Bath confirm Todd Blackadder's extension in an open letter to Supporters

Bath have confirmed that Todd Blackadder will remain at the club for the 2019/20 season following months of speculation around the New Zealander's future at the club.

The Club confirmed the news in an open letter to Bath supporters where they also confirmed that assistant coaches Toby Booth and Darren Edwards will leave the club at the end of their current contracts which expire at the end of this season.

Bath also confirmed that Stuart Hooper will take on the leadership of the club after Blackadder moves on from Bath when the Club is ready. 

The Letter starts:

"There has been a lot of discussion and speculation in the press regarding Premiership coaches and their futures following changes last season, and more recently in the current season. We at Bath have experienced more than our fair share of change in the past. This may explain some of the nonsense which had been whispered and printed in recent weeks regarding our management team and specifically Todd. Regardless of the reasons, it feels that now is the time to communicate with you regarding our long-term plans."

Blackadder's contract extension is confirmed in the next section of the letter where the Club addresses the leadership of their rugby department: 

"There are several strands to this journey. Let me start at the top. In addition to overall responsibility for matchday performances, Todd’s objectives since arriving have been to reconnect the players to the Club and the community, to help enhance the focus on our internal player pathway, to help in the definition of how we want to play, and to build a longer-term legacy around the department and his eventual successor.

This work continues, and we can confirm the extension of Todd’s contract by one year to June 2020, a point in time when Todd and Priscilla may be ready for the next stage of their journey, and the Club for the next step in its evolution. There is the opportunity for a further extension beyond this point, a decision Todd and the Club will make together at the appropriate time. It is a mark of Todd’s unique character, rare among coaches, that we are able to hold such discussions openly and to make decisions together for the best of Todd, his family, and the Club.

Todd has committed that he will move on when the Club is ready. That readiness will be predicated on our next step, which will be when Stuart Hooper proves his readiness to take on the leadership of our Rugby Department."

Read the full letter where the club addresses the leadership of the rugby department, the coaching group, the game and playing squad, growth and development of the people, environment and ownership  HERE