his way for the tryline likes it’s the bar. He can go through you if he wants to but he never wants too and never does. All in all the greatest person I have met through rugby and a legend of the local game.

The first few weeks I literally held a tackle bag or ruck shield, at the time you want to be lashing our tactics , gameplans , killer backs plays and get the rolling maul going at 100mph! The blood is flowing! The desire to coach is strong! Then the new kid asks what a ruck is?.

This is where my journey begins…..

Gooseberry wrote:Part 2:

Why I turned down the Scotland job

Fanster wrote:Driver

Thats inspiring, I'd love to read more. I thoroughly enjoy telling people at parties etc what drove me into coaching, and have to hold back from a 12 hour journey from my teenage years to now, but it's always interexting to hear others!