Quinn & Ford issue positive boardroom update

Roughyeds chairman Bill Quinn and managing director Mike Ford have offered fans a positive update on the club’s progress as the Roughyeds set their sights on promotion to the Betfred Championship.

Speaking exclusively to Roughyeds TV on the club’s regular magazine show The Boundary Line, Quinn and Ford updated supporters on a host of issues including recruitment for 2025, the development of pathway and women’s teams, and growing the Oldham fanbase at Boundary Park.

“We are crazy busy which is a good thing. New signings, injuries, disciplinaries, sponsors. It is good to be busy and things are looking well,” said Ford.

“12 months has gone by so fast it has been unbelievable,” added Quinn. “We are in a good position and we are looking forward to the next eight games and seeing where we end up.

Updating fans on progress on the pitch, Ford says the club is in a strong position.

“The Championship is in our own hands and we know that any time we are not on it then it will be difficult to win games. The wake-up call at Keighley and then at North Wales showed that people are out to take our scalps. But it is in our hands. If we do things right we should be ok.

“The squad is in a healthy position with Jordan Turner and Mo Agoro back. And we have good news for the fans on McKenzie Yei who has had a difficult time since he came. We signed him with a little bit of an injury and he has had good news regarding his knee so you should be expecting to see him play in the next 2-3 weeks and certainly before the end of the season.

“We have signed Kieran Dixon who comes with a great pedigree from Super League and can play full-back or wing with the added bonus of being able to kick goals. It is an 18-month deal and the current players will see that this club is never going to stop in trying to get better.”

Off the field, Quinn says the club is ahead of where he might have expected to be after a year in charge.

“When we took the club over the club wasn’t flat, it was in a hole. We have dug ourselves out of a hole, worked hard commercially, and tried to engage the fans with a better matchday experience. We have upped the crowds but would love to see more. We are okay, but what we need now with six home games to go and challenging for the Championship – we need as many fans as possible to get right behind the lads and really push this. That helps financially, with the atmosphere and everything as we march to the end of the season.”

Other topics of discussion include recruitment for next season, with Ford confirming that business is almost done for 2025.

“I have done this for years and years in rugby union and you can never stop. You have to be as early as possible or you will miss out. The backing and support of Bill has to be 100% and we thank Bill for that as he has been unwavering in his support for the club and without him we couldn’t do it.

“Recruitment for next year is near enough finished. We have plenty of exciting signings to announce in the near future.”

On pathways, and the development and retention of local talent, Ford added:

“The vision was to reconnect with the town and we want the kids in the town not just playing for Oldham but supporting Oldham. We have under 11’s to 16’s teams now and have decided we are going to get under 17’s before next September.”

Quinn added:

“I was here in 2007-2009 and I remember there were virtually no kids. So to see the kids running around at games now was one of the reasons I wanted to get interested in this club again. You just feel so good to be able to grab those kids, work with them and achieve something with them.”

On a potential women’s team, Ford said:

“We have a Director of Women’s rugby in Beth Sutcliffe. The plan is for a development officer – we have a grant from Sport England which has gone into our foundation to finance that. By September we want to get into schools and clubs and then put a timeframe on when we might get a women’s team.”

On the club’s training base at Melrose, Quinn said:

“We are developing Melrose with a longer-term plan to put a facility there for the community. It is going to be our pathway and our future. As much as we want to see Super League, we have always said we want to see growth from the ground up and Melrose is a massive part in that.”

On IMG, Ford said:

“We are on it, have done an analysis on it and know exactly where we need to improve. We are putting plans in place to improve that.”

Quinn again stressed how much the club values its fans and the desire that there is to make Boundary Park a fortress.

“The atmosphere for the players has been fantastic. We pay tribute to our fans for all the travelling and support, but we do need bums on seats because it helps with the IMG, the financial point of view too, and it would be fantastic for the last six home games to see as many people here as we possibly can.

“Grab a friend, I’m sure they will enjoy it and we will keep getting better. It will grow and grow”.

You can watch the full episode here: