Thursday 14 June 2012

Rugby League Characters - Bob Fox


Bob Fox

I first met Bob Fox when I joined Bentley Amateur Rugby League Club in 1973. Bob, was an outstanding club secretary, he was well organised, kept meticulous records and made sure that everything ran smoothly off the field. As was often the case at amateur rugby league clubs in the 1970s the success or otherwise of the club depended upon the efficiency of just one man, usually the club secretary. Bob was the type of person who never left anything to chance. The very high administrative standards that he set would have been difficult to match, even in the professional game. Therefore, it was no surprise when, in the early 1980s, he was recruited by a businessman called Paul Fairies to work full-time in professional rugby league. Paul Faires had established a new professional club, based in Maidstone, called Kent Invicta. Bob left a secure job in Doncaster and moved to Kent as full-time club secretary. Unfortunately for him and his wife, things didn’t work out as planned and when Kent Invicta folded towards the end of their first season and re-appeared as Southend Invicta, Bob was made redundant. I believe that he did eventually return to Doncaster, working on the lottery at a number of professional clubs. I am sure that Bob was very disappointed with the way things turned out. He was the sort of person who could have been a big success as a full-time administrator but sadly it seems he chose the wrong rugby league club to work for.

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