I am a Chartered Physiotherapist (Clinical Specialist) in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy with almost 16 years experience. I am a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapist. I am a registered member of the Health Professions Council, this is the Government Statutory Body covering my profession.

I have no restrictions (by the law of his land) on my practice. I can assess children and vulnerable adults. As i do now daily in my private clinic.

I loved my job, no life and vocation at Keighley Cougars RFLC that's how i felt about it. It was my passion and that's how i approached the job i did there. With my heart on my sleeve and with passion in my heart, and with the utmost professionalism to get the job done to make sure all the players were fit and safe to play rugby league.

I have performed at a good level in sport being Royal Air Force Boxing Champion 3 times, captain of the boxing team and winning my Royal Air Force Colours. I know what is required by the back room staff to enable top level performance as i saw it and was on the other side of it as a sports man. Some of those qualities are dedication, passion, caring for your players and professionalism, all of which i brought to Keighley Cougars RFLC.

I had a verbal contract to provide physiotherapy cover for the first team only for 1 hour on a Tuesday and Thursday evening, as well as match days. Starting an hour and a half before the game to end of the game.


Instead, I actually:

*provided physiotherapy assessment, treatment and rehabilitation on a Tuesday and Thursday evening for up to three and a half hours for the first and second teams as well as Keighley Cougars Scholarship players.
*provided physiotherapy assessment, treatment and rehabilitation at my private clinic at a convenient time for any Keighley Cougar player (no matter which team or level) FREE of charge to the club. No matter how many physio sessions were required.
* provided assessment, treatment and rehab on a match day to injured players while the team went out for warm up.
*provided physiotherapy cover on a match day.
*Keighley Cougar RFLC had no player insurance, so to expedite appropriate treatment within the NHS (as the player couldn't be treated privately the club couldn't afford it) I in my own private clinic time at no cost to Keighley Cougars would write and or verbally communicate with any player's GP/Consultant.
*provided assessment treatment and rehab at a player's home.
*was always available for physiotherapy advice no matter who, and that did include and night at times
*took on University under graduates using them as assistants at the same time giving them the appropriate training they required to graduate and acquire their degree. This gave Keighley Cougars kudos within the higher education system. More importantly it gave me an assistant, i was working on a Tuesday, Thursday evening and match days on my own and i could not see every one. It is normal practice to have an assistant or massage therapist to do the rubs and help out but the directors refused to fund one. So i got them through placement students at no detriment to their study
*took on students for work experience, helping to promote the club within the community and local education establishments.
*took on and added to the training of a Sports and massage therapist who is a now a valuable member of Keighley Cougars back room staff in my opinion. She has worked hard and had to work 2 seasons for free. She is funded through the generosity of the players putting money together each week.The directors and chairman although asked, have never come up with money to pay the person.
*initiated and project managed the refurbishment of the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Clinic at Keighley Cougars. All of it was paid for by the Keighley Cougars Sports and Massage Therapist. That room could proudly grace any Super League Club.

I was paid £50 for a Thursday and £50 for a Tuesday evening and £100 for a match day.

When Mr Gary Fawcett took over as Chairman I was often not paid for weeks or months on end. I was never told i would not be paid. I would find out from my bank statements or have to chase him up to when i was to be paid.

After a hard weeks work it was nice to look forward to the rewards of your labour, such as a win on the pitch and money in your account.

I would be rewarded with the win by the players but no money in my account. This happened time and time again. I would expect to be paid, no warning of not being paid, a bank statement saying a cheque had bounced or no money being paid in to my bank account.

I would have to ring around to speak to Gary. No answer from him until later in the week, in the mean time i am bugging JD for answers then i would get an excuse why i wasn't paid via JD from Gary. I would be presented with a cheque that would bounce. Then it would start all over again. Calling him no answer bugging JD so on and so on.

THIS WENT ON FROM THE DAY GARY STARTED AS CHAIRMEN AT KEIGHLEY COUGARS. HE EVEN BOUNCED MY LAST CHEQUE AND HAS SO FAR REFUSED TO PAY THE BANK CHARGES INCURRED EVEN THOUGH HE SAID HE WOULD TO ME AND TO A PERSON AT THE RFL.

