Kevin Maggs and Chris Brightwell to remain
Apr 26, 2016 10:28:31 GMT
Steve@Mose, sorrento, and 3 more like this
Post by Communications Team on Apr 26, 2016 10:28:31 GMT
Birmingham Mail - 26th April
Moseley have begun the process of bouncing back to the Championship by confirming that director of rugby Kevin Maggs and skipper Chris Brightwell will stay at the club.
The Red and Blacks’ relegation, which was confirmed 10 days ago when their last-gasp defeat at Bristol was followed by Ealing’s win over Jersey, ended a decade-long stay in English rugby’s second tier.
Perhaps more significantly it means they lose around £500,000 of RFU funding and, as a consequence, a significant realignment of their playing resources and off-field support activities must now take place.
Maggs has just completed his sixth season at the helm since taking over from Ian Smith and is well-respected. While Moseley have never finished in the top half of the Championship under his control, they have largely punched above their weight against better-funded opposition and Maggs’ commitment to the cause has played an important part in this.
Kiwi-born Brightwell has won England Sevens honours and spent periods with Bedford in the Championship, as well as Premiership Sale. The 31-year-old is an outstanding player at Championship level and should therefore prove even more effective one level down in his fourth season at Billesley Common.
Moseley’s playing chairman, John Beale, is delighted both have committed their futures to Moseley.
He is also confident about the future and moves swiftly to dispel any thoughts that Moseley will struggle to be competitive in National One against the likes of Coventry, Plymouth Albion, Blackheath and Rosslyn Park.
“We’re delighted to have kept Kevin and Chris, who are both vital parts of our club,” he says.
“Although we have lost over half-a-million pounds of central funding, that will still leave us with a competitive National One playing budget.
“My information tells me the amount we will be spending is top quartile, although one or two clubs do have a lot more.
“We are also hopeful we will increasingly feed our first team through our excellent junior section and Moseley Oak, and we see a couple of players from that source coming into the squad for next year.
“For the last couple of years roughly half of our players have been full-time and we won’t now have sufficient money for anyone to do nothing other than play rugby.
“What we will have are some players who do coaching work for us in the community, or do other things within the club, in addition to training and playing.
“The majority will then be part-time and paid per match, perhaps with a small retainer, and we will try and help them find jobs with employers who are sympathetic to their rugby needs.”
Beale believes Moseley have made great strides off the field in recent times, thanks to the excellent new facilities at Billesley Common and the club’s strong community ties.
Nonetheless, he says they must replace at least some of the lost RFU funding through their own efforts.
“We have to work hard to grow the budget by increasing the use of our facilities, attracting more sponsors and investors and being more creative about how we spend our money,” he says. “That involves everything from contracts with players through to what we do off the field.
“We have both football and rugby academies on site, which generate income, and we have no debts, which is most unusual in any sporting organisation.
“We also have a good sponsorship base, which we hope to grow further.
“We are sustainable for National One rugby, but not at Championship level without RFU money. Whether this means we are able to smash every other team in the league is debatable as, unlike Ealing and Doncaster, who have bounced straight back up from National One in the last two years, our directors will not be able to replace the lost funding out of their own pockets.”
Moseley have begun the process of bouncing back to the Championship by confirming that director of rugby Kevin Maggs and skipper Chris Brightwell will stay at the club.
The Red and Blacks’ relegation, which was confirmed 10 days ago when their last-gasp defeat at Bristol was followed by Ealing’s win over Jersey, ended a decade-long stay in English rugby’s second tier.
Perhaps more significantly it means they lose around £500,000 of RFU funding and, as a consequence, a significant realignment of their playing resources and off-field support activities must now take place.
Maggs has just completed his sixth season at the helm since taking over from Ian Smith and is well-respected. While Moseley have never finished in the top half of the Championship under his control, they have largely punched above their weight against better-funded opposition and Maggs’ commitment to the cause has played an important part in this.
Kiwi-born Brightwell has won England Sevens honours and spent periods with Bedford in the Championship, as well as Premiership Sale. The 31-year-old is an outstanding player at Championship level and should therefore prove even more effective one level down in his fourth season at Billesley Common.
Moseley’s playing chairman, John Beale, is delighted both have committed their futures to Moseley.
He is also confident about the future and moves swiftly to dispel any thoughts that Moseley will struggle to be competitive in National One against the likes of Coventry, Plymouth Albion, Blackheath and Rosslyn Park.
“We’re delighted to have kept Kevin and Chris, who are both vital parts of our club,” he says.
“Although we have lost over half-a-million pounds of central funding, that will still leave us with a competitive National One playing budget.
“My information tells me the amount we will be spending is top quartile, although one or two clubs do have a lot more.
“We are also hopeful we will increasingly feed our first team through our excellent junior section and Moseley Oak, and we see a couple of players from that source coming into the squad for next year.
“For the last couple of years roughly half of our players have been full-time and we won’t now have sufficient money for anyone to do nothing other than play rugby.
“What we will have are some players who do coaching work for us in the community, or do other things within the club, in addition to training and playing.
“The majority will then be part-time and paid per match, perhaps with a small retainer, and we will try and help them find jobs with employers who are sympathetic to their rugby needs.”
Beale believes Moseley have made great strides off the field in recent times, thanks to the excellent new facilities at Billesley Common and the club’s strong community ties.
Nonetheless, he says they must replace at least some of the lost RFU funding through their own efforts.
“We have to work hard to grow the budget by increasing the use of our facilities, attracting more sponsors and investors and being more creative about how we spend our money,” he says. “That involves everything from contracts with players through to what we do off the field.
“We have both football and rugby academies on site, which generate income, and we have no debts, which is most unusual in any sporting organisation.
“We also have a good sponsorship base, which we hope to grow further.
“We are sustainable for National One rugby, but not at Championship level without RFU money. Whether this means we are able to smash every other team in the league is debatable as, unlike Ealing and Doncaster, who have bounced straight back up from National One in the last two years, our directors will not be able to replace the lost funding out of their own pockets.”
