Gary Had a Dream

With the encouragement of his wife Kath, Gary Hetherington, who was at that time playing for and also captain of Huddersfield applied for the vacancy that had arisen at York. In his career to that date, he had played for a number of professional rugby league clubs including, Wakefield, Leeds and York. He was also instrumental in founding the Rugby League Professional Players Association which often brought himself into conflict with the rugby league establishment. 

Kath was equally no stranger to the game, coming from a typical rugby league family in Featherstone. All three of her brothers had played professional rugby league and one of them, Steve Cooper, would become the first captain of the Eagles, playing in the opening game against Rochdale Hornets.

Gary’s approach to the interview at York was to expound his own vision of what a coach’s job should entail and how a club should plan its future progress. This was rather than the more conventional approach that the interviewers were looking for - short term solutions to improve their lamentable position in the league. 

His vision was to create the right environment for players to succeed within a suitable time frame, normally over a period of several years. He believed that this was an essential requirement for the overall successful development of the club. For him, a successful club could not be solely measured by the success of the first team on the field alone, but also on how well it progressed to being an integral part of the overall development of Rugby League within the local area.

Gary Hetherington did not get the job, but his failure decided that for him coaching an existing club was not his route forward. His alternative was to seek to establish and manage a new club. Kath strongly supported Gary’s vision and played an equal role in creating and sustaining the club in its formative years.

The eighties had already witnessed an expansion of rugby league away from its heartlands to new areas of the country. Clubs had been established in London (Fulham), Carlisle, Cardiff and Kent. They all shared facilities with established football clubs, helping their partners to maximise the income from their largely unused stadiums. The Hetherington’s first decision was to decide where they were going to set up their new club.

Any new club needed to be established where there was potential for support, as well as have existing facilities for playing and spectating. It also needed to be within easy commuting distance of the M62 corridor where the majority of existing rugby league clubs operated, either professionally or in the amateur ranks. This would allow players to travel easily to training and home matches. it would also be relatively cheap to travel to away fixtures for any new club and its supporters.

Leicester was initially considered, as it had a rugby culture of its own, albeit in the union code, but it was Sheffield that eventually came into the frame. It was the fourth largest city in England, with a population of over half a million locally, but with a wider catchment area getting on for a million, albeit in competition with South Yorkshire’s other professional club, Doncaster. The Dons had been operational since 1951 yet had languished in the lower reaches of the professional divisions. The city was also located less than 40 miles from the West Yorkshire conurbation. It met the criteria in respect of ease of access for potential recruits and cheapness of travel for the majority of away fixtures. 

The city had a strong sporting tradition, the home of both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, who although at the time were languishing in the lower reaches of the Football League, had long histories of success in previous decades. Despite their current league positions, both clubs had large followings, with five figure spectator numbers at home games, regularly outdistancing those attendances of rival clubs in their respective divisions in which they played. If a partnership arrangement could be secured with either of these former giants, the potential for support, and the facilities available, would put any new rugby league club on a strong footing the Hetherington’s believed.

With the size of its industrial and commercial base, Sheffield also offered the potential for developing future significant sponsorship for the club, which was essential for the long term survival of any new venture.

Sheffield was viewed as a soccer stronghold by many locals. Many thought that it was unlikely that any new rugby league club would be a success in attracting spectators from the established clubs. History was on their side. There had been two previous attempts to establish semi-professional rugby league in the city, but both had failed. 

Other attempts to set up amateur Rugby League clubs had also not met with any success. Sheffield Concorde first played in August 1977, but only lasted a couple of seasons, whilst the Sheffield Club was set up in 1960, but had disbanded in 1983. The only outposts of the sport in the City were at the University, where a club had existed since 1977 and the Polytechnic, later to become Hallam University, which had been operational since the 1981-82 season.

