Former rugby league star details aim to get one million kids active every week
With a little help from his rugby league friends, Ryan Hudson is out to get a MILLION kids active each week.
It seems far-fetched but the former Castleford and Huddersfield hooker is already well on the way. After retiring in 2012, he helped launch Elite Kids Coaching in his native Yorkshire with former Great Britain international Danny Orr. And then Hudson linked up with dual-code England star Jason Robinson to deliver the PE Pro App which brings innovative and exciting new ways to engage students in exercise.
But the 44 year-old, who also has ex-Super League stars Wayne Godwin and Jamie Cording working with him, is ready to branch out further to inspire more children to get moving. Hudson, 44, said: “With those now, we’ve got 150 schools up and down the country, from Falmouth to Berwick-on-Tweed, helping across 50,000 kids per week.
“But the goal is to get to a million. That would be a legacy to say we've made a big impact and we're not just ticking boxes. Since I retired, our mission is to inspire a million kids per week through the power of sport, PE - and now education.”
Hudson, who made almost 300 Super League appearances, has started a new business called Elite Teaching Solutions to help schools further improve their PE provision. He explained: “Schools have been coming to us saying they have been paying a fortune for supply teachers and getting poor quality.
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“So in January we're launching Elite Teaching Solutions and supplying TAs, special education needs and teachers. We've already got an army of 50 PE specialists in schools. We want kids to enjoy PE and it's about inspiring the next generation.”
Ryan Hudson in action for Huddersfield Giants in 2008 (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images) (Getty Images)To continue the rugby league theme, current Featherstone Rovers player Luke Cooper is the firm’s head of recruitment. Hudson, who captained Yorkshire and thrives mentoring others, added: “With rugby league players, they already have that confidence, personality and understanding of team morale.
“It's about being a role model. We want to recruit those teachers who want to make a difference and not just tick boxes. We know a lot of teachers are leaving education because of the pressures involved, taking work home with them. But with the supply work, people can get in there, do the job and get away while not having all those pressures. We can help schools save money and gain quality supply work so it's a win a win.”
Ryan Hudson, left, and Luke Cooper have linked up in a new business venture (Credit Matthew Merrick) (Matthew Merrick)In the battle against obesity, Hudson added: “Some kids are only getting one or two hours per week of PE and that's the only activity they’re getting. They're on iPads and screens and not outside climbing trees so it's massive, when they do PE, they get an experience so they enjoy being active.”
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