Big day at Wembley for sports graduates with jobs at the top of their game

Two University of Hull Sports graduates will play a pivotal role in Hull KR’s bid to lift the coveted Challenge Cup.

Hull KR will travel to Wembley for the match against Leigh Leopards, which takes place on Saturday (August 12).

Graduates Jimmy McDaniel and James Deighton will be in key positions as the team vies to win the cup for the first time since 1980.

James Deighton, who graduated in 2014 with a degree in Sports Coaching and Analysis, will be coach Willie Peter’s right-hand man at Wembley, analysing data in real time to inform key decisions about players, having already assessed the opposition’s game.

Jimmy McDaniel, who graduated in 2020 with a degree in Sports Rehabilitation, will lead players in a mindfulness and visualisation session a day before the game and on the big day itself, he will be pitch side ready to take care of injured players.

James said: “I grew up watching Hull KR and have been a lifelong fan so to be heading to Wembley working for the team is a dream come true, it really is. And if they win I know I will have played a small but important part.”

After graduating James was invited by the University to complete an MSC in Performance Analysis alongside Hull City, and he went on to be given a job at the football club. He is a lifelong Rovers fan and when the role of Performance Analyst came up at the Super League club, he leapt at the chance, and he has been there since 2019.

He says his university studies were the key to realising his ambitions. “I am thankful to the University for the chances they gave me to complete placements at Hull City and Hull KR,” he said. “I don’t think I would be doing what I am doing without those opportunities. The job I have is stressful, there are a lot of pressures, but it is also exciting, and it has always been my dream. I am trying to remain calm about Saturday. It will be a very proud moment for me whatever happens.”

Jimmy McDaniel who is Rovers’ Rehabilitation Specialist and a Strength and Performance coach says that Saturday's game is a “pinch me moment”.

He explained: “I have to stop and take a moment to think about how lucky I am. I can’t believe it! I have got my dream job and that would be enough to be going to Wembley is another level.

“There is a ton of excitement at the club, there is a ton of belief that we can do it, so in some ways it is business as usual. We are going down to win, by being ourselves and we will carry on doing what we have done all year.”

Jimmy did not intend to go to university, so the irony that he has a degree, a Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology, and is now working on his PhD, all from Hull, is not lost on him.

After leaving school at 17 and thinking of trying to kickstart a career of working in sport, he came to an Open Day at Hull, fell in love with the course and the campus and didn’t look back. He undertook one placement at Hull FC before starting a placement at rival club Hull KR in his final year and was quickly offered a full time job, which he has carried out alongside his studies.

He said: “The opportunities that the University of Hull gave me were massive. Working in professional sport is incredibly competitive and getting two placements at professional sports clubs would be unheard of at lots of universities. I had a passion to work with elite sports people from the point of injury and assist them beyond that point and I am doing that somewhere I love. I have a challenging job and I am progressing; to me that is living the dream!”

Hull KRs Chief Executive Paul Lakin, said: “We are proud of our relationship with the University of Hull. Jimmy and James play a big part in the team’s success on the field and in preparation throughout the training schedule. The role James plays in analysing data is key to the coach’s decision making. Jimmy came to us to complete a placement whilst he was studying, after impressing us, we wanted to keep him in a full-time role. They are both talented graduates and we hope more follow in their footsteps.”

Study Sport at Hull:

BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching & Performance Science

BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy

BSc (Hons) Sport Rehabilitation

BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Nutrition

BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy