Leeds Tykes to focus on the human first as part of club re-set
As part of Leeds Tykes’ return to its roots, Director of Rugby Phil Davies has started working with Beyond The White Line to develop a crucially important human first mentality within the Club, to support its talent both on and off the field.
Beyond The White Line, the organisation driving sporting change in the UK, has confirmed its partnership with the new-look Leeds Tykes outfit to help break down barriers and place the human before the athlete.
Former Welsh international Davies, who shares a strong passion for the work Beyond The White Line does, believes that this partnership will support Leeds Tykes’ players on and off the pitch and is a crucial part of the Club’s new direction.
The partnership, which is part of Tykes’ exciting rebrand back to the Club’s original name, will see Beyond The White Line assist the Club’s players through education, career transition, wealth management and mental health.
Davies was initially Leeds Tykes DOR from 1996 to 2006 and hopes that delivering a holistic approach to the players with an increased focus to off the pitch development can help to deliver results on the field, as well as throughout the organisation.
The Leeds Tykes Director of Rugby said:
“We want this to be a part of our philosophy going forward. We have taken time to re-set the Club following relegation and have focused on going back to our roots. This includes a specific focus on partnerships to ensure we work with the right people as part of our development, so getting to work with James and Beyond the White Line is so important to us.
“For me, at the moment, it’s vital that Leeds and Yorkshire can see a positive reset with a clear direction for the Club. When we start performing well and getting some positive results, they will hopefully see the benefits of important partnerships like this.”
James Chiffi, who founded Beyond The White Line in 2019, added:
“What I admire about Phil and everyone at Leeds is their progressive attitude. Through this partnership, we are looking at building some education pieces together, working with a number of third parties to do amazing things within the sport.
“This is all made possible thanks to the fact that Leeds Tykes is a progressive thinking organisation, that wants to do more. They understand the importance of the wellbeing of athletes mentally, physically and in terms of their education and career.
“Phil completely appreciates the impact this has on athletes and how a positive mental wellbeing and support structure off the pitch can positively impact player performance on the pitch.
“Athletes are expected to do the right thing on the training ground and there’s a lot of pressure on them to perform well. That’s where the sports industry falls down, by not supporting talent off the field. Phil and Leeds are looking to change this with us.”