When the Northern Rugby Union clubs split from the Rugby Union in 1895, to establish the roots of what was to become rugby League, there were two rugby union clubs in Sheffield. In the early twentieth century the Northern Union saw the potential of establishing the game in the city. In 1911 a Northern Union game between Yorkshire and Australia had been held at Bramall Lane that attracted over 4,000 spectators. Leading 13-9 early in the second half, Yorkshire were finally beaten by the Australian visitors, 33-13 at the final whistle.

By 1914, the Northern Union Committee approved a new Sheffield Northern Union Football Club, based in Heeley. They were going to play in the Northern Combination, a reserve team league which included Featherstone Rovers. The club managed to play five games, but they lost all five, scoring only 28 points whilst conceding 190. With many of their players being conscripted into the forces at the outbreak of the First World War, as well as a lack of funding, the club was unable to fulfil its fixtures. On 28th November 1914 they submitted their resignation from the competition. Rugby league’s initial attempt to break into Sheffield had only lasted a few months.

The next attempt occurred in the east end of the city. In 1922 the Darnall Rugby Union team were losing players to the Northern Union game, struggling with running costs and having to cancel games. They decided to switch to the Northern Union and were accepted on 27th April 1922 as the Sheffield Hornets RLFC.

Playing in the Yorkshire Senior Competition, which was a second grade league containing 15 teams, including the “A” teams from other established rugby league clubs – Featherstone Rovers, Halifax, Hull, Hull KR, Hunslet, Keighley, Leeds, Wakefield Trinity and York. Playing at the Darnall Wellington Cricket and Football club, they participated in the 1922/23 season. This season was a baptism of fire for the team, losing all 17 games played. By January 1923, they had only scored 91 points, but conceded 434. At one stage the club asked the Rugby League Council for financial support to recruit new players, which they did. Despite new players coming in, the results still went against the Hornets, albeit by much smaller margins.

As the season was coming to an end however, they managed to secure two draws in February 1923 against Keighley and Wyke, but they remained bottom of the league. March saw their first win, 25-2 against Pontefract, which was followed by an away victory at Sharlston, before drawing with top of the table Hull.

These results started to generate interest amongst the Sheffield public. Over 2,000 watched the home game against Hunslet on Easter Monday, which the Hornets lost 8-2. By the end of the season they had played 26, won 2, drawn 3 but lost 21, scoring 185 points, but conceding 351.

In an attempt to generate further interest in rugby league in Sheffield, a schools match between Hunslet and Wakefield was held in April, with schools from across the City invited to watch. As a result six schools in the city planned to take up rugby league.

As the new season dawned, the Hornets had to move to the Hyde Park Ground on Manor Road. The club had attracted new players and were looking forward to a season of progress. In a reduced league of 10 clubs, despite losing their opening two games, the next two fixtures resulted in a win and a draw. With the situation starting to look positive on the field of play, the club were hit by financial problems off it. Not enough income was being generated, which led to cancelled matches. New funding was sought, but none transpired. With the cancellation of the November fixture against Keighley, the club played no further matches. This meant that the Hornets closed down having only played 6 games, winning 3, drawing 1 and losing 2, scoring 60 points, conceding 71.

The fate of these two previous attempts to start a rugby league club in Sheffield were a salutary warning of what could transpire for any new fledgling adventure.

Gary Hetherington’s role as Chairman of the Players Union enabled him to make an important contact. The Union had been searching for a sponsor for the “Player of the Year” Trophy to be awarded at the time of the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final. That sponsor was Barrie Whitford, who had set up Telvista, a television production company, based in Leeds. He had a fascination for rugby league and had secured the rights to film the 1982 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain. Although the company struggled financially, the connection turned a doubtful bid to the Rugby Football League into a successful one.

Whitford was well known and respected at the RFL Council. He also added balance to Hetherington’s enthusiasm in discussions with Sheffield City Council and potential partners to host the new club on their premises. He made the initial contact with both Wednesday and United about potential ground sharing. It was Telvista who put together the business plan, promotional video and brochure, which were the key plank in winning over a majority of the Rugby League Council.