I then decided a week or two before every pay day to send an email to Gary reminding him to pay me. This worked for 2 months then it started all over again. Not being paid, bugging JD to be paid, getting messages back why i wasn't paid, getting cheques WHICH BOUNCED. I had had enough.

So when it happened again for my May salary. I asked Gary to pay me and if he didn't i would report this non payment to the RFL. I wasn't paid after another late payment so i reported him to the RFL.

Coincidentally at the same time at the end of April my CRB came in to the RFL, which is a private company that governs the rugby league football. By their policies because i have a significant police record , i committed the crimes of domestic violence(of which i am not proud, and will always be sorry for doing) they gave me a Temporary Suspension Order to keep away from all RFL property until they policies were satisfied.

I have mental health issues i have been diagnosed with bi polar/personality disorder and clinical depression after a severe nervous breakdown i had in 2006. I was placed into a secure unit for 2 months under one of the mental health acts.

Since that time i have been on medication, which i still am on, i see a psychotherapist weekly and i am under a psychiatrist.


I am stable and i have worked hard to turn my life around and continue to do so daily. Its not easy some days even so i do.

I have had a tribunal conducted by Health Professions Council the statutory body covering physiotherapists. They said i am safe practice unrestricted as i am not deemed a danger to patients. How ever i do have a caution on file with the HPC lasting another 2 years it was for 5 years initially.

The Tuesday and Thursday evenings physio sessions before the Dewsbury game i was not able to work, i.e. enter onto RFL property so there was a replacement physiotherapist working. However if there were any injuries i could have seen the guys at my clinic. Then i received a letter Thursday morning from Gary saying that the replacement physiotherapist was going to charge less than i was being paid and there were going forward with him and not me(i have the letter).

Friday i received a letter from the RFL saying i was clear to work with adults at Keighley Cougars, so i was clear to work on Sunday against Dewsbury (i have the letter).

It has been said i was replaced due to cost.

I suggest i am cheaper than what is presently being charged. I have the years of experience with certain members of the squad others since the beginning of the season. That's invaluable within a squad at this level. You work closely with them so you begin to know what works with who to get the quickest results to get them ready and safe for selection.

I have and 16 years experience as a physiotherapist as well as working as a full time private physiotherapist with my own clinic. I can see players if required "at the drop of a hat" as i have done which again has been a valuable asset. I worked closely with the conditioning coach ensuring players were fully fit and safe for selection. Lastly i had the respect and confidence of the players, there knew i could do my job well and that I cared about them.

The team and the club should come before personal issues, replacing key members of the back room staff should never be done at this level as it can have a detrimental affect on the squad. In the short term disturbing the flow of things but in the long term it may have an affect on the treatment and rehabilitation of players. In general it undermines what the manager of the club is trying to achieve on the playing side because you are have become an integral part of the mangers plans and what is going on with the players.

Only at the end of the season should real change be carried out. If its the back room staff the manager should be making the decisions about who he works with not the chairman.

Speaking of which i was an important member of the rehab staff that ensured we had a full team for JD to select from for the final.

Then i should have been replaced for the next season not in the middle of one.This can be seen in most well set up teams in many sports. Not that i wanted to be replaced. And the manager should pick and fire his staff not the chairman.

The RFL had nothing to do with me being replaced. They did the best they could considering their policies.

In my opinion it was not a cost cutting exercise as considering all the hours i worked, the work i did away from the club and the years of expertise and experience i gave and have as a physiotherapist i was very cheap.

In my opinion this was an opportunity ceased by Gary Fawcett and possibly other persons to get rid of me. the evidence suggests i was constructively dismissed. Why, because i wanted to be paid on time and i complained when i was not.

Some of what i have said to suggest i was constructively dismissed could be considered circumstantial but what i have written here is true and can be verified, some by hard copy bank statements.

I have given out alot of sensitive information about myself in relation to this matter. I was going to stay quiet about the whole matter but i have found the behaviour of Gary Fawcett even after what i call being constructively sacked appalling.

I have told the truth. No doubt opening my self up for ridicule but i have made a stand and said my piece.

