HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS aim to be one of Super League’s leaders in player wellbeing after bringing a leading figure in that field back to the club.

Steve Hardisty spent a decade with Huddersfield, first as player performance manager and then in the role of welfare and education manager.

He left at the end of 2021 to join the independent charity Rugby League Cares, which supports current, former and future players through a range of programmes.

His role there involved designing and implementing their wellbeing strategy for the professional game as a whole.

Hardisty, who has also worked with the RFL as a welfare officer for England squads, has now returned to Huddersfield in the position of ‘organisational wellbeing coach’, supporting players and staff across the whole club.

Giants director of rugby Andy Kelly explained: “I’m sure that everybody will benefit from his presence back at the club.

“We’re exited to see how the wellbeing and welfare provision for the club continues to evolve.

“We believe that, in bringing Steve on board, we can be one of the groundbreaking clubs with regard to welfare and the mental wellbeing of all of our staff and players.”

Hardisty said: “I am thoroughly grateful for the opportunity to return back to the club and influence positive change by implementing a game-leading strategy which is embedded at all levels of the organisation.

“Wellbeing is a prerequisite for performance of all kinds. When we are feeling good and functioning well as human beings, we have more capacity and range to flourish in all aspects of our lives.

“In the context of athletes, this translates to them moving towards their potential and consistently being the very best versions of themselves on the field.

“Therefore, in this sense, whole-person wellbeing can be a true enabler of consistent high performance.”