The new club did not possess the finances to build its own ground within the Sheffield area. So it had to seek to share a home with, preferably one of the city’s established football clubs. Both were approached, but enquiries never progressed with Wednesday. United were more receptive to the approach, with several meetings being held with their Chairman, Reg Brearly, who was initially in no doubt that an arrangement could be secured.

Bramall Lane was historically a famous mixed sports venue, having Yorkshire County Cricket club as a tenant for over a century. It was no stranger to rugby league having hosted the 1911 match between Yorkshire and the Australian tourists, but in front of only 2,000 spectators.

Looking like they had secured the all-important venue, and with a view to starting in the 1983-84 season, Gary Hetherington had already submitted an application to join the RFL’s Second Division, when out of the blue he was informed that the United Board would not allow the Sheffield club to have the use of their ground. No explanation was given, but it was suspected that concern had been raised by the United manager that the playing surface would be irreparably damaged by overuse by two different football codes. Rumours also circulated that the chairman of Rotherham United had offered to move his club to the Lane, which seemed a more complementary and financially rewarding partner. That move never transpired.

Without a ground, the plans were withdrawn and Hetherington joined Kent Invicta, the most southerly outpost of rugby league’s expansion, after buying himself out of his Huddersfield contract. This move enabled him to observe first-hand the problems and pitfalls that a new club had to overcome and what to avoid, particularly board room rows between directors when the club changed hands. He played for Kent for one season, before returning to the north. Invicta also moved to Southend, where they folded after another season. It was a useful lesson for Hetherington as it demonstrated that a new club could succeed and clearly highlighted the administrative errors that had to be avoided.

The search for a ground continued during his playing sojourn in Maidstone. Following the loss of Bramall Lane as a potential venue, Hetherington was approached by the manager of Owlerton Stadium to discuss the possibility of the club playing there. Leased from Sheffield City Council, the ground was not up to the same standard as the two football stadiums, but it had possibilities even with its basic facilities.

Opened in 1929 to accommodate Speedway, it later staged Greyhound racing three years later. But it had also been the venue for a variety of other sports over the years including roller skating, pony racing and even a baseball team. Whilst the terracing was basic, it boasted a bar area that ran the length of the pitch and would be a tremendous asset in attracting potential sponsors and their guests to games.

To secure the venue, the Hetherington’s had to secure the agreement of the City Council which had their own plans on how to upgrade the site. The Council were looking at how they could use sport as a key plank in the overall regeneration of the Sheffield area. The ultimate aim was to make it the “City of Sport”.

Initial correspondence was sent to the Chair of Recreation, Councillor Peter Price who gave a sympathetic hearing to the plans to play at Owlerton. He was keenly interested in the development aspect of the plan, initially focusing on schools and then expanding to all levels in the city. This fitted neatly with the City Council’s access aspirations.

To help the plan in a practical way, Price took a proposal to a full Council meeting to commit £30,000 to upgrade Owlerton. by improving the central grass area. This involved removing broken concrete, the legacy of the roller skating ring, and replacing the drainage. The corners where the speedway track cut into the in goal area where covered with mats. The result was to bring the playing surface up to rugby league standards. Once the bid had been accepted by the Rugby League Council, the City Council funded the removal of the low level speedway lights, install floodlights and created another changing room to improve the basic facilities for the teams. The upgrading of the ground, coupled with a guarantee that the new club would play there until 1995, was crucial to a successful application, as was their official support for the venture.

The Sheffield team presented their case to the Rugby League Council at their April meeting in 1984. There was also another presentation that day from another aspirant club, Mansfield Marksman. Acceptance was not a foregone conclusion, as certain members of the Council were becoming very nervous about the continued expansion of the game. Fulham had recently been rescued whilst Kent and Cardiff were in trouble and looking to change bases and names.

