''we have 6 first team players who spend almost every day in schools in calderdale . . we have Mission Nutrient a healthy eating lesson which goes out to every year 5 class in calderdale, delivered by players . . we have rugby training courses,. . we have Cheerleader classes....''

Taken from Fax site, Widnes use players to deliver the schools programme.
It enables better players to be employed and benefits the club.
Should we do the same?

With players who work during the day?

I assume Fax found players who didnt want to work during the day


I assume its players like Penky, Black, Gleeson etc who would command the higher contracts.

AFAIK all our players are employed during the day so on that premise whilst an idea it wouldn't work at Leigh, and we have a pro-active youth department as it is.

:3brrmmy1

Possibly one or two of those but also quite possible that they have some ' junior ' squad players doing this as well

Leigh used to do it , Weisner , Marshall , Sanderson , Smythe not forgetting Rowley [ remember the sponsored scooter Paul had

I just feel that if we had say, a Lee Briers/Morley/named import type player (Moran last year)doing the school work we could offset some cost and the kids would get a bigger kick from it.

But wouldn't any monies paid still be on the salary cap restrictions? and not all players want to do this sort of work, and isnt this another of those perrenial posts that come up? Like I have said before having done a lot of work in schools players should only be used as a 'tool' unless they have an apptitude and a willingness to do this work, would you let a carpenter repair your leaking toilet? horses for courses.

Fred you`ll have to explain what a " carpenter" is to some of younger posters.

The clubs negociated a 20 k per season SC exception back in 2004 , dont know if it or something like it still applies

There are plenty of "grants" around these days especially government ones for anything to do with healthy lifestyle and diet. Many of them can be rescourced by schools themselves as they also get extra funding for teachers preperation time away from classrooms.So in certain cases they can afford to pay players to deliver the healthy eating/ lives lessons whilst their teachers are on thier Prep time.The Fax players have been trained by Eureka for the healthy lifestyles package I do believe an award was won by the club for it.It has got to be a win win situation for any club and for individual players who take part ,they are learning skills for later life which are valuable when thier carreer is over.I believe Frank Watene is the leader of the first teamers who take part.

It might be more advantageous for you to run sessions at the LSV and invite schools to visit you there, assuming there's a space in which you could do it.

That way you'll be getting kids into the new facility, which will have the wow-factor, and can reward them for completing tasks with tickets for the next home game.

They're far more like to use the free tickets, and bring paying parents, if they've actually been to the ground and 'tasted' the facilities whilst taking part in learning activities.

You'd still need to find a player or two to show their face I suppose, but could run it with other club staff instead - the wow-factor would come from the stadium rather than the actual player.

I really think you are underestimating the power of the player as a marketing tool for thier own club. It`s the most important asset any club has.I have been involved in education for over 30yrs and I can tell you players attending any kind of function and speaking to children will get them coming along to watch.Once there it is up to the matchday experiance that will keep fetching them back.Of course speaking to kids does not come naturally the Aussie players appear to be best at it as there is lot more importance played on players promoting thier own club.There are certain skills that can be taught however and I am pretty sure some kind of promotion work will be in a players contract now.I honestly think players should help to promote clubs more for the money they are paid.If I had any money and had anything to do with players contracts at a club, I would build in a bonus system for crowd increases into a contract so they got extra money if they increased the crowd.You would soon see the players out and about at galas ,schools and anywhere else they might get a few more punters from.
Quite a few years ago when Bradord won the league and Deacon moved in as there promotions manager I answered my phone at school and it was Bradford asking when our school gala was I asked them why and they said "Well we`re sending a couple of players a signed ball and the "Bulls Roadshow" you will make money and we`ll give free tickets to the kids.I declined and said you shouldn`t` be poaching over in someone elses patch. But the papers were full of schools who took them up on it they were also at every junior awards night. The rest as you say is history they did "think out of the box" and took the rewards .

If clubs were full time i would have written into contract about the working in schools jnr clubs etc I have said it before a good idea with full time (and thats a laugh with the hours they do -or don't do) personell but not with playes who work through the day as they have no time and those who do wish to do so usually coach or assist at their local clubs, its not a new idea we were doing it years ago when more of our players didnt have full time jobs.

No I know it`s not a new idea every club did it but it`s to how benificial it`s done. There ought to be more clubs taking up the grants you can get them for cheer leading as well. The grants would help pay for the players to be full time, it helps promote the club and gives the kids at schools a treat.

Kids respond to players, we need players in schools to get the kids to games.

took over the riegns at our club

Yes in my opinion we need to get them more involved F/T or P/T but it seems at bthe moment nothing in life is that simple

So you were a teacher Lynda

The club has been into my daughters school for the last few Thursdays, think it was Hannah but under the Centurions Moniker.
I think 'Arty' needs to be in attendance though to give it the wow factor for the kids.
Saying that though, my daughter loved the sessions!!

Well done Hannah and the club!

The pies came over to my daughters school in westhoughton

Tapping into the Bolton market?

Another bad decision made by Leigh - I think that for a player you get working in the community on a full time contract (dual contract playing and community) you get an extra (it's in the rules) £10,000 on your salary cap. So if Halifax have six players, they'll be allowed an extra £60,000 on top of the £400,000.

I was at a meeting the other week with 'big names' in football and they said that the main principle that they work from (this was Premiership Football Clubs) is to get players and club officials into the community. They have to have contact with the Club - whether it be coaching, education etc.

Every young child in our borough should have contact with our club at least once a year - contact by going to the LSv for lessons, players going to their school, officials going to their school, etc

We used to do this , Paul Rowley, Pat WEisner, Richard Marshall, Rob Smythe have all worked for our community Dept.

the list is endless of ex players 'working' in the youth dept but did they do it efficiently? the community dept 3 plus manager all work damned hard and to not applaud their efforts in what they do is in my mind not only unfair but downright disrespectfull, if you dont believe it i suggest you contact Hannah and ask if you can work shadow them over a week.

I do not think for one moment anyone is suggesting the community dpt do not work hard ,far from it I was merely pointing out that grants can be sought to enable players to have some of thier wages paid for going into the community to spread the word about healthy eating and Leigh Centurians .I know my grandchildren if offered a choice between spending time at school with players or the ones from the Fax office I know what they would pick. They are children for goodness sake so like to see thier heroes and this is in no way disrespectful to anybody who does community work .It`s just the way it is.

Not at all mate - just trying to make suggestion which allows the links with schools within the constraints of a part time squad who all have day jobs.

Having taught in Bradford (and Leeds) I am fully aware of how active the Bulls PR machine is (or at least was) and, as mentioned above, Wigan are now beginning to follow suit to some extent.

I now work in Bolton and we regularly see the Wigan players around the Authority - which has led to an amusing picture in our Reception of the Head (who is about 4ft2) next to Feka (not even gonna try to spell his surname?!) presenting awards to our kids!

If Leigh's players can't get out to schools during the day due to work commitments, perhaps Presentation Evenings and weekend Fayres are another way to go?

I'm sure the community department do very goos work - but its quite simple they are unkowns with leigh gear on - to have a 'star' basically are better players doing it, say in partnership with a memeber of the current lot would work far better.

It's not rocket science - you spend the most money and recruit quality in the main positions - 1,6,7,9 and 13. These are the ones that usually cost you the most money - recruit them on a player/community employee contract and make the most of the extra money.

Another option is to do what a number of football league clubs do and run the communty scheme through a charity - get more grants, gift aid, other benefits etc.

Exactly