Betts signs new Widnes deal
Widnes Vikings have confirmed that head coach Denis Betts has signed a new one-year contract extension.
He will now continue as coach until at last the end of the 2017 season.
“This is a real honour for me,” said Betts.
“I am committed to the club and my belief is that we are growing something that’s really special here.
“Having the ability to continue the work we’ve been doing for a further three years, an extra year on top of the contract I already had, is fantastic.
“I think you can see the hard work that has gone into the club over the last three years since we came back into Super League.
“We’re now heading into a new phase and having the ability to work with James Rule (Widnes chief executive) on this next phase of this club’s development is a real privilege.
“Although we’ve done a great deal of work I feel that we’ve got so much more to do. We have sown the seeds to make things work really well.
“We’ve got a really good foundation and we’ve got lots of good people here.
“I’ve been given the opportunity now to continue working with this club for the next three years and I will work really hard on making this club a great club again at the top half of the table.”
Betts also hailed the avbility of his current squad, and was excited to have been given the chance to contribute to their further development as players.
“To have the chance to work with these players and to be involved in this great club with these great supporters over the next three years is an honour.
“It’s a huge privilege for me to be able to coach this side.
“One of the big things about Widnes Vikings is that this club is about evolution not revolution.
“We don’t change our team a lot and we haven’t really made mass changes over these three years.
We’ve looked at developing everyone that’s been in place. As a coaching team and as a club we want to make people better.
“We have a fantastic academy structure and we can see that there are players there that are looking to come through to the first team.
“We are looking to work well with them to develop talent and secure a bright future for the club.”
Widnes CEO James Rule added: “The 2014 season was the most successful in the club’s Super League history and Denis was the driving force behind this success.
“His work ethic, philisophies and leadership have shaped an exceptional performance department across playing personal, coaching and medical staff.
“As we seek to make continuous improvements to all aspects of our operation it is essential that we have stability and continuity in our leadership roles.
“As a board of directors we are delighted to reward Denis with his contract extension and are hugely excited to work with him as we continue to grow, evolve and improve in all aspects of our operation.”