Ian Millward explains ...... : Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:31 pm
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taken from www.sportinglife.com
Ian Millward says the time is right for him to make a return to England after he agreed a three-year contract with Leigh Centurions. The 48-year-old will return to the club where he made his name following a three-year stint in the NRL where he coached at North Queensland Cowboys and Canberra Raiders. He will remain as assistant coach at Canberra until the end of the season, before taking over as head coach at the Sports Village in 2010. The former St Helens and Wigan boss spent six years in Super League, but insists his second spell at Leigh is not designed to be a stepping stone to a job in the top division. Outlining the reasons for his return, he told sportinglife.com: "Since I've been in Australia I've had offers to go back into Super League but the timing was never right. "Obviously those clubs have coaches now, but this decision isn't about me getting back into Super League, I could've done that over the last three years. "This decision is about timing, the right challenge and what suits my family. "Leigh have got a new stadium and they want to force their hand for Super League when the next franchises come along in a couple of years time. "It's a big challenge for me. I want to bring success to a club who did so much for me when I first came to the UK, I want to achieve there and give something back to them." "Another big thing for me is my kids live in Leigh and I've really missed them. It's really eaten away at me being away from them and that's a big part of my decision. "My wife's parents live in Leigh also, so from a family point of view the Leigh option ticked a lot of boxes." Millward is a close friend to Leigh chairman Arthur Thomas after working under him in his previous stint in England and he is looking forward to renewing their professional relationship. He continued: "Arthur Thomas took me to St Helens from Leigh the last time, he left St Helens three months before I left and we've always kept in contact. He was like a father figure to me the first time I was in the UK. "He talked to me about coming back, to build a successful team to go with the new stadium, a team capable of forging their way back into Super League. "A few local businessmen are trying to put some structures in place at the club, to finance the club to be strong in the Co-operative Championship in the short term, and to be a Super League club in the long term. "Anyone who wants to get back into Super League has to be successful, so that's a challenge in itself. But Leigh are quite fortunate in the fact it's a rugby league area which produces a lot of good young players. "When I went to Leigh first time I was an unknown person who they took a chance on, so there is a massive attachment to Leigh for me. "I'm looking forward to winning a lot of games which will hopefully create a lot of happiness for people in the area." Paul Rowley is the current caretaker coach at Leigh and he will remain at the club as an assistant to Millward, but the future of all the club's playing staff is less certain. "They are going to send me some videos and I look forward to looking at those and seeing which players have earnt the right to stay on and which players haven't," said Millward. "It's a good time for the players to stand up and be counted if they want to be involved at the club in future years." Whoever does stay on at the Centurions Millward is confident he can use his wealth of experience to Leigh's advantage. "I've been lucky enough to win the best trophies in the UK, and I was also lucky enough to come back to the NRL and find out what I think works and what doesn't," he said. "I've really enjoyed it in Australia but I'm looking forward to the new challenge now and with my family nearby that's the icing on the cake." |
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taken from www.sportinglife.com
Ian Millward says the time is right for him to make a return to England after he agreed a three-year contract with Leigh Centurions. The 48-year-old will return to the club where he made his name following a three-year stint in the NRL where he coached at North Queensland Cowboys and Canberra Raiders. He will remain as assistant coach at Canberra until the end of the season, before taking over as head coach at the Sports Village in 2010. The former St Helens and Wigan boss spent six years in Super League, but insists his second spell at Leigh is not designed to be a stepping stone to a job in the top division. Outlining the reasons for his return, he told sportinglife.com: "Since I've been in Australia I've had offers to go back into Super League but the timing was never right. "Obviously those clubs have coaches now, but this decision isn't about me getting back into Super League, I could've done that over the last three years. "This decision is about timing, the right challenge and what suits my family. "Leigh have got a new stadium and they want to force their hand for Super League when the next franchises come along in a couple of years time. "It's a big challenge for me. I want to bring success to a club who did so much for me when I first came to the UK, I want to achieve there and give something back to them." "Another big thing for me is my kids live in Leigh and I've really missed them. It's really eaten away at me being away from them and that's a big part of my decision. "My wife's parents live in Leigh also, so from a family point of view the Leigh option ticked a lot of boxes." Millward is a close friend to Leigh chairman Arthur Thomas after working under him in his previous stint in England and he is looking forward to renewing their professional relationship. He continued: "Arthur Thomas took me to St Helens from Leigh the last time, he left St Helens three months before I left and we've always kept in contact. He was like a father figure to me the first time I was in the UK. "He talked to me about coming back, to build a successful team to go with the new stadium, a team capable of forging their way back into Super League. "A few local businessmen are trying to put some structures in place at the club, to finance the club to be strong in the Co-operative Championship in the short term, and to be a Super League club in the long term. "Anyone who wants to get back into Super League has to be successful, so that's a challenge in itself. But Leigh are quite fortunate in the fact it's a rugby league area which produces a lot of good young players. "When I went to Leigh first time I was an unknown person who they took a chance on, so there is a massive attachment to Leigh for me. "I'm looking forward to winning a lot of games which will hopefully create a lot of happiness for people in the area." Paul Rowley is the current caretaker coach at Leigh and he will remain at the club as an assistant to Millward, but the future of all the club's playing staff is less certain. "They are going to send me some videos and I look forward to looking at those and seeing which players have earnt the right to stay on and which players haven't," said Millward. "It's a good time for the players to stand up and be counted if they want to be involved at the club in future years." Whoever does stay on at the Centurions Millward is confident he can use his wealth of experience to Leigh's advantage. "I've been lucky enough to win the best trophies in the UK, and I was also lucky enough to come back to the NRL and find out what I think works and what doesn't," he said. "I've really enjoyed it in Australia but I'm looking forward to the new challenge now and with my family nearby that's the icing on the cake." |
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