Birth name | Joseph Ford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 4 June 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Oldham, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 85 kg (13 st 5 lb; 187 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Rishworth School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Mike Ford (father) George Ford (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Joe Ford (born 4 June 1990) is a rugby union coach. He has previously also been a player for Yorkshire Carnegie, in three other spells, as well as Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks and Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby. He has recently been appointed a coach at Doncaster Knights.
Ford was a member of the Bradford Bulls Academy and played amateur rugby league for the St Albans Centurions.[citation needed]
Ford made his professional rugby debut for Leeds Carnegie on 8 November 2009 in the Anglo-Welsh Cup against Leicester Tigers, Ford scored 13 points in 28-17 win. His brother George Ford made his debut for Leicester in the same game.[1][2]
Ford moved to Northampton Saints in 2010[3][4] but returned to Leeds at the end of the season having only featured in five games for the Saints.[5]
After two years in the Championship, including being the third highest points scorer in the 2012-13 season, Ford moved back to the Premiership with Sale Sharks.[6] After three years with the Sharks Ford returned for a third spell with Leeds, now called Yorkshire Carnegie.[7]
In 2017, it was rumoured that Leicester Tigers were interested in signing him as back-up to his brother George.[8] And on 1 June 2017 it was confirmed that Ford would join his brother at Leicester.[9] Ford made his first start on 4 November 2017 against Gloucester in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, and was named captain for the match.[10] On 15 May 2019 he was announced as one of the players to leave Leicester following the end of the 2018-19 Premiership Rugby season.[11]
On 2 August 2019 Ford was announced as re-joining Yorkshire Carnegie in the role of player-head coach.[12] A role he left on 23 January 2020.[13]
He later signed a two year deal to join RFU Championship side Doncaster Knights as a coach from the 2020–21 season.[14]
His brother is England international George Ford. He is the son of former England defence coach Mike Ford.