Ex-England and British Lions assistant coach Mike Ford is back in rugby league after leading a consortium to buy his hometown club Oldham.
Ford, 57, also coached at Leicester Tigers and Toulon after switching codes but he initially made his name in the 13-man game as a scrum-half who played for the likes of Oldham, Wigan, Castleford and Great Britain.
Along with local businessman Mick Harrington, he has successfully purchased the League 1 outfit from long-term owner Chris Hamilton and is now gearing up to help drive them into a bright new era.
The recently-announced return of the Roughyeds to Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park in 2024 was seen as a key part of the deal. Ford, who coached Oldham in 2000 and 2001, said: “We are really excited about the future of the Roughyeds.
“It’s close to all our hearts and we know the importance of a vibrant, thriving Oldham Rugby to the town and its people. We certainly don’t take our responsibility as club custodians lightly and it’s our vision to give the people of Oldham a rugby league club they can be proud of.
“A club that they are excited and inspired by and one that they can identify with. We cannot wait to get started.” With a long-term agreement at Boundary Park, Oldham are confident of being able to access crucial revenue streams to enhance their chances of eventually returning to the elite.
Oldham have not played in Super League since being relegated in 1997, the year they later went bankrupt with huge debts. Hartington, a lifelong Oldham rugby league fan from Delph whose grandfather played for the club in the 1960s, added: “This is a historic day for an historic club.
"We do not want to get ahead of ourselves and we know there is a lot of hard work ahead - but we feel that we can do something special here.
“Oldham remains a rugby league hotbed and we believe the potential – especially with Boundary Park now as our home - is huge.”
