The Club is delighted to announce that lock forward Matt Garrod has re-signed for Fylde for the 2024-25 season. He’s a locally born and bred talent who learnt his rugby with Fylde Mini-Juniors, and at Arnold/AKS School and Blackpool 6th Form.
He has a quality junior rugby CV including representing Lancashire’s U’17s & U’18s, and the North U’18s and training with Scotland U’19s. Injury frustrated him at the England U’18s trials and prevented him from representing England Students. He made his debut for Sale Jets v Leicester Tigers in March 2018.
He had a early start to his senior rugby career when he made his Fylde debut at Darlington Mowden Park in April 2016.
A major knee injury required surgery early in the 2019-20 campaign and he returned in January 2020 only for Covid to ruin the final quarter of the season. In 2021-22 he was almost an ‘ever present’, with 29 starts out of 30, and four tries to his name. He made his 100th appearance for his home town club against Tynedale at the Woodlands in the final game of that season, April 2022.
In all, he’s made 142 1st XV National One and National Two (North) appearances for Fylde and 11 N2N games whilst on loan at Preston Grasshoppers in the 2016-17 season. He’s 6’6”, 106kg, very mobile and an expert lineout jumper.
He began a coaching career with Fylde Colts in 2017/8, moved on to coaching rugby students at Myerscough College and Lancaster Royal Grammar School before more recently working as an Academy Coach at Sale Sharks with particular responsibility for the Sharks U’18s group.
Matt has developed into an excellent role model for all of our Minis & Juniors, not just by working hard to become a 1st team regular but also by developing himself off the pitch as well.
He’s now an excellent young coach who is building a good reputation and this is helping to improve his own game as well.
