Newcastle Thunder Vs Leigh Programme

Notes from the Chair
Good afternoon and welcome along to Kingston
Park for what is one of our biggest days of the
season.
Pre-match over 600 kids from clubs across
the North East and the heartlands have been
playing games at Kingston Park as part of this
year’s Moody Cup and it is always great to see
so many players from so many clubs enjoying
themselves.
It’s an event that has grown considerably since
we held it for the first time in 2015 and has
gone from strength to strength since Moody
Logistics came on board as sponsor and I am
delighted that a local company like them lend
their support and give the young players this
opportunity.
With that a big focus of today’s match-day,
I’d like to touch on the importance of making
North East Rugby League stronger.
The community game is a vital part of growing
the sport within the region and is something
that the club is starting to focus on strengthening
after the Covid pandemic.
Prior to 2020, the game in the North East was
one of the fastest growing areas for participation,
we had new junior teams forming and
the biggest number of registered players we
have ever had.
That has regressed somewhat after sport returned
last summer as people found other ways
to spend their free time after a year-long layoff,
but we are putting in place plans to start
getting the numbers moving in an upward trajectory
past where they were before.
Part of that process will see our academy play
a crucial role in developing players for our
grassroots clubs.
Whilst the aim of every player we enrol on one
of our junior teams is of course to make it as
a professional and join the ranks of the first
team squad, that doesn’t happen for everyone.
For those players, we need to develop their
skills and enjoyment of the game so they return
to their clubs better than when they first arrived
and drive forward the community game.
That then creates stronger clubs, which then
creates new clubs, which then creates new
fans, volunteers and so on which form solid
foundations on which to build on.
We will be announcing what we have planned in
the coming weeks to reach these goals and I’m
sure people will agree when we are ready to
announce them that there are exciting times
ahead.
Chair
Keith Christie
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