Haydn Walker
Haydn is one of Rugby Leagues most respected player and coach developers. For over twenty five years he has worked with and nurtured many of the game’s elite players as youngsters.
He began his career in 1984 by founding the Orrell St James club in Wigan. Here he quickly developed a reputation for player development most famously taking a ten year old novice player and making him the youngest ever under 16s international at age 14. That player was Andrew Farrell who moved on to be the greatest player of his generation and also a dual code international.
Walkers work saw him offered a position at the famous Wigan club, and in his first year he worked with two future dual internationals in Jason Robinson and BJ Mather. He went on to work with many future internationals over the next two years including League legends Kris Radlinski and Sean Long, along with future Scotland RU international Andy Craig.
Throughout this period he also coached at representative level and many future stars also had the benefit of his development skills. Those include Iestyn Harris, Paul Deacon, Keiron Cunningham and Kevin Sinfield.
In 2001 he be began work with Mike Ford at Oldham helping Mike take a team from dead last to a Grand Final, while at the same putting together player development structures withinin the club.
He moved to a full time position at the RFL in 2004 as Coach Development Manager and has been instrumental in putting in place world leading programmes. Recognition of this came in 2008 when at the prestigious UK Coaching Awards he received the runners up prize for the innovative Cub Play project.
His current role at the role RFL as Talent and Coach Manager again see’s him move more towards the role of player development for which he first developed his reputation.
