MOST of the current Oldham players and backroom staff have joined the Players’ Association, which is playing an ever-increasing role in the promotion of rugby league in Oldham thanks mainly to the vision of its secretary Joe Warburton and the networking of Ray Hicks.
Joe, as has been well documented, is heavily involved with Mike Ford in the development of the Pathway Programme for young players locally while Joe and Ray Hicks, another stalwart of the Players’ Association, are the main twosome in the pushing and the promotion of the Oldham Rugby League Family’s Tuesday Club, which meets each Tuesday at Heyside Cricket Club between 12.30pm and 2pm.
They have circulated a colourful, attractive leaflet urging ALL rugby league enthusiasts in the area to pop into Heyside CC between those times every Tuesday for a brew, a pint or a chat about all things rugby league.
Said Ray:
”There are thousands of people in the Oldham area, who don’t particularly follow Roughyeds but who are interested in rugby league nevertheless. We would love to see some of them at Heyside CC on a Tuesday for a friendly chat about the game over a pint. A lot of older people are often at as loose end and we would love to think that, through rugby, we can fill a void."
Joe added:
”There’s a buzz in town about rugby league again and it’s up to all us fans to play our part."
The Players’ Association will sponsor Saturday’s game against Normanton Knights and they will be well represented at each of the final three Roughyeds games of the regular season v Rochdale Hornets at the Crown Oil Arena this Sunday, against Workington Town at Boundary Park next Wednesday night (7.30), and against Midlands Hurricanes at the Vestacare Stadium on Sunday week (3pm)
They will also be represented in force at the Roughyeds’ Awards Night at The White Hart on Friday, September 15, ahead of their own annual dinner at St Herbert’s on Broadway on Friday, November 3 when Brian Noble will be guest speaker, Austin Knight the comedian and Pete Emmett the compere.
