This week, England U20 prop Luke Chapman explains how the loan system can be beneficial to a player’s development and recovery…
In last week’s article, I spoke about my recent knee injury and the steps I needed to take in order to recover fully.
I am now at the stage where I need to regain some match fitness, so my club, the Cornish Pirates, have decided to send me on out on loan to National League 2 side, Redruth.
In the Premiership, it is very common to see players going out on loan. Squad sizes have risen dramatically over the past few years, meaning many fringe players are suffering from a lack of game time and to combat this, Premiership clubs are sending their players to the lower divisions.
Let’s use well-established Premiership side, Leicester Tigers as an example. Back in 2000, Leicester had a total of 34 players in their squad – they now have 54 players on their books, along with 40 academy players. That means that at this current time, a staggering 94 players are available to represent Leicester!
That might surprise you, but in all honesty, that number is pretty similar across all of the current Premiership clubs. Another good example would be Saracens – their squad size has increased by 18 players over the last six years.
I’m guessing you’ve now figured out why Premiership clubs are loaning out players on such a frequent basis? If they didn’t, they would have about 30 players each week getting no game time!
To be honest, loan destinations really depend on age. Older, more experienced players will go to Championship clubs, while academy players will be sent to the National Leagues.
Personally, I think going a loan experience is massive for us younger players – it is a critical part in our development.
I spent time out on loan in my first senior season. I was sent to Exmouth and to say I learnt a lot would be a massive understatement!
We had a really tough season and were eventually relegated from the National League 2. Despite this, I learnt so much off the older, more senior players – who were so accommodating and welcoming.
Former Exeter Chiefs player, Chris Bentley used to check my studs every weekend to make sure they were long enough – it was like a teacher checking my homework!
But since returning to my parent club I now check them regularly as a habit. I was always told to be like a sponge – taking in as much advice and coaching from senior guys as possible.
Most players who are loaned to a Championship or National League side come from an environment where they are training on a full-time basis, meaning they are able to assist their new teammates in a number of ways.
As previously stated, I am just returning to action after a fairly serious knee injury. I have been out of the game for about three months, so my club have decided to send me on loan for four games to allow me to get some game fitness back.
Championship clubs use the loan system in a slightly different way to those at the top level. While they still use the system as method of developing players, they also use it as a way to help players regain full fitness after an injury.
If a player has been injured for a long period you can’t expect him to just jump straight back into hard-hitting action at a high level. A player recovering from injury needs time to find some form and match fitness, then when they are ready to come back into the squad they are able to cope with the level with a little more ease.
I am currently on loan at Redruth and last weekend, I played for the first time since my injury.
I had missed competitive action so much, but honestly, it felt like my lungs had shrunk!
I was shot to pieces after the game, but in a strange way, the feeling was satisfying. Now more than ever, I can’t wait to be back to full fitness and performing to the best of my ability.
That said, if anyone does has a spare pair of lungs for sale – then feel free to get in touch!
Cornish Pirates and England U20 prop, Luke Chapman works with MyClubBetting – an organization that focusses on giving back to grassroots sports clubs. For further information on My Club Betting simply visit myclubbetting.com or call 01883 772929 within office hours.
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