When Chris Atherton made his move to Premier League giants Chelsea last summer, father Stephen highlighted two people who played the most crucial role in “our son’s development, not only as a player but just as importantly as a young man” – one was ex-Glenavon boss Gary Hamilton, and the other Rory Hale.

Cliftonville captain Hale has lit up the Irish League for many years, leading the Reds to Irish Cup and League Cup glory, but he’s also playing a key part off the pitch in developing the next generation of stars.

Through his R.H Coaching business, Hale has helped a host of youngsters fulfil their ultimate dream of moving across the water.

Hale worked with Atherton, widely-regarded as one of the best players to come through the Irish League in recent times, for three years before his switch to England while the likes of Shay Reid and Cameron Reid have also benefitted from his mentorship.

placeholder image — Rory Hale (right) with Shay Reid after he sealed a move to Preston North End last summer. (Photo by RH Coaching)

The 29-year-old has also held sessions this summer for top talent looking to keep sharp before heading back to pre-season training with parent clubs in England or Scotland – and he’s driven by a deep passion for his craft.

"I love it, it's my passion, it’s my business,” said Hale. “I've got a real passion for developing young players.

"When they're in with me, if I can make them 1% better, that’s me doing my job.

"Whether it's telling them something that mentally may improve them or tactically, whatever it may be, it's a real passion that I have.

"We've had some quality players coming in during the off-season – that can only help me become a better coach as well.

"I'm seeing different things, working with different people, and it’s great for me to adapt from different positions and help them out.

"It's been a real positive off-season for me.”

In Hale, his players have someone who has been there and done it and lived the experience they’re craving – the midfielder came through the ranks at Aston Villa, featuring more than 40 times in Premier League 2.

Hale’s service isn’t just all about technical ability, but also providing lessons learned to young stars looking to forge successful careers.

"You can only say what your experience is, whether they take that on board or not is completely different,” he added. “Everybody's journey is different.

"The players I've been working with, a couple had tough scenarios in their first season in England and I can talk with them about it, whether it’s homesickness, not playing, not adapting to life away from home – these are all things that happen and it's difficult.

"I think the Irish FA are doing a great job with the JD Academy of bringing these kids in and preparing them for life away from home.

“It may be moving to the League of Ireland, Scotland, England, that's the main aim, it gives them an insight on moving away from home, living by themselves, living with maybe other team-mates, moving away from their parents.

"I can only speak from my experiences and whether they take it on board or not is up to them, but the majority of them do.”

When it comes to player development, a topic of conversation often centres on what is the best path – making a move to academy football at 15 or 16, or sticking around the Irish League to build up senior experience?

There’s plenty of examples of both working with Trai Hume now established in the Premier League after playing for both Ballymena United and Linfield, while the likes of Terry Devlin, Paul Smyth and Mark Sykes are all playing in the Championship.

Conor Bradley, a prodigious talent from a young age, transferred to Liverpool’s academy from Dungannon Swifts and never looked back, going on to win a Premier League title and feature in the Champions League with the Reds.

For Hale, cases are viewed on a player-by-player basis with no two situations identical, but insists it’s difficult to turn down opportunities at elite clubs.

"There's always that debate and question whether moving away at 16 is the right decision or do you stay here?” he said. “I moved away at 15 and I maybe wouldn't have learned everything that I learned in England back home...it made me the player that I am today.

"But there's players that have moved across, like Mark Sykes and Gavin Whyte, who did their time in the league and then got moves. Again, it's different journeys.

"How do you turn around at 15 or 16 and turn down a move to a club like Chelsea? How do you do that?

"You can bet on yourself, but you're an injury away from that never happening again. You might get to 16, you might not grow, you might not get any quicker, you might have a bad injury. There's just so many different things.

"It's hard for a kid to turn around at 15 or 16 and go ‘I should stay here and learn my trade’, it's really difficult.

"Paul McGovern did it. He probably could have went across at 15 but went ‘I'm going to get another hard season here and finish school’.

"He got a well-deserved move to Falkirk, so fair play to him.

"He's one of the ones who took a punt on himself and went, ‘no, I'm going to develop here in this league’.

"You've seen the media side of things now and the league, the way it's progressing, there's a match on every week, the streams, they're doing a great job on promoting it.

"If you're a kid and you want to bet on yourself, there's no better platform.”