The Blue Army has ask new head coach Tim Rumford some questions,

BA = Blue Army
TR = Tim Rumford

BA = Full name and nickname if you have one ?
TR = Tim Rumford - (timmy)

BA = How long have you been in Rugby League ?
TR = 0ver 15 years professionally ,I been involved in the game since I was a lad. John Kear (ex hull ,Wakefield and England . current Batley & Wales coach) was my primary school teacher. He got me into Rugby League at 10 years old !

BA =Who have you played and coached in Rugby League ?
TR = I played for Castleford Lock lane in the conference league. I also had 2 spells at York, played for Castleford A team/u21s and had a short stint at Hunslet. I started out as a community coach with Halifax ,before joining Castleford as a scholarship coach. I then progressed through the clubs development system to scholarship manager. I worked within the RFL pathway as a service area coach and on Regional camps. I moved onto become player performance manager at Castleford Tigers and Academy head coach. I am currently the foundation manager at Castleford Tigers. I spent a season as assistant coach at Gateshead and more recently as head coach of Heworth (York) in the National conference league.

BA = Do you like playing/coaching or watching ?
TR = Both , but the body says its time to watch. I really enjoy coaching rugby league. I enjoy watching the game at all levels. My son plays u12's rugby league in Castleford and I've seen some cracking matches at that level too.

BA = What is your best moment in Rugby League ?
TR = Probably coaching Castleford 18s academy , we had some really big wins against teams like Bradford (who had the burgess twins playing) and St Helens who always had great academy teams.

BA = What is your funniest moment in Rugby League ?
TR = Playing at York in a division play off V hull .... the club decided to jazz things up by setting fire works off as the teams came onto the pitch. one of the fireworks dropped straight from the sky down the back of my shirt. That's the quickest I ever moved in a York shirt !!!

BA = What do you think of Rugby League in the south ?
TR = I think there is some great work being done and its a very exciting time for the game and the fans in the south. The broncos are now in the right place for them to grow without the pressures of superleague. For the championship 1 sides like ourselves its a great opportunity to establish the game in development areas.

BA = Why did you become head coach at ORL ?
TR = The chance to be part of an up and coming club in such a famous sporting area and the challenge of working with players who are relatively new to the game were two big attractions for me. Once I had spoken to the board I could see we were all on the same page and I feel its a great opportunity.

BA = What is it like working for the ORL?
TR = So far so good, its been mainly organisational work for the last few weeks, speaking to players and the backroom team to ensure we are all familiar with each others methods. I have found all the players, staff and directors very welcoming and supportive. I look forward to meeting more of the clubs supporters in next few weeks, I've heard good things about the blue army from the boys !

BA = Do you think the club are right in the way they pick most players from the south (like last season) ?
TR = Yes. In my opinion the club should have a focus on developing the players from the south. Bringing a team of players from up north or overseas would defeat the object. Of course during the early years there will be a need to bring a handful of "out of area" players into the club in order to supplement the development of the squad, But we will work hard to make sure these players are right for Oxford RL.

BA = Were do you see the ORL in the next 5 year ?
TR = As a club who are punching its weight and challenging the "established" championship clubs week in week out.

BA =Do you think you can help raise the profile of the ORL ?
TR = Yes , I like attractive rugby and I always coach that way, so fans should enjoy watching us ! I'm also interested in the community aspect of the club and I understand how important that area of the club is in terms of raising awareness.
Being involved at Castleford Tigers I've had a lot of chats with fans up there asking about Oxford RL too.

BA = Can you tell us 5 things about the Club ?
TR = 1, Ryan Cousins (team manager) attends more live sports events than Barry Hearn
2, Ash Browns hair is meant to look like that !
3, Jordan Andrade carried the challenge cup out at Wembley for the 2014 cup final.
4, Bulldog is the loudest fan in Rugby league (that's what I've been told)
5, The early bird season ticket offer ends 9th Jan !!!!

BA = What would you like from the ORL Blue Army (supporters club) ?
TR = Your support , there's going to be ups and downs , we all know that ! A strong and vocal set of supporters can make a big difference to the boys on the field. I've already heard that you guys know how to get behind the lads !!

BA = Is there anything you would like to say to the Club, the player and are supporter ?
TR = Thanks for making me welcome. There's a lot of hard work to be done before the season starts and with plenty of new players coming (and a new coach) its going to add to the challenge. We will meet that challenge together and we look forward to making the Blue army proud of your Rugby league Team !

Thank you for your time Tim
The Blue Army are so looking forward to 2015 season.

COYB's