Support the boys on stage... they need it!
NOW I’m retired from playing, the sponsors lunch is probably my favourite event.
More than 250 people and 150 businesses attended a fantastic occasion yesterday for what is the highlight of our commercial year.
It’s always a great chance for sponsors to meet the players and staff and network with each other.
It tends to be a very informal occasion, with a few interviews and questions being asked with players and coaches, but fundamentally it’s a reward for our partners and a chance for the club to say thank you to our sponsors.
We want to thrive as a club and we want our partners and sponsors to thrive with us. That’s why we want to have events like this, to get everyone
■SIMON Woolford has included 33 players in his Huddersfield Giants squad for the new season.
Darnell McIntosh
(right) will wear the No.1 shirt, with big things expected for
Huddersfield’s hometown hero. Skipper Leroy
Cudjoe keeps the No.3, while new arrival Matt
Frawley will follow in Danny Brough’s footsteps by wearing the No.7 jersey. Michael Lawrence has filled Ryan Hinchcliffe’s boots at 13, Matty English has been handed 19.
Squad numbers: 1. Darnell McIntosh, 2. Jermaine McGillvary, 3. Leroy Cudjoe, 4. Jordan Turner, 5. Akuila Uate, 6. Lee Gaskell, 7. Matt Frawley, 8. Paul Clough, 9. Kruise Leeming, 10. Suaia Matagi, 11. Aaron Murphy, 12. Alex Mellor, 13. Michael Lawrence, 14. Adam O’Brien, 15. Oliver Roberts, 16. Dale Ferguson, 17. Ukuma Ta’ai, 18. Daniel Smith, 19. Matty English, 20. Jake Wardle, 23. Oliver Russell, 24. Tom Holmes, 25. Colton Roche, 26. Sebastine Ikahihifo, 27. Adam Walne, 28. Sam Wood, 29. Sam Hewitt, 30. Jon Luke Kirby, 31. Louis Senior, 32. Innes Senior, 33. Reiss Butterworth, 34. Isaac Farrell. TBC: Joe Wardle. nated by as a player and it seemed natural for me to move on to that side of the game after I finished playing. I always tried to look after my sponsors when I was playing, but I’m seeing the full picture now I work on the other side of that.
I think players are a little bit naïve about the nature of sponsorship and what a big effect it has on the running of the club, and that’s why we think it’s so important to get players together like at the event yesterday – we want sponsors to meet the players of course, but also players to get to know their sponsors as well.
For me, I want all our sponsors to succeed as we succeed. The best thing about Rugby League is that we’re all a family together, we’re working towards the same goal.
In this sport, you have your family and then you have the Rugby League family, and we want our partners to be that to us – family. We’re working together for Huddersfield and to succeed together. Another event taking place next week is the Giants Panto, where the first team will be performing Cinderella in front of a packed-out crowd at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.
I did the panto for 12-13 years, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Being in front of those lights and the crowd is daunting but it was always something that I wanted to do.
As an athlete, you’re used to playing in front of a large crowd, but it’s totally different for a simple reason – you don’t know what you’re doing!
You don’t have much rehearsal time either, you turn up and you have an hour to learn all the dance moves.
That’s the best thing about this event as well, you get to see the players in a totally new context, making fun of themselves and enjoying interacting with people.
Rugby players are not scared to go out there and have a bit of fun and show that they are happy to have a bit of fun.
I remember Stanley Gene, Steve McNamara, Paul Reilly doing this event in the past, no-one really knowing what they’re doing.
Now we have a host of stars including our new signings Matt Frawley and Akuila Uate, and some familiar faces like Olly Roberts, Colton Roche and Ukuma Ta’ai featuring in the performance.
I would urge everyone to get down and support the boys because they need that support – they’ll be well out of their comfort zone and it’ll be a fun night of laughs for all involved.