Jeff Ball is one of the powerhouses behind one of the most successful North East clubs, Cramlington Rockets. His involvement has evolved from holding tackle shields to Chairman of a now thriving club which is set to get even better in the years to come maybe the National Conference and beyond.

Based up in Northumberland, Cramlington Rockets has fittingly seen their reputation blast off in recent years. The arrival of the Super League Magic Weekend on its doorstep has helped to showcase its amazing community work.

It has been a mixture of success on and off the field which led to the club being crowned 2017 RFL Community Club of the Year. The social media and PR side of things is something that the 33 year old clearly enjoys, and is just one of the many roles he has at the club.

Ball told League Weekly: “I got involved when Steve Beaty, now the club Community Manager, asked me if I wanted to come have a go at the ‘real thing’ after I fell into coaching a work touch rugby team that we were both apart of.

“We were still based on a flood-plain next to a lake, popular with dog walkers back then, and I remember basically not doing much more than holding tackle shields. From there I progressed to assistant coach, head coach and joined the club committee. In 2014 when Steve Beaty Snr, the club founder stepped down, I was asked to become Chairman, and haven’t looked back.

“The last few years have been fantastic and there are a lot of good things happening in the North East currently. It may surprise people from outside the region, but if you could see the work going on every day, it is no surprise that things have taken off. and continue as we approach 2018, our tenth year.”

It is no coincidence that the increase in the profile of the Rockets and North East Rugby League has taken place in the three years Ball has been in charge. Well known amongst senior rugby league circles, he is now considered one of the leading rugby league volunteers in the UK and won RFL Volunteer of the Year in 2015.

“Culture is the most important thing for me” explains Ball. “I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be a Rocket, what people want when they join us. I have a great team here that understand what we are trying to achieve.

“I look at the likes of Leeds Rhinos, Saracens rugby union and other clubs that value culture and the people within the organisation first. Invest in people and results are a natural outcome, just because we are an amateur club doesn’t mean we can’t be professional.”

As well as the Rockets becoming the UK’s leading club, the likes of Newcastle Thunder have been making steady progress and will be hoping to improve of their League One Play-off semi-final loss in 2018.

A link with national champions, Northumbria University through mutual head coach, Jason Payne has provided a pathway for the most talented players. Full back Lewis Young being one such alumnus, who won the 2017 League One Young Player of the Year.

However the Rockets didn’t have it all their own way this season as it was Wallsend Eagles that lifted the North East Grand Final trophy and are to be the first North East side to feature in the Challenge Cup in January.

Other clubs are making headway too as Gateshead Storm had their best season yet in the NCL Division Three. Whitley Bay Barbarian’s girls section is one of the best in the country, and Catterick Crusaders have more than doubled in size in recent years.

Ball continued: “It would be a disservice to everyone else trying to grow the game locally to say we were the best at everything and it’s also not true. As much as we do well, we have plenty we can improve on, like any club.

“However, we were humbled to be recognised by our peers and named RFL Club of the Year, which for us was a big thumbs up we are doing something right. It was a reward for the whole club who are constantly striving to be the best at everything, be it winning the league or putting on a Christmas party for the Tots.

“There’s no secret, we are just horrendously difficult to satisfy. Even in the aftermath of the awards ceremony, we were talking about ‘what do we do next’? We definitely see it as about the journey, not the destination.”