Goole Vikings head coach Scott Taylor explains the swift turn of events which led to his drafting into rugby league’s latest new arrival.
THE latest name to stake their claim on the cut-throat battlefields of the professional game is Goole Vikings.
Next season will see them begin life in League One, alongside a £7million redevelopment of their Victoria Pleasure Ground home.
Former Hull FC CEO and club consultant James Clark, alongside chairman Mark Richardson, have spearheaded this voyage – with head coach and former England international Scott Taylor embarking on a fresh chapter of his own.
“I’d finished my testimonial year, with Hull FC in 2023, at 33, and I knew I wanted to go into coaching,” Taylor told Rugby League World. “I had a few months away and I realised how much I missed the game, so I started getting my name around and applying for coaching jobs.
“A few opportunities came up and I was offered a couple of jobs, including one in rugby union, but it was never about the financial side of things.
“It’s about what was best for my career and my passion for my development, and now I can go in as a head coach and back myself – rather than be an assistant or a coach in Super League or Championship.
“A few of my old teammates and ex-coaches have told me that I’m mad and bonkers, and it’s very like me to jump in at the deep end as a head coach for a new team.
“But when I was introduced to Mark, when he was in the closing stages of the application for League One, I could tell he was a great bloke.
“During the meetings, he explained the 20km radius around Goole, with 350,000 people and no professional sports team. Goole is a real untapped area right in the middle of rugby league central.
“I knew, that there wasn’t going to be a huge budget and I knew the expectations and potential the project had.
“After sitting down with him and James and seeing the plans, the fire in my belly really started.”
With the club being formally accepted in September, pipping Bedford Tigers and Anglian Vipers to the coveted spot in the third-tier, a weight of responsibility was placed on Taylor’s shoulders to step up and tackle all manner of questions that were thrown his way.
“I’ve been non-stop,” Taylor explained. “I’ve been putting a lot of effort into every aspect of the club.
“It’s been more of a job, but my assistant (Kevin Marshall) has epitomised the tough, working spirit of the town, and I knew I needed to keep him on board, but beyond that I have had to really muck in.
“My mindset is now, and has to be, if I want something – I will go out and get it myself.
“I think it will put me in unbelievable stead for the future. I’m not at that level where you have people running around for you, and I’m getting the experience of a real full-time all-in role.”
The step up to the professional ranks will be a test for Taylor – who coached amateur side Beverley ARLFC from the Yorkshire League to the National Conference League Two.
That experience, along with his own contact book from his playing career and the endless expressions of interest – made quickly assembling 25 troops for the upcoming campaign somewhat easier.
A squad which now boasts two England internationals in Taylor’s ex-Hull FC teammate Jamie Shaul and Super League stalwart Brett Ferres.
Add in the ex-Hull KR trio of Thomas Minns, Josh Guzdek and Alex Holdstock, a raft of recent Super League Academy starlets and a sprinkling of local amateur talent – and the squad has taken shape.
“Normally, when you go into a club as coach you wouldn’t want certain players and staff and would look to move them on, but this was my chance to do it all fresh,” Taylor said.
“We’ve got some experienced names with points to prove or looking for one last hit out and then a lot of younger lads who want to make a name for themselves. We worked hard to get the balance.
“Every player I have signed I have either played with, trained with, or I have very good accounts of from people I trust, about them. We wanted everyone involved to be involved for the right reasons.
“Half of the players we’ve signed don’t want to be at Goole in five years and I don’t want them to be. I want them to kick on and get back into Super League.
“I won’t have done my job right, as a coach, if some of them don’t. That’s one of my big objectives, I want what’s best for them.
“You would not believe the number of direct messages I’ve had on social media from potential players. It’s hard to give 50 players trials because we’re trying to build things the right way, sustainably.
“What we have been doing is telling players to let us know when and where they’re playing and doing our best to go out and watch them. We’ve had people messaging to volunteer as scouts, as well, so hopefully we can make the most of a huge network of existing players out there.”
That sentiment will not, at this stage, extend to a dual-registration agreement with any other club, as the Vikings are invested in building a self-sufficient playing model.
“We don’t want to dual-register with anyone,” Taylor confirmed.
“If I’m short in a certain position or I like the look of a player who’s not getting game time, we’re allowed five players on loan.
“If you’re in a dual-registration with a club I think you can get tied to that club too much, and also get a few players sent over that might be expected to play. We’re going to have an amateur set-up, as well, and I want that pathway to be clear.
“I’ve signed players for Goole and they trust me that they are going to play for Goole. I don’t think it would be very fair to rely on dual-registration from the outset.
“If we feel we might have to use it down the line, we can have those conversations. I want the relationship with Hull FC, Hull KR, Castleford, Wakefield, and all the professional clubs, to be co-operative and strong.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 503 (December 2024)
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