Former pro-player Tom Armes has been given the job of super-charging Wymondham’s rugby ambitions.

The current 1st XV coach has been appointed the club’s new Director of Rugby, taking on the challenge of raising standards and skills across more than 20 different squads.

Tom, 32, said: “I am truly honoured to have been appointed and I’m looking forward to working with everyone here to fulfil our ambitions to be a major player in Eastern Counties rugby.

“With the premier facilities we have at Wymondham, the ever-growing membership and the exceptional talent - both coaching and playing - coming through the ranks, the future is very bright."

Tom has a long history with the Club having played in Wymondham’s minis and youth sections before playing professionally at Leicester Tigers and Bedford Blues.

Club chair Paul Wootton said: “Tom has coached our Colts and more recently been the head coach of our senior men, leading them to one promotion and a third placed finish this year - the highest we have ever achieved.

“It is testament to his philosophy that at the 1st XV’s game at West Norfolk we finished with 12 players on the pitch who were under 23 years old, and all of whom had played in our youth section.”

It is that commitment to home grown talent that has become the bedrock at the club’s Barnard Fields home.

Paul explained: “We’ve got great facilities at Wymondham but it’s the quality of coaching right through the club that keeps players here - and it’s what draws new players in.

“Our biggest source of senior players is our Youth set-up and that’s a pathway we’re going to build on.

“We’ve got some great coaching teams in Youth - the U15s have a squad of nearly 50 players now and the U18s girls’ squad are regularly providing players to our senior women’s team, the Wasps.”