NORTH WALES CRUSADERS have appointed former player Matt Reid as assistant to new coach Stuart Simmons.
The ex-centre/secondrow, 34, had two spells as a player, from 2013-2015 and 2019-2025, and also represented Coventry Bears (now Birmingham Hurricanes) and Oldham.
Colwyn Bay-based Crusaders have accelerated preparations for the 2027 campaign after finally getting the green light to compete in the Championship.
That followed months of negotiations and revisions of the business plan provided by owner Jamie El-Elkaleh.
He was central to reviving the 15-year-old club following insolvency in May, with the initial RFL licence running to the end of the season.
Having been League One champions in 2025, Crusaders, who lost their existing players and were docked twelve points due to their in-season financial issues, finished bottom of the merged second tier on minus six points.
Simmons was assistant to Carl Forster when the third-tier title was won and has experience coaching various England Community Lions age-group teams and in the amateur game with north-west sides Haresfinch, where he played, Orrell St James, Haydock and Pilkington Recs.
Reid will provide important support, and the club said: “Matt brings professional playing experience and a deep understanding of our club’s culture and history.”
Crusaders, who started in Wrexham before moving to Colwyn Bay in 2021, have dropped plans to play some matches in Bridgend and rename themselves Wales Crusaders.
But they are still committed to operating a development team from the south of the country, with El-Elkaleh explaining: “We want to provide a pathway for Welsh talent.”
He added: “The last few months have been intense, but the hard work is only just starting.
“We are busy with signing players and attracting sponsors and we know we need to prepare for 2027 in the best way we can.”
