Weaving through Bridgend Industrial Estate it's easy to switch off, however a new, bright green sign attached to a large unit grabs your eye, standing to attention amongst the rest. Inside, former Welsh regions player Rory Pitman sits inside as he gets ready to launch the hub of his new venture.
Coming to the end of a professional sporting career is never easy, whether it's through retiring, not being signed to a new contract, or injury, there's a big adjustment period which is something Rory has been very open about in the past. Today, however, coming back to his Bridgend roots, 32-year-old Rory stands positive and ready for his next venture supporting both the next generation of athletes in Wales and the wider community.
Born out of some Whatsapp messages during lockdown, A-Head of the Game Nutrition is a meal-prep company founded by Rory that aims to get athletes in their best physical and mental mindset to train effectively. After growing from success to success over the last two years, the company has now settled in Bridgend with an aim to give back to the community in more ways than one.
He hopes his new business can not only cater to those wishing to fuel their training correctly, but also act as a hub for mental health education, training, and awareness, having learned the correlation between food and mental wellbeing during his career. "When I was playing, I never really understood the impact of food. I thought 'I'm playing well, I'm doing well." Rory explained.
"I didn't understand how my body needed nutrients to recover, and that what I was putting in my body on a Saturday and Sunday was going to have an effect on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, so I think a lot of my unhappiness came from there, though injuries didn't help."
Rory acknowledged that the education on nutrition wasn't there during the majority of his career, and bad eating and drinking habits, paired with professional setbacks such as injuries made for a negative space for his mental health. "Looking back at a young Rory, if I could give him any advice it would be just to understand that what you're putting in, you're getting out."
Thinking back to where it all began, Rory explained: "We'd just gone through pre-season and I was in really good condition. But with lockdown, I found myself starting going into old habits: you couldn't go to the gym, couldn't go out, so you find yourself waking up later, I found myself staying up later, and then the foods I was eating started to get a little bit worse and worse, then I watched my mood deteriorate from there."
Having battled with his mental health previously, Rory was determined to not only prevent himself from going to that space again, but to look after his friends too who may be going through something similar. After sharing recipes within the group and receiving plenty of positive feedback - "They would say 'This tastes fantastic', I didn't know you could cook', and things, it was very amusing" Rory explained - he began to take the idea more seriously.
Despite the challenge of beginning a business during Covid, when many were struggling to stay afloat, Rory began to find success after teaming up with a chef and taking out a lease on the kitchen in The Fairways Hotel, Porthcawl. Following a successful bout of subscriptions, Rory decided to move the business to Penarth, setting a new challenge kitting out a kitchen ready to take the business to the next level.
After several successes with gyms, regional and national teams, and professional athletes throughout Wales, Rory decided that it was time to come home with his business, and make it something that's not only a hub for athletes, but for the people of Bridgend as well. Brynmenyn-boy Rory explained: "I just always had that kind of thing in the back of my mind, imagine this happening in Bridgend and helping kids in the community understand themselves better, helping adults understand themselves better.
"I'm passionate about the area I've grown up in here, and I understand that there's been a lot of negative things happening but it's also a beautiful place and I think we can help a lot of people." Rory's aim is to not only run the business from the unit, but to utilise the space as a hub for learning about physical and mental wellbeing, and create a safe space for people to discuss their mental health.
"Having those bad experiences with mental health and everything else has led me to the person I am today, and I'm proud of where I am now and what I've learned. For me, my foundation is what I eat and drink."
His passion clearly showing as he speaks, Rory explained his hopes following the unit's opening. "We'll be doing free mental health seminars from experts, first aid training, nutrition seminars, cooking classes for both adults and kids. Then just lending this space to anyone who wants to use it, so if somebody has an idea or a workshop they want to do, they're welcome to do it here. We'll have yoga and mums and babies classes too.
"I think now I'm a happy person now, whereas before I never really appreciated who I was, my job was just a rugby player. But now, I say I'm a Dad, I like to think I'm a good friend, I care about what I do and I think that's why A-Head Of The Game is so important to me is because it's about other people, and it's about how we can help people, I've found my passion." Enjoy this story? Get all of our latest news from Bridgend straight to your inbox for free by signing up here.
