General Manager Q&A 2016

Wed Jan 13 2016

Everyone knows that the Rams’ 2016 season preparations are well underway, and we decided to sit down and have a little chat with the Yorkshire Rams General Manager, Adam Cowley, and ask him some questions about the upcoming year:

How are things going so far this year?

If I said we were looking good; this would be an understatement. This year the committee set a 5 year plan, and even though we are only around 3 months into that plan, we are miles ahead of schedule. A lot of hard work is being done behind the scenes. The infrastructure of the club is strong and it just keeps on building and getting stronger. As the GM of the club, at this stage I’m very happy and excited for 2016

Are there any changes this year?

Every year there are changes both big and small, and this year is no different. I make a point of never revealing anything until plans are 100% confirmed, and we are in the process of some big changes so I’ll keep this very vague. One big change is the junior and youth set up. New Junior Manager Stephen Smith who will lead them, and a breakaway at junior level from the Pennine Panthers: this means a lot of time and recruitment hours are being spent on securing the future of the club at that level.

So what can we expect to see?

You can expect to see a much more professionally run club. Importantly there will be more value for money for players and a better gameday experience for supporters who follow us through thick and thin. A return of the RAMILY day, which was a huge success last year, and will be even bigger this year, to celebrate 30th year of the Rams organisation.

What’s happening with the coaching staff?

Coaching is an area in which we are excelling. We have managed to recruit a number of non-playing coaches and have many players with level 1 coaching certificates and experience of coaching in the university leagues. We are also setting up a coaches improvement programme and committing to not just getting more coaches but improving and training the coaches we have to a higher level.

Is there any more you’re willing to tell us now?

The club last year went through a transition stage. The Seniors goal was to survive and build this year. Somehow we managed to do both last year. We’re going into this season with the majority of last year’s squad, which now has a years experience playing together and key names returning to the squad. Names like Alex Hughes (2014 Offensive MVP) and Andrew Cheeseman, a coverage mismatch, will only add to the squad in numbers, experience, athleticism and morale. This is all before we have our rookie class, which if anything like last year, is going to be outstanding.

What do you expect to see at the club this year?

As I said before, I’m not going to say anything about something that hasn’t had a signature put to it yet but expect some new sponsorship deals which will bring some much needed funds to the club. Expect a huge leap in game day experience for both players and supporters. Our Youth and Junior programme will flourish into playoff potential teams. The Seniors this year have one goal and it’s simply “Win It All”. That said we will be looking to push the clubs forward in all aspects.

Our thanks go to General Manager Cowley for taking the time to speak to join us for this Q&A.