Ian Smales (born 26 September 1968) is an English former professional
rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for
Great Britain (non-
Test matches), and
Yorkshire, and at club level for
Featherstone Rovers,
Castleford Tigers
The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, that compete in the Super League, the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The club have competed i ...
and
Hunslet Hawks, as a , or , consequently he was known as a
Utility player.
Playing career
Featherstone Rovers
A former English Schools international at , Smales signed for
Featherstone Rovers from
Lock Lane amateurs in April 1987.
Smales played at in
Featherstone Rovers' 14-20 defeat by
Bradford Northern in the
1989 Yorkshire Cup
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
Final during the
1989–90 season at
Headingley,
Leeds on Sunday 5 November 1989.
Smales played at in
Featherstone Rovers' 20-16 victory over
Workington Town in the
1992–93 Divisional Premiership Final during the
1992–93 season at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
,
Manchester on Wednesday 19 May 1993.
Castleford
In 1993, Smales was signed by
Castleford for a fee of £115,000.
Smales played right- in Castleford's 33-2 victory over
Wigan in the
1993–94 Regal Trophy Final during the
1993–94 at
Headingley,
Leeds on Saturday 22 January 1994.
He made 95 appearances for the club.
He briefly returned to Featherstone in 1997, making four further appearances.
Representative honours
Smales was selected for
Great Britain while at Featherstone Rovers for the
1990 Great Britain Lions tour
The 1990 Great Britain Lions tour was a tour by the Great Britain national rugby league team of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand which took place from May to July 1990.
Touring squad
An initial 28-man squad was selected for the tour in April 1990. ...
. He played in seven games during the tour, but was uncapped as he did not appear in any Test matches.
Smales won a
cap for
Yorkshire while at
Featherstone Rovers; during the
1991–92 season against
Lancashire.
Outside of rugby league
Ian Smales still attends Featherstone Rovers games, and now works as a Sport & Active Lifestyles’ Health & Fitness Officer, fo
Wakefield District Council He is married to Keely Smales, and has a daughter; Alice Smales, and a son; Eli Smales.
Personal life
Ian Smales is the son of the
rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ed in the 1970s and 1980s;
Tommy Smales
Thomas Smales (born 19 December ) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at club level for Wigan, Barrow and Featherstone Rovers as a ,Bailey, ...
.
References
External links
*(archived by web.archive.org
English Schools’ Rugby League Handbook 2005/06*(archived by web.archive.org
English Schools’ Rugby League Handbook 2006/07Wigan 2 - 33 Castleford Sat 22 January 1994, Regal Trophy, Neutral Ground, 15,626
*(archived by web.archive.org
Castleford Have Put the Second Row Ian Smales … On the Transfer List.
*(archived by web.archive.org
* ttp://rugby-league-world.com/1998/results/challengecup/cupround4d.html Ellenborough V Hunslet->
Club Together - The Newsletter for Sports Clubs in the Wakefield District – Edition 3
* ttp://www.wakefield.gov.uk/mg/published/c00000221/m00009576/$$adocpackpublic.pdf Healthy Changes 4 Life Conference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smales, Ian
1968 births
Living people
Castleford Tigers players
English rugby league players
Featherstone Rovers players
Great Britain national rugby league team players
Hunslet R.L.F.C. players
Place of birth missing (living people)
Rugby league utility players
Yorkshire rugby league team players