When 22 years old Ben Gould proudly ran out as part of the Fylde starting line-up to make his home club debut at scrum-half against Sheffield Tigers at the Woodlands on Saturday 3rd December, it represented an important stage in the rugby career of this local young man.
Ben joined the Fylde Mini-Juniors at Under 7s level and has the distinction of playing through all age groups, the Colts and then to senior rugby with the Saracens, the Hawks and finally the 1st XV. He acknowledges that the only team he’s yet to play for is the Vandals but believes there’s plenty of time yet!
A major influence in his rugby journey has been father Jeff, a former Chairman of Fylde’s Mini-Juniors, player, referee and recent President of Fylde RFC.
Ben also pays tribute to the role of AKS in his rugby development under a variety of coaches which ended in him skippering the School’s 1st team in his last year before going on to university. Up to Under 14s he played mainly on the wing but with encouragement from his school coaches, he switched to the no 9 berth.
He earned representative honours for Lancashire at U’16s, 17s, 18s & 20s levels. Shortly after being selected for U’16s, in December 2016 and during a friendly against Hoppers at Lightfoot Green he suffered the most serious setback on the pitch. He broke his leg in three places and had to take several months out to recover before returning at the start of the 2017-18 season. Whilst going through rehab he saw at close quarters the role of physiotherapy and decided that this might be a career for him. He subsequently joined Leeds Beckett University and studied for a BSc in Physiotherapy, completing it in the summer of 2022.
Ben was a part of the University’s senior squad but unfortunately played infrequently due to Covid restrictions and medical placements. He therefore began his senior rugby career with local club Otley. Working his way into the 1st XV, Ben made 12 appearances in the Club’s triumphant 2021-22 North Premier Division campaign which ended as champions and promotion back to the National League.
Returning to Lytham St Annes in mid-2022 post University led inevitably to his linking up with Fylde once again during pre-season summer training. When asked about his experiences with the coaches at Leeds Beckett, Otley and Fylde, Ben explained various differences in styles and tactics. Both at University and Otley there was more emphasis on structure, at Fylde under Chris Briers and Alex Loney there is a freer, more instinctive approach.
Ben’s professional work career has also taken off with an appointment as a qualified physiotherapist currently working as part of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust, working at Preston and Chorley hospitals.
Going forward, Ben’s aspirations are to continue to work hard, perform for Fylde 1st XV and hopefully cement more regular appearances and keep improving as a player. Longer term, Ben aspires to represent Lancashire at senior level following on from a successful age grade County rugby experiences.
Joint 1st XV Head Coach Chris Briers said: “Ben is a player who we have known for a few years now. He was involved in the Lancashire U18s squad the Alex and I coached, and came up through the MJ section at the club. A few years ago, when he went to university, we helped him link up with Otley to gain experience in senior rugby, knowing his heart would always be with Fylde and he would one day return.
“Since coming back to the club, Ben has shown great promise in training and Hawks matches, which is why we gave him the opportunity in the first XV. After the unfortunate injury to Matt Sturgess, it has been important for us to find out who our first choice 9 will be for the near future and with the form Adam Lanigan has shown on the wing, Ben has found himself in a much stronger position than before.
“The encouraging thing about Ben is his enthusiasm to improve. He knows that he still has tough competition for the first team spot, but he asks questions about how he can improve and develop, in order to make the 9 jersey his.”
Good luck on and off the field Ben!