The Sheffield team, comprising Gary Hetherington, Barrie Whitford and Terry Sharman made their case. It was recognised as being the most professional of all the presentations made by expansion clubs that had been seen by the Council in the early eighties. It impressed the 29 members of the Council who were present, the majority of whom were persuaded to change their minds and vote the Sheffield club into the league. They secured over two thirds of the votes. The Mansfield bid received fewer votes, but equally secured a place in the league.

But conditions were attached to the acceptance, which had to be satisfied in the next fourteen days. There was concern over the playing area at Owlerton and whether it was of a satisfactory width and standard. Equally the suitability of the changing areas was queried and whether it could cope with the needs of visiting teams.

Liquidity was a further issue. The Council wanted assurances that the club had £50,000 in disposable cash which Barrie Whitford advised would be underwritten by Telvista. Finally the club had to lodge a £5,000 bond with the RFL to cover any financial debts the club may incur, if they got into the same financial difficulties as the other expansion clubs were experiencing. This could have proved to be the final stumbling block, as there was no further cash available. The Hetherington’s decided to take a personal risk of posting the bond from their own savings.

Having met these challenges, the Council also advised the club that they would not receive any monies from the RFL, worth £20,000, in their first operational season. Coupled with the subsequent announcement that their major backer, Telvista, was going into liquidation before a game had been played, the Sheffield team were looking to start their first season operating on a hand to mouth existence. Rather than withdraw, from the League, the Hetheringtons felt they were too far down the track to pull out.

Having secured the approval of the Rugby League Council, Hetherington had to now focus on putting a team together both on and off the field. They had four months to do it in.

Gary Hetherington’s first steps were to sign up his coaching staff for the forthcoming season in the Second Division. The first to be signed was Alan Rhodes as Sheffield’s new coach. After having had a successful career on the field, he had moved into coaching, with experience at both York and Doncaster. Rhodes had also worked closely with Hetherington in the Player’s Union. Stan Timmins, with six years backroom experience at Wakefield Trinity, was also brought in as conditioner / trainer.

Without the financial backing they had planned for, the club were unable to bring in the Championship players they had originally planned to make offers to. Using their extensive knowledge of the talent that existed in West Yorkshire’s amateur and youth rugby circles, coupled with their friends and contacts they had made during their playing careers, they set about creating a squad from scratch.

Any youngster they signed had to have maturity for their age, would accept the workload on and off the pitch and have the potential to learn. Their first signing who met these criteria was the 18 year old Daryll Powell from Redhill, who had been attracting interest from Hull KR. Guaranteeing regular first team appearances secured his signature, rather than the money that was on offer, which could not compare with what he would have received at Rovers.

The second signing was Mark Gamson who had played for Leeds Colts but had been asked to leave since they felt he was undisciplined. Next was Billy Harris, a veteran prop who had played with Hetherington and Rhodes at York, at a cost of a £300 signing on fee.

Hetherington used each signing as a vehicle to extract maximum publicity from the local media, the Sheffield Star and the Morning Telegraph, improving the profile of the club within the Sheffield area,

Ex-GB International Vince Farrar was signed up. After a lengthy career at the top of the professional game, the 37 year old was playing at the amateur level, when not on picket duty for the NUM during the 1984-5 Miners’ strike. Another striking miner, experienced prop Steve Cooper, brother of Kath Hetherington, was signed from Huddersfield for a £1,000. He brought with him a relative, Neil Cooper, a back from amateurs Wheldale.

The club’s biggest signing was Paul McDermott from York at a cost of £4,500. A proven try scorer, he had previous experience at Wakefield and French side Albi. Andy Tyers signed as full back. He had previously played for Doncaster in the 1983-84 season but did cost Sheffield a small fine from the RFL, due to a registration wrangle. The club also managed to secure the services of Dave Alred a former American Footballer, who had played for the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets, as a winger and goal kicker.

