Friday 9 January 2015 13:08, UK
Widnes Vikings head coach Denis Betts has signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until the end of 2017.
Betts led the Vikings to the Super League play-offs for the first time as well as taking the club to the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
The 45-year-old previously coached at Wigan, the club where he made his name as one of the greatest players in the modern game, and in rugby union with Gloucester.
“This is a real honour for me," said Betts, who was appointed in 2010 when the club were in the Championship
"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.
The 2014 season was the most successful in our Super League history and Denis was the driving force behind this success
"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.
"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."
Betts has overseen a gradual improvement at the Vikings since they returned to Super League in 2012, with league finishes of 14th, 10th and eighth in their three seasons in the top flight.
"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," he said.
"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."
Vikings chief executive James Rule paid tribute to the word Betts has done at the club.
“The 2014 season was the most successful in our Super League history and Denis was the driving force behind this success," he said.
"His work ethic, philosophies and leadership have shaped an exceptional performance department across playing personal, coaching and medical staff.
"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."
