TV role for dedicated Leeds fan

The 55-year-old has been selected to feature in a season-long television advertising campaign, designed by new Premiership sponsors Aviva that highlights the work of unsung heroes at clubs across the country.

The adverts, where Bidgood will join the likes of Harlequins groundsman Paul Sykes and Saracens kitman Roy Reyland on Sky Sports, ESPN and ITV, demonstrate the value of teamwork and recognise the important roles played by individuals behind the scenes in the Premiership.

"An email came around about the unsung hero and a few people responded and I said 'Yes OK' and the next thing I have gone through pre-selection and final selection," said Bidgood – who reached his 500th game as a Leeds spectator in February when they beat Wasps 26-10.

"My association goes back a long way, I have been at the club since the very beginning and haven't missed a match since 1992.

"I am also heavily involved in West Park Leeds Rugby Club and I have seen Leeds grow and grow over the years. I have had various roles from office manager to IT manager and now finance manager.

"We are quite unique in the fact that the rugby league club the Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Carnegie work closely together.

"They are obviously separate at the top but the clerical roles are generally shared and the sales department, PR, HR, marketing, ticket sales and shops run across both codes.

"There is about 100 staff and the atmosphere is very good, maybe not at the moment because the Rhinos lost the Challenge Cup final, but we are work hard together."

Gary Price, Head of Marketing for Aviva explained, "One of the reasons the Aviva Premiership Rugby sponsorship appealed to us so much was the values of teamwork and respect which exist within the game and through these adverts we wanted to show that an Aviva Premiership Rugby team is about far more than just the players on the pitch."