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He’s coached in World Cups, Premiership finals and in Europe’s top club competition.

Now former Bath Rugby boss Mike Ford is jetting off to America; taking charge of new Major League Rugby club Dallas Griffins.

MLR commissioner Dean Howes said: “We are excited to have Mr Ford in the MLR network. His experience, achievement and dedication to the sport will add tremendous value on and off the field.

“Mr Ford will join a talented and experienced group or MLR coaches committed to raising the level of the American game.

"We are looking forward to the launch and many seasons ahead.”

Major League Rugby is scheduled to start next Spring and will involve both professional and semi-professional clubs.

As well as Dallas, teams are expected to play out of Glendale, Colorado; Kansas City; Houston and Austin, Texas; New Orleans, Seattle, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City.

After losing his job at Bath in May 2016, Ford told the Chronicle he had a very open mind in terms of where he worked next.

As it turned out, an opportunity arose to join European giants Toulon. When Diego Dominguez was axed, Ford became head coach until the end of last season, but then he lost that job and former Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill took over for the rest of the Top14 campaign.

Last Saturday, Ford attended the USA v Ireland game at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey with Phil Camm, the British-born Dallas chief executive.



Ford said in a statement: “I’ve been talking to Phil (Camm, Griffins CEO) about this project for well over a year and the challenge really excites me.

“It’s a chance to take me out of my comfort zone and the experience will be invaluable.



“The opportunity to work from the beginning with a like-minded, trusted group of people, who all want the same thing and to create an environment and culture that hopefully will have a lasting legacy, is too good to turn down.

“That work starts now and I can’t wait.”

Ford has joined on what has been described as a “long-term” contract and will “oversee rugby development, coaching and player recruitment, building a team of local and internationally-experienced staff that can provide a world-class experience for players”.

Camm said: “Bill (Bingham, co-founder) and I have been working towards MLR for quite some time and we have a great group of partners who want to set a very high bar for American rugby.

“Mike is known for his attention to detail and immense work ethic as well as a vision for the game that brings out the best in the people he works with.

“With Mike’s leadership and great man management skills, we’re looking forward to growing the game throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, working with the local clubs and their coaches to raise the overall standard in the region.”

