Sir Bill Beaumont CBE DL
Honorary President of the Foundation
This Trustee doesn’t really need a biography but just in case you aren’t fully aware of Bill’s background, Bill (or Sir William Blackledge Beaumont, CBE, DL to give him his full title) played for and captained Lancashire, the North of England, England and the British and Irish Lions in an illustrious career, the highlight of which was being England’s Grand Slam captain in 1980. Bill has held a number of senior roles as a rugby administrator and is currently Chairman of World Rugby. He is a true one club man having only ever played club rugby for Fylde RFC.
David Craven
Chairman of the Foundation
David formerly played for Birmingham University RFC and Thornton Cleveleys RUFC (where he is an Honorary Life Member) although to no great effect for either! Fortunately, his business career has been more successful than his rugby career. He grew and sold what was Europe’s largest educational travel company and since then has successfully invested in many early stage businesses. Amongst many other roles he is Chairman of Next Generation Travel.
Martin Long
Vice Chairman of the Foundation
Martin is a partner with Napthens Solicitors and takes a very active role in the local business community as Chairman of the Blackpool Business Leadership Group, as a non-executive member of the Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre Economic Prosperity Board and as a member of the Fylde Coast Responsible Business Network Steering Group. Martin is also Chairman of the Lancashire Committee of Wooden Spoon the children’s charity of British rugby and is a board member of Blackpool & the Fylde College. He played rugby for Thornton Cleveleys RUFC for nearly 20 years.
Tony Attard OBE DL
Trustee
Tony went to the University of Manchester where he played both Rugby Union and Rugby league after which he played rugby at club level at Rochdale and then at Thornton Cleveleys RUFC.
Tony is CEO of Panaz Group, a technical textiles company which exports to over 50 countries and Chairman of Alusid which is a sustainable manufacturer.
Tony’s strong commitment to Lancashire is demonstrated as Chairman of Marketing Lancashire and he is on the Board of the Lancashire LEP. Tony is Honorary fellow of the University of Central Lancashire, was High Sheriff of Lancashire 2018-19 and is Chairman of the Lancashire 2025 City of Culture bid.
Dave Young
Trustee
Dave joined Fylde RFC straight from school and after a 20 year playing career he has held a number of positions at the club including 1st Team Manager and Chairman of Rugby before becoming Club Chairman in 2016. Away from rugby before retirement Dave had a successful career in Environmental Management in both the public and private sectors.
David Wiseman
Trustee
David Wiseman has been involved at Fylde RFC for over 25 years progressing from a junior to over 200 first team appearances plus representative honours with Lancashire followed by spells as First Team Manager and Club Secretary. Away from rugby he runs a successful local letting agency.
Vicki Thompson
Trustee
Vicki has spent many years enthusiastically following rugby from the touchlines with her husband and four sons. This has encouraged her to become involved in Girls’ rugby through the Foundation and helped her to gain her RFU coaching qualification. An accountant by profession, Vicki has been involved in a number of non-profit roles, with an emphasis on supporting the local community. She is currently a Trustee at The Boathouse Youth Charity in Blackpool.
Chris Brown BFP, FCA, ATT
Honorary Treasurer
Chris is a keen rugby fan and is passionate about giving back to the local community.
Chris is the founder and managing director of Brown & Co, a modern and dynamic firm of Chartered Accountants based on the Fylde Coast. As well as Chris being Honorary Treasurer, Brown and Co are providing the compliance services to the Foundation. Chris has a wealth of experience supporting both small and large local businesses, having previously spent nearly 8 years at KPMG.
Chris is the current President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for Lancashire & South Lakeland and plays an active role in developing the next generation of Chartered Accountants in the region.
Chris is also a member of The Fylde Coast Responsible Business Network, a business network committed to supporting the local community and raising aspirations for young people.
Matt Price
Special Advisor
Matt is a former rugby player for Coventry and Bedford Blues with over 400 appearances during his career. Matt also represented England at U18 level and the famous touring side, Penguins International, where he has captained tours of Czech Republic, Portugal and Hong Kong.
Alongside playing in 2005, Matt formed Sports in Schools Ltd, a coaching business that worked in schools coaching various sports. Since retiring in 2019, Sports in Schools evolved into Community Group, an organisation that specialise in supporting sports clubs and charities with their community engagement, namely providing opportunity for all to experience what Matt had through his career. Community Group work with over 50 sports clubs across the UK, impacting over 1,000,000 people across those communities every year. Matt now brings this wealth of experience to the Fylde Rugby Community Foundation in his role as Special Advisor.
Phill Mills
Foundation Manager
Phill Mills started with the Foundation in September 2020 as Head of Community Coaching and has worked with the board of Trustees, Community Group and his coaching team to grow rugby engagement in Fylde, Wyre and Blackpool through a range of programmes.
With a wealth of coaching experience in the community and representative sectors and after completing his Sports Coaching degree at the University of Central Lancashire, he started his journey at Preston Grasshoppers RFC before setting up a tag rugby coaching business. Phill also worked as a Community Rugby Coach for England Rugby, and has had numerous coaching roles including Head Coach at UCLan and Forwards Coach for Lancashire u17s.
Phill has come from a rugby playing background including playing for Fylde Rugby 1st XV and has represented Lancashire and England Counties.