I thank you, the great fans at Keighley Cougars for your support and the well wishes i have had from the players and staff. And a special thanks to Barry Eaton for accepting me in the first place.

I hope the season goes well for the Cougars.

Thanks for that Nigel. It must have taken you quite a while to write it but it will be appreciated by members on here.

You certainly haven't "opened yourself up for ridicule" and nothing you have said has surprised or shocked me. I will accept that everything you state above is true.

As I suggested in an earlier thread, I am aware of most of the issues that you have outlined and indeed you have confirmed that there is a lot more to your circumstances than merely "cost cutting". In your opinion there were several personal issues (the definition of which can be open to interpretation).

It sounds to me that you are better off out of it.

I have just one question, if you feel able to answer it. When you were appointed, did the then Chief Executive conduct a CRB check and if so, were you open and honest about your police record?

Shame on you Gary Fawcett.

Good luck for the future Nigel.

Dear "View from the the full back",

Could you please identify what you read as "several personal issues" and specifically what you saw as"open to interpretation" considering i said every thing written can be verified.

I have been extremely candid in my statement, which is my nature and is often seen as a weakness. Even so, although it can open me up to ridicule as i have already said that is how i am.

Therefore i would not be any other way when questioned in private about my past by my manager. It was on a need to know basis, so those who needed to know knew.

Any manager should be able to choose who they work with. A manager should not be told, pushed or forced by the Chairman or board of directors who they can or can't work with. They should be free to choose their own back room staff .

I have been "open and honest" to those who needed to know, as for having a CRB when i first arrived at Keighley Cougars nobody had one, but i have filled in several whilst being a physiotherapist at Keighley Cougars so what and why this has occurred is beyond.

You will have to ask the RFL.

The RFL is a private company with no statutory powers, it has internal policies and laws but none that have to be kept (unless they are the same laws of the UK) outside RFL property. I could be banned from every RFL ground and prevented by the RFL from treating players on their property tomorrow. But as long as i abide by the law of the HPC (and the UK) which has statutory powers i can treat any person who plays for and RFL club at my private clinic or anywhere else as long as its not on RFL property.

I repeat i am a Chartered Physiotherapist a legally protected title a registered member of the HPC which has statutory powers. That means i can be struck off and never work again as a physiotherapist. The HPC has significantly more power than the RFL.

I hope that's made things clearer for you.

Regards

Nigel, personally i appreciate your open-ness and honesty and to be honest you've just backed up everything i've ever thought about Gary Fawcett.

Good luck for the future, someone like you who is very passionate and loyal to the job will have no trouble finding another similar role, should you so wish.

Nigel,

By "personal issues" I mean issues specifically related to you - as opposed to "general issues" relating to the role of a Physiotherapist within the Club structure or general staff cutbacks. My inference is that it wasn't "The Physio" that was finished - it was you, Nigel Bondswell, highlighted by the fact that you have been instantly replaced by someone else and you have outlined several reasons why you think that this is a "personal" attack.

Given the facts as I know them, you were not finished because the Club is in serious financial difficulties, it appears that you were finished ....

Because you have had to constantly badger your employer to be paid and I don't think you are the only one in that boat.
Because you eventually reported them to the RFL.
Because when you "failed" your CRB checks several issues were brought to the attention of the Club of which they were not aware.
Because the RFL suspended your activities within their jurisdiction and the Club or at least one member of the Club then took the opportunity to replace you.

Notice the use of the word "you" in every sentence above.

It is the term "personal issues" and it's meaning that is "open to interpretation". Say it out load then say it again with emphasis on the first word - see how it changes meaning? Maybe not

It would appear that the biggest "personal" issue was your CRB result which led the RFL to ban you from the game. My question was why did it take so long for these checks to be done and why have these problems just come to light? They should have been done prior to you being engaged and a positive feedback should have been a condition of your employment. If you have filled out the forms in the past, with all your correct details, why were these problems not identified at an earlier stage? Were these forms ever submitted by the previous Club administrators?

Sounds like your better off out of it and im sure you will find alternative work within rugby if you want to do so
Your not the first one to mention at the ground - listening to other fans that is about Gary Fawcett and money i know a lot are talking about him at the moment taking money out of the club - dont know how much truth is in this but certainly will be looking after himself before Nigel payments if thats the case.

