Mark Aston
Encyclopedia
Mark Aston is a former rugby league
/ with the Sheffield Eagles
and Great Britain
. He also had short spells with Featherstone Rovers
and Bramley
but the bulk of his career was spent with the Eagles, who he joined in 1985. He retired from playing in 2004, having been the figurehead in the fight to save the Eagles after their merger with the Huddersfield Giants
in 1999. In less than three months, a new club was formed that was allowed in to the Northern Ford Premiership with Aston as player/coach and a completely new semi-professional
team. This must have seemed a long way from the day, only 18 months earlier, when Aston won the Lance Todd Trophy
in the Rugby League Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium
, inspiring the Sheffield Eagles to a famous 17-8 win over Wigan
.
Aston is now Chief Executive and Head Coach
at the new Eagles club, who play in National League One
. In May 2011 he was named as the new Head Coach of the Irish National Team.
at the age of eight in his home town of Castleford
. He played one or two games but decided to switch to rugby league
. He moved on to Stanley Rangers ARLFC
, which is in Wakefield
, then after a couple of years on to Oulton Raiders, where his father played as an amateur, until the age of fifteen. He moved to Castleford Lock Lane for one season, then started playing at under 17 level for Castleford
. Despite an offer of a professional
contract with his home town club, he decided to accept an offer from the Sheffield Eagles. At that point he had been playing open age rugby for Selby Gaffers, coached by his father Brian, and had made his first Eagles appearance as an unnamed trialist on Easter Day 1985.
, has become very much the standard bearer for League in Sheffield
. A prolific points scorer and fine tactician, Aston became the Eagles’
second Test player when he appeared as a substitute for Great Britain
against France
in 1991. A graduate of the Oulton amateur club
near Leeds."
' 17-8 victory over Wigan
in the 1998 Challenge Cup
final at Wembley Stadium on 2 May 1998.
final was the highlight of Aston's playing career. He controlled the game and drove the team to execute the game plan devised by Eagles' coach John Kear
.
He also played for Great Britain against France
in 1991 and was selected to go on the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
/ with the Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
and Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
. He also had short spells with Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
and Bramley
Bramley Buffaloes
Bramley Buffaloes is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Previously known simply as Bramley RLFC, the club is a famous name in rugby league, having existed prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895...
but the bulk of his career was spent with the Eagles, who he joined in 1985. He retired from playing in 2004, having been the figurehead in the fight to save the Eagles after their merger with the Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
in 1999. In less than three months, a new club was formed that was allowed in to the Northern Ford Premiership with Aston as player/coach and a completely new semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
team. This must have seemed a long way from the day, only 18 months earlier, when Aston won the Lance Todd Trophy
Lance Todd Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...
in the Rugby League Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, inspiring the Sheffield Eagles to a famous 17-8 win over Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
.
Aston is now Chief Executive and Head Coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at the new Eagles club, who play in National League One
Rugby League National Leagues
The Championship, known as Co-operative Championship due to sponsorship by The Co-operative Group, is a professional rugby league competition based in the United Kingdom. It is currently contested by ten teams from England. It acts as Europe's second-tier competition below the Super League, and has...
. In May 2011 he was named as the new Head Coach of the Irish National Team.
The early years
Aston started playing rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
at the age of eight in his home town of Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
. He played one or two games but decided to switch to rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. He moved on to Stanley Rangers ARLFC
Stanley Rangers
Stanley Rangers is an amateur rugby league club situated in the village of Stanley near Wakefield.Players range from 8-years old and receive training in all aspects of the sport...
, which is in Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, then after a couple of years on to Oulton Raiders, where his father played as an amateur, until the age of fifteen. He moved to Castleford Lock Lane for one season, then started playing at under 17 level for Castleford
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
. Despite an offer of a professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
contract with his home town club, he decided to accept an offer from the Sheffield Eagles. At that point he had been playing open age rugby for Selby Gaffers, coached by his father Brian, and had made his first Eagles appearance as an unnamed trialist on Easter Day 1985.
Contemporaneous Article Extract
"Mark Aston Scrum-half. Alongside Daryl PowellDaryl Powell
Daryl A. Powell is an English rugby league football coach and former player. He is the head coach of Featherstone Rovers Rugby League football club. He is a former /for Keighley Cougars, Sheffield Eagles and Leeds Rhinos...
, has become very much the standard bearer for League in Sheffield
Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
. A prolific points scorer and fine tactician, Aston became the Eagles’
Sheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
second Test player when he appeared as a substitute for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
against France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
in 1991. A graduate of the Oulton amateur club
National Conference League
The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...
near Leeds."
Challenge Cup final appearances
Mark Aston played /, i.e. number 7, in Sheffield EaglesSheffield Eagles
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....
' 17-8 victory over Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
in the 1998 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final at Wembley Stadium on 2 May 1998.
Eagles career
- Total Matches: 389 (Eagles record)
- Total Points: 2142 (Eagles record)
- Total Goals: 940 + 46 drop goals (Eagles record)
- Total Tries: 54
Career highlights
Winning the man of the match in the 1998 Rugby League Challenge CupChallenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final was the highlight of Aston's playing career. He controlled the game and drove the team to execute the game plan devised by Eagles' coach John Kear
John Kear
John Kear is an English rugby league coach and former rugby league player. Kear is currently the coach of Batley Bulldogs...
.
He also played for Great Britain against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1991 and was selected to go on the 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand.