Hull Seahawks are proud to announce their very first and therefore, historic player signing: Matty Davies.
Supporters may think that the signing of Matty as a ‘player’ is a foregone conclusion but that is not so, having confirmed that he is GM Sport, which encompasses the coaches role.
Matty explains, ‘When me and Ian originally set out on this project we discussed whether or not I should play. The answer then was probably ‘no’ because I would have been supporting Ian in the business role and leading in the GM Sports role. But with the addition of Joe Lamplough, Ian has assistance in his commercial role and I am not needed for day-to-day decisions and actions. When all three of us came together, we allocated roles although we all have a say in the commercial and ice side of the club. My role was obviously going to be GM Sport which covers player recruitment, academy development and coaching.’
Matty also has a business to manage as a Personal Trainer and owner of the popular, Graft House Gym, in addition to being a busy father. ‘Look, I’m a grafter; not afraid of hard work so the GM Sport and coaches job was not an issue. However, I had to think hard about returning as a player. I’ve spoken to Ian and Joe in addition to my family. They’ve all been fully supportive and know that my love for the game was driving me back onto the ice. I am not being boastful but I am still putting up good numbers so I know I can do a job for this team. To be honest I am also excited to be part of something special; the return of the Seahawks is truly special and I couldn’t miss that could I?’
And Matty has a message for any doubters out there. ‘We are working every hour to set up this club. I need every supporter to know that we aren’t turning up with the same old excuses about being a new club “so don’t worry if we lose quite a few games”. This is not the business or sporting model we are working to. We have plenty of time to sign players and develop the business so there are no excuses. We will hit the season hard from the first game and make an impact. We have to live up to that Seahawks legacy of success and I am recruiting a squad to achieve that. This will not be a makeshift group of spare players. Supporters and our competitors will take notice when our players are announced.’
When the pool of available of players in the National League is limited, some supporters might think that the Seahawks face a steep challenge in recruitment. ‘We have been driven and very innovative in our recruitment policy as supporters will see once the full squad is announced. In the National League, with two new teams coming in, there is a high demand for players and it outstrips supply. But I have had a vision from the start as to how and who I will recruit. We have had to look further than the National League for players and I am very excited at the potential of this new team. There will be eyebrows raised everywhere when our players are announced.’
Supporters might think that Matty’s ambition is lofty? ‘I talked to Ian yesterday about this. We haven’t come this far and worked hard to fail and we are not afraid to express our ambition. We are aiming high and working to our vision. Full stop. Neither of us are arrogant or underestimate the task of Hull returning to winning ways but we are confident in our ability to shape this club into being a leading one in the National League and to live up that Seahawks legacy.’
Matty has yet to decide the line on which he will play. ‘I have recruited some great attacking talent so it is important for me to work at the balance of the attack, which offers skill, power and importantly, lots of goal scoring potential. People can get too fixated on “lines”. Just look at Hewie (former Pirates player/coach, Jason Hewitt) who opted for the second line of the Pirates and bagged a massive amount of goals. A lot depends on pre-season training and getting the balance right. I want to start first line and I want the second and third liners to be pushing me off!’
Already a commercial partner has signed up to sponsor Matty for the season in addition to being helmet sponsor. Mr Harry Sturdy, Director of Hygenie Cleaning Services said, ‘We have been in discussions with the Hull Seahawks ever since the new club was announced. As a company, we pride ourselves in being ambitious and driven in finding cleaning solutions for commercial end-users. Recently, we have acquired new and innovative devices and systems used to deep clean offices, commercial and domestic premises. In meetings with the club’s management, it was apparent that they match our enthusiasm and energy and there is a great synergy between us. Once we learned that Matt was the first signing for the Hull Seahawks we just had to be his sponsor! I and my family will get to every game we can to cheer the team on throughout the 2022/23 season.’
