Life as a sports star
Daniel Whitehead interviews Steve Grundy, the York student star of Rugby League.
A third-year politics student who by day works diligently towards his graduation and by night stars for the York Knights seems an unlikely combination, but Steve Grundy isn’t one to care about stereotypes.
He speaks in a broad Lancashire accent about how he developed as a rugby player and came to sign a professional contract for the Knights at the start of the year.
His journey to the second division of the national league is an interesting one. At 17, while playing for his local team he was spotted by the Great British national side and chosen for the Under-18’s squad who traveled to Australia the following summer.
From there he moved to York, where in his first-year he was signed as an amateur player for Doncaster. After a season of impressive performances, he transferred to the York Knights in 2006 and, as captain, starred in the academy team before signing a one-year professional contract this winter.
Although sporting stardom and a decent salary is a dream for most students, finding the balance between student life and a predominately working-class league life has proved tough. “I’m not a good student” says Grundy. “I’m a good academic student, but I’m not a good social student. I’ll never be in Toffs on a Tuesday, I’ll never be at Ziggy’s on a Wednesday. I choose not to go out, because I know if I go out drinking in the week I won’t be able to train as well as I should. I only go out after the match on Sundays”
Whereas some would regret not taking the opportunity to maximise their time as a student, it seems that Grundy already thinks he has. “Playing rugby has benefited me. It’s helped me focus on my sport and my degree, it’s helped me keep on track”.
A sport which is met with mixed reactions by many students, rugby league is often seen to be the poor cousin of union. When I bring up the subject of union Grundy seems to become slightly more introverted, as if comparisons are a topic of avoidance.
“Definitely rugby league provides a better spectator sport and better value for money. Rugby union is not as intense, it’s fragmented. With league it’s very hard, and very rewarding, and you feel like you’ve accomplished something when you come off the field. It requires a very high skill level, plus a higher fitness level”.
It’s hard to find fault with Grundy’s argument. Despite his diligence, he says he remains undecided about the future after his contract runs out at the end of the current season. However, his admittance that his current job isn’t really a “viable career” suggests that Steve may have already have made up his mind.
