There’s always a special bond between athlete and coach.

It’s certainly something that Patrick Calow and Nathaniel Morgan can testify to.

They met four years ago on the rugby field, shortly after former pro wrestler John Layfield introduced Beyond Rugby Bermuda to the Island.

Nathaniel was a student at Dellwood Middle School. Patrick, the youth development officer for the Bermuda Rugby Union and head coach for Beyond Rugby, had only just moved to the Island from Northern Ireland.

“His ability was very raw when he started but his energy and enthusiasm towards rugby makes him a lot of fun to coach,” Patrick said. “It’s been really cool to see the progress in him as a rugby player but also as a person. He’s a brilliant young man. It’s been pretty special to see his growth on the field and also his academic progress and [to see him] making good life choices off the field as well.”

The Beyond Rugby programme is a partnership between The Family Centre and Bermuda Rugby Union. It’s aimed at CedarBridge Academy and Dellwood Middle School students who might “otherwise get lost in society”.

A spokesperson said: “The charity does exactly as it says and goes ‘beyond rugby’ to provide these children with valuable social and life skills and to provide them with options.”

Students receive after-school coaching in sports and homework from 3.30pm. They’re given dinner and sent home around 7pm.

“We work closely with school counsellors to target kids that could really use coaching support and academic support as well, but we’re open to any student at the schools who wants to get some structure,” Patrick said.

“I think they love the structure. We have CedarBridge students Mondays and Wednesdays and Dellwood students Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

Nathaniel is now 15 and a student at CedarBridge Academy. He plays hooker with his school’s rugby team and also Bermuda’s Under-17 team. He’s travelled twice with the national team, to the Bahamas and the UK, and helped bring the rugby cup “home” to CedarBridge this year.

“Rugby opened a different world for me,” the teenager said. “I had an anger problem and when I played, my anger disappeared. It helped me push myself as a person. I started playing on the wing and then it was suggested that I play the hooker position and I found this really suited me and it was a position I really enjoyed.”

He believes the assistance he received through Beyond Rugby Bermuda’s homework academy helped him make the honour roll twice in middle school.

“Whenever I’m stressed it helps open my eyes to see things,” he said. “They also help with resumes and interviews.”

Patrick said he’s also been impacted by his work with the students. “It’s definitely something I’ve really enjoyed in terms of really using it as an opportunity to see young people improve both off and on the field,” the 27-year-old said. “Before, wins and losses were most important to me.

“Now if someone doesn’t turn up to practice I want to find out why and how I can possibly help. We’ve built that relationship and I find people are playing better and a different dynamic is there.”