Hunslet have added significantly to an already strong board with the appointment of Philip Crampton as interim Marketing and Communications Director.

Crampton, who is the stepson of former Hunslet, Castleford and Hull player Jimmy Crampton – whose career spanned the sale of Parkside in 1973 and the subsequent launch of New Hunslet – has extensive experience in marketing and is a partner of London and Leeds based digitally integrated agency Creode, working with a number of major companies including Asda, The Gadget Show, Sipsmith and Vivienne Westwood in his extensive portfolio.

In addition, Philip has also worked specifically with the likes of Adidas, Liverpool FC, Reebok and BOXT on their digital first transformation strategies.

Creode pride themselves on transforming brands through a combination of technical expertise and creative marketing, and those skills will now be brought to the cause of Hunslet Rugby League club, which recently launched a productive marketing partnership with Leeds Beckett University.

Crampton said: “As you’d imagine with the family connection, I have a love for Rugby League and a real affinity with Hunslet. I’ve always wanted to be involved with the club and even had initial discussions about ten years ago, with Head of Communications Gareth Evans.”

He continued: “The whole sport is taking a hit right now due to Covid-19, and also because of changing fan behaviours, where a proportion of the younger demographic are migrating to digital consumption of not just rugby but all sports. This includes the likes of streaming, bite-sized video and social media.

“As a sport and a club we rely on our community and there is a real opportunity to engage with our fans and the wider Rugby League community during the current climate and beyond as people are forming new habits with a revived sense of community spirit – and a renewed appetite to get back watching live matches whilst also consuming new bespoke content across our digital media platforms.”

He concluded: “Hunslet is a sustainable and forward thinking club and this is an area of opportunity I’m really excited to exploit, using my expertise. It feels that the time is right for me to step up and come on board.”

The Parksiders’ Director of Strategy and Planning, Neil Hampshire, added: “It’s great to have Phil join the board. His background and experience in digital media, data analytics and communications is absolutely outstanding and will transform our marketing approach, taking us to a completely different level

“He is well versed in Rugby League and his step-dad Jimmy was one of my favourite players back in the Greyhound Stadium days. The fact that Phil’s now with us just goes to show that the Hunslet family ties never let go!”

Former Player Jimmy Crampton