Leeds Career

Alan originally joined the Tykes from local rivals Sale in August 2002 as initial short term cover due to an injury crisis however such has been his determination and will to succeed that he became the first choice scrum half for the two subsequent seasons. Dickens has played against the Tykes on a couple of occasions, twice for Sale last season and previously with his former club, Manchester.
Alan left the Tykes at the end of the 2004/05 season having played in 72 games and scoring 9 tries for the club. Alan also left with a Powergen Cup winning medal after being part of the Tykes victory over Bath at Twickenham.

Rugby Career

Alan joined Sale Sharks at the start of last season from their neighbours Manchester. During the 2000-2001 season he only missed one game for Manchester, making a total of 25 appearances and scoring 4 tries. At Sale, he was the understudy to Bryan Redpath, however he still made 18 appearances including 10 starts at Heywood Road. He has also played at Stourbridge.

Personal Details

He is a qualified teacher and gave up his profession in order to pursue a career as a professional rugby player when he joined the Sharks. His favourite film is Rocky and his favourite TV show is Only fools and horses. He did his teaching degree at Worcester and his favourite food is curry.
His other interests include gardening and his sporting heroes are British Olympic legends Linford Christie and Daley Thompson