Burton Rugby Football Club Playing and Coaching team are delighted to announce that current player coach Ricky Whitehall has agreed to continue with his role at the club for the 2017/2018 season.

Ricky joined the club during the off season as Player/Head Coach having spent 7 seasons in France playing for Lille Metropole Rugby. Previously to playing in France he was a professional player at Coventry RFC competing in the 2nd tier of English Rugby. He is an ex-student at Hartpury and studied at the University of West England where he achieved a BSc in Sports Conditioning and Coaching. He also represented England U18 and England Students.

Ricky made an immediate impact both on and off the field with his wealth of experience and has led from the front in many games with his work rate and tackle count. He is a steadying influence for the players on the pitch which is something Burton have been lacking over previous seasons and it is good to have him in the think of the action especially in those tight games. He had the respect of the players from day 1 and they are enjoying his coaching style and way he and his family have brought into the club. A lot of the good things that have happened over this season and the culture Burton are trying to create has come from Ricky.

It is not only the senior players who have benefited from the New Player/Head Coach. As part of his role it was a requirement for him to develop the clubs links with the local community, schools and colleges. He has successfully ran a Kids coaching camp at Burton with another planned for the Easter holidays and he attends junior coaching night on Wednesday evenings to pass on his knowledge to the junior teams. He is has also worked with the Junior girls, Colts and regularly seen on a Sunday morning with the Minis (U6 to u12) on the Ox Hay providing support and encouragement.

We are also pleased to announce that we will also retain attack and skills coach, Tom Barlow. Tom has been with the club since 2011 and boasts a wealth of experience from his playing days, having turned out for professional sides Sale, Nottingham, Cornish Pirates, Plymouth Albion and Rotherham. As with this season Tom’s main area of responsibility will be improving the core skills of all the players as well as providing match day support.

To complement our new coaching team Burton have also benefitted from guest coaches who can provide a different voice and also provide specialized coaching for particular positions and areas of the game. In pre-season Alex Gray (Ex Lichfield Head Coach) led a few sessions before the arrival of Coach Whitehall and Leicester Tigers and Argentina legend Marcus Ayerza has delivered a scrummaging session to the senior players. Before the end of the season JJ Hanrahan (Northampton Saints), Antony Allen (Leicester Tigers) and Craig Newby (Otago, Leicester Tigers and All Blacks) will attend senior training sessions to share their knowledge and rugby experience.