David Gent is a board member at Coachwise and the Director of Participation and Strategic Partnerships at the Rugby Football League (RFL).
Formerly Regional Director of Sport England (for the Yorkshire region), the 49-year-old father of two is charged with spreading the rugby league gospel and increasing participation at all levels of the sport. With a background in canoeing, working with local authorities, and sports administration and coaching, and with a lifelong passion for rugby league, this is a man who simply loves his job.
Coachwise (CW): The RFL has set you some stiff challenges, but in a nutshell, what do you see your role as being?
David Gent (DG): It's a long job title, but in a way, the role is very simple – my job is to get more people involved in this great game – men, women, boys, girls, wheelchair users, anyone! That's people playing, refereeing, coaching, just being involved. And a key part of that is getting youngsters involved.
(CW): How do you approach this? Rugby league isn't a sport you'd normally think of as being UK-wide.
(DG): The Champion Schools competition is the biggest competition in either code in the world. There were 30,000 secondary schoolchildren in that competition last season, and they are from schools all over the country, not just the 'heartlands' as some may assume. For example, we had a team from Essex in last year's final, beating sides from Castleford and Wigan along the way. Why is it played in so many state secondary schools? Simply put, it's a great game and very easy to play. We're working very well with schools throughout the UK, and the university side of the sport is increasing too.
(CW): Is there a secret for getting out into the communities?
(DG): Well, we have a huge advantage in that it's a sport people are very passionate about. We have a great network of development officers who work very, very hard, and also, there are a lot of enthusiasts around the country – in a way, they do our missionary work for us. We go into schools, we have connections with rugby union clubs, we work in the 'growth' areas. And because we are looking at a summer game here – in line with Super League – then it's fast, exciting, it's about handling skills and running, and it's great to play and watch. We have a presence in every county and are doing lots of work at local authority level.
(CW): Which are the other areas you're working to build?
(DG): The wheelchair game is very important, and is brilliant to take part in. Wheelchair rugby league looks just like rugby league but with tags for tackling. You have to pass backwards, there's a modified version of play, the ball has to be touched down past the line, and England became world champions in 2008. That was a real boost for the game here as a whole. The women's and girls’ games are growing too and are a real focus for us. Several thousand girls took part in the Champion Schools girls' competition, and if we introduce youngsters to the sport at a young age, then we have a chance of retaining them and growing the sport long term in the men's and women's games. This isn't a sport which you can really just 'decide' to take up in your mid-20s, you've got to really play as a youngster and get used to what you are doing.
(CW): But this becomes a game for life?
(DG): Oh, yes. Once you are playing, we want people to continue. There's the 'masters' version of the game, which is also growing well. It's for players over 35 and those in the various age categories are denoted by the colour of their shorts – the older players (60+), in gold shorts, are touch tackled. This game is great fun, and expanding tremendously. The oldest player we have is 81, and still going strong.
(CW): How do we say this nicely... How do you approach certain preconceptions which may have built up about the game's heritage?
(DG): It'd be foolish to deny rugby league has a strong northern image, and the game does have a strong core region, but to me, it's the Morrisons analogy. That is a northern-based store but operates strongly throughout the whole country. What is also helping the game is the shift towards it being more of a summer sport – it helps to get past that previous 'dark satanic mills' image.
(CW): So there's a lot of success, and thousands playing. However, we all know there are some massive challenges in society and sport. Which are the biggest you face?
(DG): Oh, there are plenty of challenges, and of course rugby league is certainly not immune from the wider economic challenges faced at the moment. Your typical participant is having a tough time, be that the individual or the club. But the other big challenge is to prosper when there's a strong culture of 'individual' leisure. So with evolution into nine-a-side games, summer sport played midweek – to take advantage of light nights – the game is always evolving. In fact, rugby league has always been good at innovating to meet the challenges it faces – just look at the formation of Super League and what that has done.
(CW): How else can the game evolve?
(DG): The administration of the game must keep moving and developing. We need to constantly look at new models to make the way the game works easier. The day of the 10- or 15-man committee may be long gone so we look at ways to keep moving forward. And that's the point – we're like the game itself, success comes when you keep running and moving forward. We are always going to get knocked, encounter setbacks, but rugby league simply won't be put down!
(CW): Is there a final goal in sight, when you can say 'I've done it’?
(DG): I've been here two years now, and find there's a phenomenal amount still to do. I think we've significantly moved the sport on, but there will always be a shedload of challenges, and that's the way it ought to be.
