Gloucester Rugby are delighted to announce that Sam Raven will start next week as the club’s new Team Manager. An experienced former player, he will succeed Alex Brown who recently moved to a new role as the Club’s new Commercial Director.

Raven has been involved in rugby for over 20 years, firstly as a player and then in a variety of other roles within the industry. He brings a wealth of experience to the role.

A second row by trade, he started his playing career at Leicester, joining the Tigers at the age of 15 alongside current Gloucester Rugby Backs Coach Tim Taylor and progressing through the ranks up to the first team squad.

He then spent a couple of seasons playing in New Zealand, before returning to England to join Nottingham and, including a spell with the Cornish Pirates, went on to make more than 100 appearances in the Championship.

A short stint back at the Tigers followed, before he moved to France to play at Blagnac. He finished his playing career at Hartpury which brought him to the county for the first time.

Sam then joined BLK Sport where he stayed for almost four years, progressing to the role of Key Account Manager and most recently has been working as Head of Rugby UK & Ireland at Catapult Sports.

Having played rugby in both hemispheres, and also having amassed significant management experience in the industry, he’s excited at the prospect of starting in a role that he feels well equipped to take on.

“I’m ecstatic and really excited. I think that the role suits me well as a person and my background within the game.

“I’ve lived and worked in Gloucestershire for some time, so I’ve come to realise how important a successful Gloucester Rugby is to the city and the county and I feel privileged to be part of that.

“I’ve been spending some time around the set up when possible over the past couple of weeks, to see the buzz in the dressing room, and see what David (Humphreys) and Johan (Ackermann) are building here is so exciting and I can’t wait.

“Alex (Brown) has been brilliant, so supportive and he’ll still be around to answer any questions I may have. The main thing I want to do is come in and be myself, put my stamp on the role but build on the fantastic work that he did.”

Sam Raven confirmed as new Gloucester Rugby Team Manager

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