FOR any aspiring coach on their way up sport’s greasy pole, it is seen as vital to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible.

Coaching jobs in rugby league are notoriously scarce, but Jay Pitts is paving the way for a potential career in the game when he finally hangs up his boots.

He has coached his amateur club, Shaw Cross Sharks, with considerable success for the past six years, and also assists Bulls Under-16s coach Leigh Beattie in nurturing young talent at Odsal.

Pitts has guided his Shaw Cross side to a number of trophies in recent seasons and is delighted to put his years of experience as a full-time professional to good use.

“Coaching is something I’d like to get into after I finish playing and I enjoy it,” said the 25-year-old back-rower.

“I’ve coached a junior team at Shaw Cross since they were 11 and they are now 17, so I’ve done quite a lot of amateur coaching.

“I’ve seen the lads at Shaw Cross grow up. There is a lot of talent at the club and a very good set-up.

“Curtis Naughton, who started here at Bradford, is another Shaw Cross lad and has just signed a new deal at Hull FC after doing really well.

“Touch wood, I’ve hopefully got a lot of years left in my playing career. But coaching is a bit of a hobby for me away from playing.

“It’s good to see things from a different angle and it helps with my own game as well. You see things during a match and you then try and put it into your own game.

“Coaching is actually harder than you think but I would love to keep doing it and see how far I could go.”

Pitts, along with Chev Walker, assists Beattie with the Bulls’ Under-16s and enjoys having an input into the club’s youth ranks.

Beattie took over the reins late last year following the appointment of John Bastian as the club’s head of youth and has guided his starlets to an impressive seven victories from eight games in 2015.

The Bulls have enjoyed notable triumphs over the likes of Huddersfield Under-16s and Salford Under-16s, with eight members of the side invited to train with the first-team squad last week.

Pitts explained: “Beattie has let me come down and help out a bit and I’ve really enjoyed it.

“He has done a really good job with the team and it has been good to be a part of it.

“It’s particularly rewarding to see the younger lads develop and progress into the first-team.

“There are really good structures in place here at Bradford now and the lads work hard.

“That’s the difference with coaching an amateur and a professional club. It’s difficult to get numbers to training at times when lads are working.

“But when you come here and have a lot of numbers, it’s a lot easier to coach.”

Pitts’ coaching commitments eat into his spare time but his girlfriend is understanding of his passion for the game.

“She knows that I like coaching and I’ve done it for that long,” said Pitts.

“It does take up a bit of your free time but I love doing it.

“I do Shaw Cross on Tuesday and Thursdays and I come to Bradford on a Wednesday with the Under-16s, with a game or two at the weekend.

“It is a bit much at times, especially when both teams have games at weekends, but it’s good and I manage to juggle things during the week.”

Pitts has proven a resounding success since joining the Bulls from Hull, initially on loan, last season.

The Ossett lad is noted for playing big minutes and his presence in the back row will take on added importance in the absence of Alex Mellor.

A knee injury will sideline Mellor for ten weeks and Pitts said: “The only positive is that he’s going to be back for the middle eights.

“Alex has been playing a lot of rugby and has been in great form. I’ve been playing alongside him and he has been swapping with me sometimes in that loose forward role.

“He works hard and is a very good professional. I can see him going far in the game.”