Back Onside - building strength, stamina and fitness in a fun and friendly environment

Date published: 21 January 2019

The Rochdale Hornets Foundation hosted their first Back Onside session on Wednesday 16 January, with a superb turnout of over 20 men from all over Rochdale.

Mike Wood from Rochdale Hornets Foundation said: “We were encouraged to see so many new faces and a few old ones at Oulder Hill Leisure Centre and our coach Will Cook was on hand to put the boys through their paces, with passing, running and teamwork drills.

“The response after the event has been overwhelmingly positive, with many participants hailing their first exercise in years with, of course, a few tired bodies on Thursday morning.

“We were happy to see 21 men at our first session but there is always space for a few more.”

The free Back Onside scheme will continue every Wednesday night between 7.00pm and 8.00pm at Oulder Hill Leisure Centre for the next nine weeks, with men between 35 and 64 encouraged to come down and get involved, to build strength, stamina and fitness in a fun and friendly environment.

The scheme is an initiative of Rugby League Cares, along with Sport England and the National Lottery, who are helping to fund Back Onside.

Men who sign up to the National Lottery-funded Sport England initiative will be involved in 10 weekly fixtures lasting 60 minutes each that focus on multi-sports activities, including rugby and football, as well as team-building exercises.

Contact Rochdale Hornets Foundation for more details on foundation@hornetsrugbyleague.com