OF all the individual accolades presented at the National Conference League’s annual bash, perhaps the hardest-earned is that for secretary of the year.
The competition is, not to put too fine a point on it, intense.
Those who are behind the scenes at clubs in the amateur game’s flagship league invariably know their onions through and through and bring a huge amount of professionalism to their respective outfit, to the competition as a whole, and to grassroots Rugby League.
They also bring to the table their sheer love of their club and for the sport, a quality which is not always evident at so-called higher levels.
The current recipient of the award is Dewsbury Moor Maroons’ Christian Floyd, who was duly feted at the NCL luncheon at Old Trafford cricket ground in October.
It’s probably no coincidence that the Maroons secured promotion to the Premier Division last season and, with Floyd now six years into the role and ensuring as much as is possible that off-field matters run smoothly, it would be no surprise if the Heckmondwike Road outfit do rather more than simply consolidate when the next campaign launches in early March.
Crucially, Floyd is able to accept phone calls and deal with emails during the day at his office, so that the myriad of matters affecting an amateur Rugby League club can be dealt with quickly, rather than be left until the evening or the next day.
Having cut his teeth with the Maroons’ open-age team a shade over a decade ago, dealing with a whole range of duties including kit management and filling the water bottles, he took over from Allan Samme as open-age secretary.
He had already been weened into the role – which in the NCL involves, rightly, many stringent requirements – but he readily admits: “It probably took me a year or so to properly bed in, and I’ll always be grateful for the support and assistance that Allan and members of our committee, including chairman Peter Charlesworth, gave me.
“It was a steep learning curve but once you’ve been round the block it seems to become easier, not least because secretaries of other clubs – and centrally, Conference administrator Alan Smith, who could not be more helpful – are so hugely supportive.
“There’s a tremendous camaraderie among us all, in fact you really do forge many friendships, which sums up Rugby League really. It’s a hard game on the field, but everyone works together off it.”
That’s very much the philosophy at Dewsbury Moor, Floyd revealing: “We already have more than 50 players signed on for next season and we carry the very strong motto that, once having signed, everyone is in it together.
“You have to be part of the team, and anyone who isn’t willing to be that needn’t sign in the first place.”
All the players at Dewsbury Moor can expect to be kept in the loop on all agreed-upon matters, since Floyd is a great believer in keeping everyone as fully informed as is possible, rather than have ‘news’ (or, perhaps more accurately, Chinese whispers) emerge in an often ill-informed way through social media.
“That’s so important,” he insists. “I get all information out, including rule changes and the like, as soon as I can.
“We have so much to enthuse about at Dewsbury Moor where, after having recently built a new toilet block and a café, we are starting on new changing rooms.
“As a members’ club, with one-member, one-vote, we are able to tell everyone that the proceeds from every pint bought at the bar are pumped back into the Maroons, for everyone’s benefit. That will always be the case.
“And we have a committee with a wide age range, from young to old and everywhere between.”