John Gregory, a local PE teacher, who had played for Featherstone in a couple of games during 1980-82, came out of retirement, whilst a couple of youngsters, Ian Jowitt from Hemsworth and Steve Harvey from Redhill, also put pen to paper. The last player was Gary Hetherington himself, who was to play as hooker.

Sheffield’s whole squad had cost £7,000 to recruit, whilst fellow newcomers, Mansfield Marksmen, had spent £35,000 to assemble their team.

Hetherington and Rhodes’ game plan was to create a very fit hard working side, playing an attacking brand of football through speeding the game up, a philosophy that still holds true to the present Sheffield squad of 2024.

Whilst the squad was being recruited, focus also had to be targeted on developing the off-field organisation. Most of them were volunteers who called Hetherington to offer their services. Stuart Sheard, a Rotherham head teacher, but who was also a leading light in West Yorkshire amateur Rugby League, was asked to spearhead the development of the game in the schools and community. Appointed as the Development Officer, he was the only one at the time in British rugby league, operating as an unpaid part timer, helping to grow the club’s community roots. Sheard’s other role was to arrange for the printing and design of the match programme.

Richard Pepper was another volunteer, who later became one of the club’s directors. An accountant by profession, he was asked to develop a supporters’ club whose focus was aimed not just a vehicle for the general fan but as a recruitment vehicle for key volunteers. He also became the club’s official match timekeeper.

A supporters meeting was organised at Owlerton as the season approached which was attended by 200 people. From the meeting a smaller select group were created who became the volunteer army that operated on match days, undertaking tasks such as providing catering, running the matchday lottery, operating the turnstiles, programme selling amongst many other tasks.

It was claimed that the use of volunteers by the club was the annual equivalent of a saving of £30,000 on vital services at home games, a welcome bonus when the club was operating on a shoestring budget.

A board of directors was established. Barry Whitford, Terry Sharman and Gary Hetherington who had driven forward the initiative to create the club, formed the nucleus and were joined by David Betts, who became Chairman, and the club doctor, Dr David Durie. Looking to the future Durie encapsulated what the new Sheffield club was all about.

In Sheffield it was common for all sporting teams to have a name, whatever the sport. The new club still had not decided what to call themselves. A competition was held in the Sheffield Star which, due to the cash prize involved, drew a healthy response. In June, the name Eagles was selected, and Darren Barker was the recipient of the cash prize and an autographed ball.

The club’s colours were unveiled at the August Board meeting. For their first season the Eagles would be playing in white with claret and gold shoulder facings and a stitched on black patch depicting an eagle.

The Eagles Board also decided to nominate Kath Hetherington to the Rugby League Council which in the game at that time was a radical move. She was not a Director, but her knowledge of the game well surpassed the collective knowledge of the then current Sheffield directors. Although the rules of the Council, written in 1895 did not preclude women serving, they were written at time when women were not expected to put themselves forward. The Council had been male dominated since its inception and it was expected that tradition and male prejudice would raise fundamental obstacles to the success of the nomination.

An attempt was made to exclude her from the meeting whilst the vote was taken on her membership status. She remained and, whilst a majority voted against the application, it did not reach the required two-thirds majority, so she won the vote and remained as a member of the Council. Kath was the first female member of the Council and was a trailblazer for the future development of the governing structure of the game.

As the new season approached there remained much still to do, the majority of which would be sorted as the new season progressed. Whilst the price of fixed membership of the vice president club had been set at £250 and club patrons at £100, the take up was low and would need to be focused on during the season. Likewise the recruitment of corporate sponsors. Season tickets had been set at £20 but had had limited uptake. There was a final flourish of publicity before matchday, including an appearance on the Saturday of the Sheffield Show in Hillsborough Park, which is just up the road from Owlerton.

Whether the Eagles would thrive and grow was dependant on how their first season developed. They could progress or suffer the fate of their predecessors. Only time would tell.

Ian Swain

With thanks to "Against the Odds" by Richard Pepper and John Cornwell