In partnership with North Wales Crusaders Supporters Trust, North Wales Crusaders and the Foundation we are pleased to announce that Community Development Officer Jonathan Burgess has now accepted a full-time position. The vision has been to turn this role into a full-time position and we are now able to confirm this. Jonathan has been with the Foundation since January in a part-time capacity and has made an excellent impact in developing the growth of Rugby League in North Wales.
Nick Settle, Head of North Wales Crusaders Foundation is delighted to have Jonathan working full-time to develop the sport in North Wales and said: "Jonathan's delivery has been outstanding and he is an excellent addition to the foundation. He has been able to make a quick impact with his local knowledge and coaching experience.”
“In addition, he has a real passion for rugby league and has the desire and drive to make things happen. This is a great combination to make the role successful and raises the profile of rugby league and our organisations in the local area. This additional investment from the supporters trust will only benefit both club and foundation.”
Jonathan is excited to take on this expanded role and said: "I'm over the moon to have an opportunity to become full-time in a role I love so much. Rugby League is a great passion of mine and I really enjoy engaging with new people and community groups".
CEO Andy Mousdale is pleased to see the long term goal of having a full-time development officer come to fruition and said: “This is a really positive step into building the foundations of the next generation of rugby league in North Wales.
“The work that has been done by Nick and the foundation has been a real positive in the last 12 months. Having Jonathan full time will enable the club to reach more people and develop participation and engagement with schools and communities across North Wales.”
Jonathan's recent projects include the following:
1. Creating junior Rugby League hubs across four counties in North Wales that are growing week by week with 60 children across our hubs.
2. Walking Rugby has a good group of ten that come each week and have great fun!
3. Girls development project- This project started last week at Myddelton College and Ysgol Glan Clwyd and has so far included over 100 girls. Jonathan will see further high schools before half term which will feed into our girl's development sessions starting in June.
4. Primary school Rugby League taster sessions- These have got off to a great start and Jonathan will be visiting over 20 schools before our next home game of the season. The sessions have reached over 3,500 children with junior memberships and family discount tickets. This will drive the next generation of Crusaders fans and increase our fan base for years to come.