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| COMMUNITY COACHING |


enviable view across the West Yorkshire countryside. I


This grass-roots club, situated in the Pudsey area of Leeds, boasts fans whose cheers and shouts from atop the hill next to the scoreboard remind you why Rugby League at grass-roots level truly is a great game.


The club has a real community presence and provides a social hub for the residential area, alongside facilities for 20 teams for male and females of all ages. The first team plays in the National Conference League.


Stanningley Rugby League Club has provided numerous players to the professional ranks, including former England captain Jamie Peacock, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Ryan Atkins, Ashley Gibson, Gareth Carvell, Steve Nicholson and Roy Dickinson.


The club also provides a home for Leeds Rhinos academies and Bramley Buffaloes.


Coaching Mattersspoke to Under 16s Head Coach Mark Lilley, who has been a part of the club since he picked up his first rugby ball on the same pitch at eight years old. He played there for the best part of a decade and now


n a location that is arguably one of the most attractive in Rugby League, Stanningley Sports and Amateur Rugby League Club offers an


coaches his 15-year-old son Jordan, who himself has been playing at Stanningley for over 10 years.


Lilley started his coaching career at Stanningley after a knee injury ended his professional playing days which saw him run out for Leeds, Oldham, Bramley and York.


After a brief foray into the world of amateur football, he found himself back at Stanningley when his youngest son showed a desire to get involved at the age of five. Lilley found himself helping out to ensure the kids could get a game and gradually he found himself drawn in, although reluctantly at first.


‘I probably get more of a buzz out of coaching than I ever did playing’ Mark Lilley


‘At first I didn’t want to do it as it’s something you have to commit to and it takes up a lot of your time. I was still playing at the time, and working full-time, but you get used to it. I probably get more of a buzz out of coaching than I ever did playing to be honest.’


ONE CLUB MAN


The first in our series of interviews with grass-roots coaches who have made a real difference takes us to Stanningley in West Yorkshire.


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