NEWLY-appointed chairman Clint Goodchild has thrown his support behind James Ford, declaring that the head coach is “part of the next decade” at York City Knights.

Goodchild was announced as the new York chairman at the weekend, taking from Jon Flatman after more than five years in charge of the club.

The Australian revealed that Ford, who signed a renewed deal in the off-season to keep him at the club until the end of 2024, was one of his initial attractions to the club.

“James is a part of the next decade," stated Goodchild. "The biggest concern is making sure that we can show him the opportunities to reach his goals as an individual.

“That’s a big focus of mine. If we want to compete at the highest level, we need to be able to give the opportunity to players, coaches and staff to go all the way.

“My goal is to allow them to go all the way without leaving York.

“Looking at the performance side of the club, Fordy and Lindsay (Anfield, York City Knights Ladies director of rugby) are outstanding individuals, true leaders and they know the game.

“They’re willing to develop players and that’s really important (for me) that we’re aligned in how the club approaches the game."

York head into the Betfred Championship season, which begins on Monday, January 31, as fourth favourites with most of the bookmakers to win promotion.

That follows from a reshaping of the York squad which has seen a number of new signings arrive, including the likes of Pauli Pauli, Jamie Ellis and Jordan Thompson.

Goodchild added: “There was a lot of recruitment over the off-season and it’s a much younger team this year than from last year.

“I’m really excited to see how Fordy develops those players. He has shown that he is a leader who is highly respected and he’s a draw for the players to come in and play for him.

“He was a big part of why I was interested in the team to begin with. I think he’s a coach of the highest standard.

“If you ask him, he still thinks that he has got a lot to learn. The game is forever changing and so the coaches are forever changing as well.

“His ethos, his integrity and the way he treats players is brilliant.”