Bristol Bears have appointed 33-year-old Tom Tainton as the Premiership rugby club's chief operating officer ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Tom effectively fills the role left vacant since his uncle Mark Tainton, Bristol's record points scorer on the field from his days as a fly-half in the blue and white hoops, who stood down as CEO in May. Mark Tainton officially left the club for 'personal reasons' but his departure came in wake of a contracts gaff at the club which left director of rugby Pat Lam in a sticky position building his squad ahead of the upcoming season, losing the likes of former England international Dave Attwood to Bath due to not having the planned space within the salary cap due to other commitments.
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