The Welshman on extending his third spell at Whaddon Road, becoming a dad, playing at full-back, why the training trip to Spain could be big for team bonding and optimism for the season ahead.
Watch the full chat with Ryan Broom below:
New deal
Ryan Broom, Cheltenham’s winger and part-time full-back, is in his third spell with the club and he was excited to sign a new contract with The Robins in May.
“I was delighted to get it done. Another year at Cheltenham, signed a one year contract and it’s good for me. I’m looking forward to the new season,” Broom told Sport and Life.
Manager Steve Cotterill hailed Broom as a “wonderful character and a fantastic professional” in the article to announce the player’s new contract on the club’s website.
Broom says that praise is meaningful and that continuing to work with Cotterill was a factor in his decision to stay.
“I appreciate it (Cotterill’s praise) massively. I just try and give one hundred percent every day. But, yeah, it’s nice. It’s nice to get good comments isn’t it?
“The manager came in, it’s just been a really good environment, great to be around. Really good people at the club.”
Insight from playing at right back
Recognised as a right winger, Broom was asked to play right-back on several occasions last season. He says it wasn’t a totally new experience and it does give him more information about how to be an even more effective winger when playing further forward.
“When I look back to when I was starting out with Bristol Rovers, I played a lot there at the start of my carer as well. It’s good to be able to help the manager, you can help him out and do a job.
“You see the pitch a lot more. It’s more of a passing game whereas if you’re playing wing you might be making more runs behind.
“It’s funny because you’re like ‘why is he not making that run?’ It give you a different perspective and probably helps your game in other positions.”
Choosing football over rugby
A proud Welshman, Broom says rugby union was a big part of sport at school in South Wales but that football was always the better fit for him.
“My year in school was always football. Gareth Bale was big, we had Giggs and Aaron Ramsey and football was blowing up in Wales.
“We had to convince our PE teacher, who was purely rugby, that we wanted to play football.
“There was a time when I was playing rugby but my mum said ‘you’ve got to pick one.’ And it was an easy decision to be honest with you.”
New dad perspective
Broom commutes to Cheltenham from his home city of Newport – where he lives with his wife and baby son Ianto. He says becoming a dad in the spring has shifted his outlook on football and life.
“It’s a totally different feeling, isn’t it? You see small changes in yourself as time goes on.
“And then I look back and see big differences in myself. How you allocate your time and I just want to help out as much as I can really.”
“When he was born, I was still training and playing, and it’s been a whole other experience now being in the off season and it’s more hands-on, twenty-four seven.
The importance of team bonding in Spain
For the time being Broom is enjoying bonding time with his baby boy. But he’ll be leaving his family for a preseason trip to Spain in July. He believes the trip as well as providing a time to focus on fitness will also be big for team spirit.
“We’re looking forward to it. I’m sure it will be a good opportunity for us all to get together and relax and enjoy training in a different environment.
“You can see those relationships building and you can see it on the pitch. The closer the bond, the better. Small margins make a difference.
Excited for the new season
Approaching his fifth season at Cheltenham, spread across eight years, Broom is well placed to give an opinion on the club’s trajectory. He believes there’s reason for the fans to be optimistic about the new season.
“I think we’ve got a good group of players, good core group of players there.
“Everyone’s enjoyed it since the new manager came in, everyone enjoyed working with him. You can see that in the way we played.
“I think there is growing optimism and excitement about the new season but there’s plenty of hard work to be done.”
