Meet the unsung club heroes who are helping Dewsbury Rams rise again in special anniversary year

It’s hard to argue with Dewsbury Rams’ archive extraordinaire, Neil Coulson, as I am led to the club’s memorabilia room at the FLAIR Stadium by player liaison officer Ray Abbey via the main office, where the beaming smiles of Tina Pryor and Ella Sawyer await.

And why shouldn’t there be a twinkle in the office and general managers’ eyes? This year, of all years. 50 years on from the club’s only Championship success.

“Although I was a bit too young for it, it is absolutely amazing,” says Tina, who admits everyone at the club is gearing up for the celebratory reunion on Friday, May 19.

“It is going to be fantastic to get them back together. They will love it.”

She has only been in the role since January last year. But she has been “hooked” on Dewsbury since she was 15, at a time when her dad was a committee member and her mum was the treasurer at the old Crown Flatt ground, Dewsbury’s home from 1876 until 1988 when a devastating arson fire ripped through the main stand.

The historic stand was lost. As well as 113 years’ worth of memorabilia, programmes, photos and records.

“After the fire everything was lost, so it’s important for heritage,” says Neil, as he proudly shows me around the new archive room, which he tends to along with fellow volunteer Tony Healey.

“There’s a lot of work that’s gone on in here and there are a lot of memories in this room. Some good ones and bad ones. It’s a phenomenal room.”

Thousands of official match day programmes cram onto the far bookcase, immaculately lined up in season - and game - order.

“We have Dewsbury Memories involved, we have got past games onto digital media now, all the photographs have been scanned, all the programmes have been put in chronological order and we’re getting there slowly. In time, a lot of it will be available online in a museum for people to browse.”

There is a special section dedicated to life-long fan Elsie Fryer, who has donated her own collection of programmes to the club.

“She is one of a kind,” reveals Neil. “She has been here and involved since the 50s. I think she was even Miss Dewsbury Rugby in 1954!

“We sorted through all her programmes and we got to some seasons and there would be a gap, and we’d be like ‘I wonder why she didn’t go to that game?!’ There were only a handful of games she didn’t attend."

He adds: “She has been everywhere. She is a proper legend and that’s why she has got her own section in the archive - because she is an utter Dewsbury legend.”

Neil’s own involvement with the club stretches back to August 1973, a mere three months after the title success. From excitable boyhood fan to working the scoreboard and running the famous car boot sales. He’s done - and seen - it all.

“Thankfully, my dad put me on the right path with the Rams as a nine-year-old,” he grins. “They weren’t expected to win in ‘73 but they turned Leeds over and it was fantastic for the town and for the club.

“It is the pinnacle of our existence. It was a good time. We have had good times since, in 2000 when we won the grand final and in 2009 when we were the invincibles.

"In 2023, hopefully we will be the invincibles again, fingers crossed.”

Another stalwart of the club is kit man, Chris Hill. Now 62, he has been in the role for 41 years.

Like Neil, he started following Dewsbury thanks to his dad, and one of his first memories is welcoming the triumphant heroes of 1973 back home from Odsal outside the Town Hall.

“My Dad took me to see them come back home with the cup. It was a fantastic atmosphere. Thousands of people just singing away. It just wasn’t expected for them to win the trophy,” says Chris.

Also, like Neil, he has experienced the highs with the lows.

“Neil Kelly, those were my best years,” he reveals. “I saw some good times. We won everything. I have also seen some bad times. But, slowly, the good times are coming back.”

The positivity around the new stadium is infectious. Imagine what it must have been like a half century ago.

“It was massive for the club,” reflects Bernard Shooman, who served as secretary between 1979 and 1986, before ending up as chief scout at Leeds.

“I was actually at the match, but I was there as a Leeds supporter. Dewsbury played some really great stuff that day and they really deserved to win.

“You could have got great odds from the bookmakers for that day. But Dewsbury won at a canter. It was a very spectacular and open game and, compared to the modern day game, it was a breath of fresh air.”

The triumph, as Neil says, is “the pinnacle” and the club is being assisted in ensuring the magnificent achievement is never forgotten thanks to Looking Back CIC’s Dewsbury Heritage project - which aims to record, preserve and celebrate the history of the club.

“It’s the story that hasn’t been told because all the memorabilia was lost in the fire,” says co-founder Allison Simpson, who, along with her team, has been working hard to spring “a surprise” for the legends at the reunion dinner.

“People are in for a treat as there will be extras and some surprises,” adds Ella.

No spoilers here.

What won’t be a shock, however, is if the current playing crop of 2023 can win a league title in this spectacularly special year for the club.

“It would be great,” admits Neil. “It would never surpass ‘73 because ‘73 was just the Oscars of rugby league. It would be good for the town, the club and the fans.”

Whatever happens, the club, thanks to its abundance of volunteers and backroom staff, is in good hands.