Mike Ford will enlist the help of his son, the England fly-half George, to revolutionise the fortunes of third-tier rugby league club Oldham Roughyeds after completing a surprise takeover of his hometown club.
Ford, the former Bath head coach who has spent the last 20 years coaching in union, will return to the sport where he made his name as a player after being unveiled as the head of a five-strong consortium of a club who have not played in Super League since 1997, and now play in front of crowds well under 1,000 in the lowest professional tier in rugby league.