Basketball
Riders Appoint Ford
6th September 2007
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders have appointed Martin Ford as their head coach for the 2007/08 season.
The 40-year-old previously coached in the BBL at Derby and also spent three years as assistant coach at Milton Keynes Lions.
More recently he took the Loughborough University team into the National League and led them to the Division 3 title two years ago and for the last four seasons he has been the highly successful coach of the English Universities side.
"We're delighted to have Martin on board," said spokesman Mike Steptoe. "He has a track record in the BBL and his experience with England Universities team means he has a wealth of knowledge of young English players as well."
Ford made his name as a player in the 80s and 90s, mainly with Derby, but also had spells with Manchester and Nottingham and also made a couple of appearances for England.
"The BBL is the top league in the country and that's where I believe I should be coaching," said Ford. "This is a tremendous opportunity because of what the Riders are looking to do. I want to help develop from the grass roots all the way through to the elite team and that's what the Riders are looking to do.
"I'm interested in building a proper programme, with a sound structure both on and off the court and the recent sponsorship from Jelson Homes has put the Riders in a position to do that."
With the season just three weeks away, Ford is aware that time is not on his side as he looks to build a team.
"It's very difficult, we'd rather not be in such a rush, but that's where we are," Ford added. "We're talking to some good players, so I'm hoping we'll have a good side. Winning is not in a straight line, for us to be successful this year and in coming years we're going to have some dips, but the key thing for me is having a vision of where we are going to go and ensuring that everyone is working towards that. It won't be easy early on, but we will do everything we can to be successful."
As part of his development, he has also participated in the World Class Coaches programme and is a qualified teacher
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