Mentor Mayhew nurturing next generation of sporting talent
Newcastle Falcons’ Richard Mayhew has recently taken up a new role as a personal trainer with the Storm Fitness Young Athlete Development Academy (YADA).
A long-term partner of Newcastle Falcons, Storm Fitness launched YADA two years ago to provide a training centre for aspiring athletes across all sports.
Back row Mayhew links up with former Falcon Spencer Davey, himself a personal trainer and co-founder of the Storm Fitness YADA alongside ex Samoan international Lome Fa’atau.
Mayhew, 29, said: “I really enjoy training and am passionate about helping young athletes so this was a natural move for me. It’s great to be able to help develop and train young and aspiring athletes and to act as a mentor for them.
“Spencer and I have both been there ourselves so it’s good to be able to provide those young athletes with the right guidance and development.”
The Storm Fitness YADA works with young athletes across a range of sports, including rugby, to help develop talents while also maximising performance and showing them how to train properly to avoid injury.
Speaking of the YADA, Spencer said: “Compared to when we were coming up through the ranks there is a huge amount of information about training and nutrition that’s readily available. This is both a good and a bad thing; young athletes need to learn to sift through the information out there and focus on the things that will improve their athletic performance.
“It’s our role to not only coach but educate and mentor these young Stormers and keep them on track to a future in elite sport.”
The journey towards Mayhew’s new role has been made possible with support from the Rugby Player’s Association (RPA) and their focus on post-career planning.
Mayhew explained: “I love playing rugby but we all know that professional rugby isn’t a long career so it’s always best to have one eye on the future. I’m very grateful to Mandy, our RPA representative, has given me a lot of guidance and support in working towards the qualifications necessary for this role, as I know she has to a lot of the other guys in different things that they’ve been working on.”
Mandy Thompson of the RPA said: ‘’Richard’s role with Storm Fitness required him to be committed to developing skills and securing the relevant qualifications, whilst balancing rugby and study. I’m incredibly proud of his dedication, passion for learning and commitment.
From our initial research, signing up to study for the qualification and employment, Richard has been driven and proactive. He deserves every success and his inevitable transition from rugby at some point in the future into his second career will be smoother due to his efforts right now.
“It’s never too early for players to start considering their career after rugby. The sooner areas of interest are identified and highlighted through engagement with the RPA Player Development Programme, the sooner players can be supported in planning for their future and researching additional available support to find the right kind of career to suit them.’’
For more information on the Storm Fitness YADA [click here][1] and for more information on the Rugby Players’ Association [click here][2].
[1]: http://storm-fitness.com/young-athlete-development-academy-yada/
[2]: http://therpa.co.uk/
