Steve Morton wants to stay involved in rugby league after retiring from playing. With help from Leeds City Council and Leeds Rhinos, he started volunteering to help condition younger players. He has now been volunteering with Hunslet Hawks for three years, helping with conditioning even though he lacks formal qualifications. He enjoys volunteering because he likes seeing the players improve and the team's success, and wants to continue learning from qualified coaches.

1. i Volunteer Leeds
Steve Morton
Rugby
League
DEDICATED Steve Morton’s a
servant to best game in the world

2. i Volunteer Leeds
Steve Morton
Rugby
League
“Steve
Morton
writes
I am on the back end of my
playing career and I want to
do something to keep me in
rugby.
I am not a coach but I liked
the fitness side to it and
wanted to learn what it
takes to be a conditioner
fitness coach even though
I have no training or could
afford to take a course out on
this subject.

3. i Volunteer Leeds
Steve Morton
Rugby
League
But with the help of the Leeds City Council Black Minorites
and Ethnics group and my friend at Leeds Rhinos – Jonny
Wainhouse , who works for Leeds Rugby Foundation – I
was invited to help out with their scholarship team 16s to
watch, learn and help them develop into stronger fitter
players.

4. i Volunteer Leeds
Steve Morton
Rugby
League
I stayed there for two seasons but, due to no formal qualifications and new staff
from universities being trained, there was no place for me. Then my mate Jonny
got an assistant coaching job at Hunslet Hawks and they used a conditioner from
the Rhinos to condition the players. I asked if I could come down and help out as I
knew him.

5. i Volunteer Leeds
Steve Morton
Rugby
League
But the week I was meant to start the conditioner
left so I thought not again it’s going to fall threw but
Hunslet asked if I could still come down and help out in
some way, and have been there ever since.
This is my third year here and they have been
promoted into the Championship where they will be
playing the likes of Bradford and London and hopefully
they will get a fully qualified conditioner in place who
I can learn from and share his knowledge.
And not forgetting...
Steve, as you can see from his
photographs, is also an amateur
rugby league player of some repute.
In 2014, he was named BARLA*
international vets player of the year.
*British Amateur Rugby League Association

6. i Volunteer Leeds
Steve Morton
Rugby
League
I do all this as a volunteer because
I enjoy it so much: seeing all the
hard work of the players on the
training pitch and gym, then
bearing fruit by winning two cups
last year.
I also volunteered at the 2013
World Cup – helping out at
Headingley for the Scotland and
New Zealand game, seeing the
likes of Sonny Bill Williams show
of his skills on the pitch.
Thank you
So, I would like to
thank Hunslet Hawks
and Leeds Rhinos
for giving me the
opportunity to help
out and keep involved
in the best game in
the world. I would also
like to thank Leeds City
Council’s BME Group
too for all the help they
have given me.