Cally James named Club Captain
Cally James has been named Pontypridd RFC’s new Club captain ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Cally, 24, takes over from Kristian Parker who has led the team for the last three seasons. The news was announced at the Club’s annual awards ceremony last Saturday evening by Kristian.
A former Ponty Youth player, Cally made his senior debut for the Club in December 2019 and he will be assisted in his new role by Joel Raikes and Dale Stuckey who’ve both been named joint-vice captains respectively.
Cally said: “I’m honoured to be the new captain of Pontypridd, if you look at the list of previous captains there are some iconic players. I feel privileged to join that list. The coaches have been working hard to get some quality signings ahead of the season, which makes me really excited to see what we can achieve as a group. I’m in no doubt that we will have the Ponty faithful right behind us as always.”
On passing the captaincy baton to Cally, Kris Parker said: “I am truly proud and grateful to have captained this club, it’s been the biggest honour of my career. With the move to coaching alongside playing duties, it feels the right time to hand the reigns over to someone else, and there’s no one better to do so than Cally. Cally has all the traits to be a fantastic captain, he leads by example on the field with his abrasive style and has respect from the boys in the dressing room, along with the opposition. With Dale and Joel behind him there’s plenty of experience to help if needed. You also have myself, Garyn and Macca, who both led immensely last year to support the new leadership team. I know as coaches, players and supporters that we will be behind Cally, Dale and Joel 100% and look forward to a successful season.”
Full of praise for both captains old and new, Head Coach Chris Dicomidis commented: “Firstly I think it is important to recognise the work done by previous captain Kris Parker. Parks has led from the front and does a lot of unseen work behind the scenes. As a coaching group we thought it was important to have a fresh start and Cally was the standout candidate to lead the club forward as captain. Cally, as we’ve seen over the past few years is very passionate about the club and gives his all when out on the pitch. He leads by example and when he talks people listen. He will be assisted by Joel and Stuckey so there is a lot of experience around him. I hope he enjoys the role and puts his own stamp on it.”
Llongyfarchiadau Cally!
