Coaches help capture historic club treble
Bradford Salem's 2023-24 season came to a successful end as the club secured a treble of trophies.
At the start of the 2023-24 season Bradford Salem’s First XV lost their opening league fixture 53-24 at home to West Leeds and a fortnight later were again beaten at home by Wetherby 38-24. There followed a 31-17 defeat away to Hullensians, who they had hoped to beat, and the rest of the season was starting to lose its appeal.
This did not promise to be the year that they would secure an unprecedented treble. However, a new coaching team of Bob Hood and Andy Robinson had other ideas.
Former England Counties coach Hood said: "If you'd have asked me the question in September of whether we could pull of a hat trick of titles, I’d have thought that you were an alien from another planet! However, the boys as a group have absolutely progressed and this is a great achievement for Bradford Salem.
“Player-coach, Andy Robinson and I needed to create an environment and a culture and give the players a framework to work within and they have taken to it like ducks to water.”
With those ducks in a row and the club entering its centenary year in the coming September, Bradford Salem ended their season by winning the Yorkshire Shield for a record fifth time after beating local rivals Keighley 40-19 in the final at Castle Park, Doncaster.
That saw an historic treble, the team having secured the Counties 1 Yorkshire title in April and won the Papa John's Community Cup Counties 1 North Plate after beating Aldwinians 54-41 in the final at Darlington Mowden Park Arena earlier in May.
This all bodes well for the centenary celebrations, the club having played their first ever match against Bradford on 6 September 1924. They are planning a celebratory game, a reunion dinner in December and a ball in a marquee on the first team pitch next June.
Their main sponsor, Airedale Group continue their much appreciated support, company founder, Brian Chadwick, having been a former club player.
The club is very much at the heart of their local community, running a second team, a ladies’ team, minis and juniors, and girls’ teams up to U15s. Their former Colts form part of the first XV and they are currently building their U15 boys’ team to take over as Colts.
The club has strong connections with the local Beckfoot Thornton School where their coach is Luke Cole, who plays for Rotherham. Bradford Salem’s community officer, Brendan Birkett, goes in to help with coaching and the school recently held their awards evening in the clubhouse.
All are helping to grow the next 100 years for Bradford Salem rugby club.
