Macclesfield developing Colts players
Macclesfield RUFC is one of the clubs that the RFU has been working with to help the transition of Colts players into senior rugby and keep them engaged.
Coach developer, Julian Gilding, has been working with clubs in Cheshire and Lancashire and says that Macclesfield RUFC are a great example of what can be achieved.
“They have been proactive in consolidating their senior and junior Colts into one squad and Russ Tomlinson, their Colts Coach and Player Transition Officer, is also a senior player. He has been fundamental in retaining their players and increasing player numbers and then safely transitioning them into the senior teams,” he says.
“The club has a very good coaching set up and, with Russ assessing Colts at 17, he’s under no pressure to push them on into senior rugby. Russ and the club always want to ensure that younger players are safe, and they make decisions very much in their best interests.”
Russ has seen eight Colts make that transition to senior rugby at Priory Park this season and he recently ran out as second team player/coach against Tarleton alongside four former Colts.
Now 38, he dropped out of playing himself at that critical stage and says: “Thinking back there was no kind of pathway for me. I didn’t have coaches to guide me from junior to senior rugby, no coach talking to me about plans, aims, what transition was. It was just a case of being dumped into adult rugby and fending for yourself.”
He started playing at around 13 at senior school where rugby was on the curriculum and his friends were playing. He then went to join the Colts side at Wilmslow, before moving to a very successful Manchester Colts team. Having then stepped out of the game, a college friend invited Russ along to Macclesfield. He started in the 4ths, progressed to the thirds, and then started coaching the senior Colts as well as the U13s.
“I was getting older and wanted to play the best rugby I could, so I went back to playing at Wilmslow while still coaching at Macclesfield where I got offered the second team to coach. That brought me back fully to the club. The lads I’d coached at U13 are now at U18 level. We get them involved in the senior set up. Three more just came to senior training. They love being invited along and I also keep in touch with their parents so they are fully informed.
“Joining all the Colts together has seen them really gel and I get a real satisfaction from knowing they trust and respect me. I ‘ve earned that respect over a number of years and playing alongside some of them is very special, it was a very proud moment, seeing how far they have come. It’s why I do what I do. I don’t think I’ll ever grow up, I’m on their level, know what games they like to play, the music they enjoy.
“As a club we are very involved with Looseheadz and have a very good mental health lead. I think I’m seen as both a coach and friend. Our second team just won the league. One player had been having a difficult time and I was there to call or chat to and after the win he told me I was the best coach. That made me very proud. Men often think they must be tough but the saying that it’s OK to not be OK is very apt. Seeing that player turn it around by opening up and talking, that’s fantastic.
“I get so much out of coaching that I’d now say it’s better than playing. Seeing the team develop, the smiles on their faces, that’s what’s really great.”
