Huddersfield Giants legend Leroy Cudjoe and Salford’s Adam Sidlow have become the first two players to achieve a Level 3 RFL Coaching award.
It’s a clear indication as to the future of both men with father time ticking on the playing career of the pair who are both 36 years old.
Sidlow, who turns 37 in less than a month, led out a heavily rotated Salford Red Devils side last week when Paul Rowley rested his first team against Wigan Warriors.
Eight players debuted whilst Sidlow made his first 150th Super League appearance, albeit his first of the season, in the heavy defeat. It had earlier been confirmed that the veteran, who spent the season on loan with League One Oldham, would be one of six players to leave the club at the end of the season.
As for Cudjoe, he has penned an extension confirming that he will play in the 2025 season but it seems apparent that both will transition into coaching as they become the first-ever players to achieve a Level 3 Coaching award.
Huddersfield Giants legend one of two to achieve Coaching award
Credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Huddersfield Giants confirmed the impressive accolade achieved by Cudjoe as they shared a statement featuring quotes from the RFL’s Coach Education Manager.
It read: “Leroy Cudjoe, alongside Adam Sidlow has become the first player to achieve a Level 3 RFL Coaching award.”
Several others had achieved various coaching awards with former Bradford Bulls coach Mark Dunning one of those to achieve a Level 4 status, as well as members of both Salford and Castleford’s coaching set-ups.
The statement confirmed: “Mark Dunning and Amanda Wilkinson, who have already secured invites to Rugby League’s annual Awards Night after their success this season with Midlands Hurricanes and Barrow Raiders Ladies respectively, are among four coaches who have achieved Level 4 status as part of the RFL’s Coach Programme.
“They are joined by Danny Barton, a key member of Paul Rowley’s coaching team at Salford Red Devils working with their Academy and Reserve teams, and Chris Spurr, the RFL’s Community Coach Development Manager who is also the Castleford Tigers Academy head coach.”
As for Cudjoe and Sidlow, Richard Tunningley, the RFL’s Coach Education Manager, said: “It’s great to see two such respected players as Leroy Cudjoe and Adam Sidlow making huge strides towards careers of their own in coaching when they do hang up their boots.
“Leroy had a taste of representative coaching this year when he was invited to join the Yorkshire set-up for the Academy Origin series, and Adam who has been assisting with the Salford Reserves or (on Salfords Development Pathway – although they both remain very capable of playing at the highest level, as Leroy has shown all year with Huddersfield, and Adam reminded us with his leadership of a young Salford team at Wigan in the last round of the Super League season.”
