Hull FC have partnered with Humberside Police to give first-team and academy players the chance to join the force at the end of the rugby league careers.
Rugby League players have been identified as potential future police officers by the forces, whether it be at the end of their playing days, or if they choose to follow a different career path after their time in the Hull FC Centre of Excellence.
Key attributes, including being well disciplined, a strong team ethic, and physical fitness are shared between both professions.
The partnership is thought to be the first of its kind in the country between a police force and a professional sports club.
The initiative is being led Inspector Dave Dosdale, from Humberside Police’s Professional Standards department.
Insp Dosdale has a personal passion for rugby league, playing for both Hull Warriors Masters and Great Britain Police. He has also previously worked on a voluntary basis for Hull FC, having supported the Black & Whites for over 40 years.
Insp Dosdale established the partnership primarily as a recruitment avenue for the force, but he is also one of the club’s academy welfare and leadership mentors, utilising his wealth of experience to support and guide young players who do not make it as professionals, as well as those who face the uncertainty of their careers drawing to a close.
“It’s two-pronged,” said Insp Dosdale. “It’s about managing their expectations, but also asking them if they’ve ever thought about a career in the police and offering them that opportunity.
“A lot of them are very much the sort of people who we would be interested in – they’re disciplined, they’re fit, they’ve got a team ethic and the vast majority of them would integrate well into the police.
“We’ve had a big recruitment drive over the last 18 months to two years and that’s going to continue as people retire. We’re always needing to replace officers.”
Insp Dosale, one of a number of mentors involved with Hull FC youth programmes, has met academy players, parents and guardians, as well as delivering workshops for the first-team squad.
“Some of the younger players are obviously hoping to make it as professional rugby players, but the some of them won’t and it’s about supporting them to deal with that disappointment,” he said.
“I’ve also been talking to players coming towards the end of their playing careers, as some of them are wondering what they’re going to do next.
“There are a number of individuals I’m talking to who are interested. It helps them, career-wise, and it helps us in terms of bringing people into the organisation who would be a good fit.
“We have quite a young workforce when it comes to frontline officers, so we’d also like to attract people who have a bit more life experience as well. I didn’t join the police until I was 35, so I can speak from experience.”
Insp Dosdale is the Force Lead for Age, tasked with addressing age-related issues that impact on Humberside Police, both internally and externally.
He has also been a hostage and crisis negotiator for 12 years and has a deep understanding of issues relating to mental health.
“I wanted to get out in the community and look at what we can do to support young individuals from a sporting environment who may need to deal with not making it as a professional sports star,” said Insp Dosdale.
“I know a lot of the staff at Hull FC, so I thought it was a good opportunity to get in there and speak to them about how we can help manage the expectations of some of the younger players and offer them an alternative career.
“I go into the academy and talk to them about managing their own mental health welfare, looking after their colleagues and spotting the signs when someone is struggling.”
Insp Dosdale has been contacted by other forces across the country to find out more about the partnership and said the current arrangement is “just the start”.
“It’s something we’d like to roll out to other sporting organisations,” he said.
“The aim is to expand to the Hull FC Women and Physical Disability teams as well, along with other clubs.
“It had to start somewhere, but we want to widen it out because we’re an inclusive organisation.”
Hull FC have placed a key emphasis on the youth pathway, including a significant investment into new facilities at the University of Hull with a new £1.3 million facility.
Humberside Police are also utilising the club’s community facilities for officer training, as part of a growing relationship between both organisations.
Hull FC Chief Executive, James Clark, believes the partnership will be invaluable to the club and its players.
“We are extremely grateful to Dave for his work in this area, he is a real asset for us, and it is already having a notable impact as we look to align both organisations.
“The welfare of our players is paramount, at all ages, and our Centre of Excellence is about far more than just producing good young rugby league players.
“We are nurturing them as young men and women, as role models for the club and the community and to create the best possible opportunities for them in later life – which may not just be within rugby league.
“Humberside Police can now provide with another exit route, alongside our other stakeholders and the University of Hull, helping us deliver an unrivalled experience for our players.”
He continued, “The qualities and characteristics we’re striving for from our players and staff within our environment are well matched to a career with the police force, and we’re really encouraged to see where this partnership can take us.”
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