Dear View from the full back,

Please read what i have written carefully. Thank you.

I was available for the Dewsbury game. I have a letter from the RFL saying so. Confirm it with them if you wish.

Regarding a Criminal Record Bureau check they can not be "failed" or "passed" it is a record of a persons criminal past not a test.

The information can be used to check the suitability of a person for a job or a post etc.

I repeat I am a suitable person to work as a physiotherapist without restriction according the statutory body the Health Professions Council and was over the period of the TSO from the RFL, as i continue to be.

The RFL are carrying out their policies, which i have no issues with and i feel confident at the end of their deliberations the TSO will be completely lifted. Enabling me to work with the full spectrum of people who play rugby league under the jurisdiction of the RFL.

I say again please read carefully what i have written.

Thank you.

when people get worked over like this it angers me.i didnt think they rolled this way.COUGERMANIA is a joke we has fans should make our feelings made clear i think

Nigel,

Why do i get the impression that you are trying to provoke an argument with me when I am clearly on your side. I did read your post very carefully - please return the favour.

We can spend all day arguing over what words mean. As I have said there is NOTHING in your original post which I disagree with. Why are you being pedantic about whether or not you can pass or fail a CRB check. Most people are aware of the need and scope of CRB checks and they understand the terms "pass" and "fail". It's an everyday term. As far as everyone else on here is concerned - you failed to pass a CRB check.

My question, in your favour, asks "why wasn't the correct procedure followed when you were appointed". If there was a "potential" problem with your credentials, should this have not been picked up much earlier. What you are saying (and I am casting no aspersions here) is that you were allowed to practice physiotherapy on young men without any background checks being made.

That is a critisism of the Club and not you.

You might think so - I don't. exceeding overdraft limits or having temporary cashflow problems is NOT a sign of [sizeserious[/size financial difficulties



I couldn't agree more

I personally know of a few people who 1 used to volunteet their services and another who used to work at Cougar Park. The volunteer put a hell of a lot of time in unpaid not just at 1st team games but at reserves before and after the match too. The volunteer then had 1 week off to come back to someone else doing the job and the club making it out that equipment had been tampered with. This certain individual put so much time and effort into the club unpaid and the club absolutly s**t on them. He was pushed out.

The second person i know off was an employee and like Nigel wasnt getting paid and didnt get paid for months. Under the contract this employee had a lot more hours were been put in and the club still didnt pay the wage. The club even started employing volunteers to do the job well still employed and this individual only found out through another person. This was the final straw and this individual quit. The club then realised what a good job had been done and when they didnt have anyone at the start of the season they asked the individual to come back even though he still hadnt been paid.

Nigel is not the first honest person to want the club to do well and put in a really good job either Employee or Volunteer and he wont be the last. I know the club are stuggleing for money but it is no excuse to treat people badly and look a gift horse in the mouth. I have no doubt that the team we have now has had an effect financially on the club more than before.

I just hope You have made the right decison Cougars and it all pays off.

Think you need to chill out a bit View From The Full Back

Nigel has been more than open around his Personal Circumstances which seems to me is being done for the sake of enlightenment into the workings behind the scenes.

Seems to me that you are the one who jumped down his throat looking to pick his words to pieces and create a reaction give the guy a break.

As for your ludicrous comment "As far as everyone else on here is concerned - you failed to pass a CRB check." I fail to see what gives you the right to comment on anyones behalf let alone everyone on here. Very narrow minded of you to think that we all share your opinion , I for one do not as I believe that a CRB cannot be failed or passed and is merely a guidance tool which enables an employer to place people into a role which involves the correct amount of supervision required to alleviate any concern and protect anyone who may be considered at risk from a particular person due to previous history.

Or are you just trying to get his back up ?????

Thanks for the advice,

Sorry, you are right. I shouldn't have assumed that everyone on here had common sense. I should not have assumed that everyone would understand how an adverse CRB check can be seen as a failure. I now accept that you don't understand what I mean. Quite a few are struggling with basic comprehension as well and choosing not to read what I have written but what they would like to argue about.
I give up and will indeed "chill out",


I'll leave it with you.