News
Woolford set to continue stay in Bedford
Bedford Blues are delighted to announce that second row Alex Woolford is set to return to Goldington Road for the 2024/25 Championship season following his short stay in Australia this Summer.
The 31-year-old is currently Down Under with North Eagles Rugby Club in Brisbane experiencing a stint in the Southern Hemisphere and has played three games so far. He is set to feature in another five before returning to the UK.
While this means he will miss the start of pre-season training, Woolford will be back in plenty of time for the upcoming fixture schedule with a return date a week before the club’s first pre-season game on Friday 23rd August.
Speaking from Queensland’s capital, Woolford said: “The experience to come over here (Brisbane) and play has been unbelievable, but Bedford is very much home, the club is fantastic and looking forward to getting straight back into the swing of things on my return.
“There’s nowhere else in England I’d want to play so delighted to be able to continue my stay.
“I’ve always wanted to experience playing abroad so at the age of 31, I thought it was the right time to test myself and try a different environment. It’s been challenging, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it here, and I think I’m a better player for it.
“I want to take this experience, bring it home and use it to hit the ground running upon my return to Bedford.”
Woolford joined Blues in the Summer of 2021 and has been an important part of the squad environment ever since, bringing a wealth of experience to the second row division with over 100 Championship appearances throughout his career.
A couple of longer-term injuries spoilt his participation in the 2022/23 campaign, but he responded in this recent campaign to make the jersey his own with 18 appearances across all competitions.
Having now pledged his future, Woolford will hit the 50 games mark early on next season. He will also look to add to his three tries in Blues colours, two of which came at Goldington Road in the last few months.
Prior to his time at Goldington Road, Woolford plied his trade for Birmingham Moseley, London Welsh, London Scottish and Coventry. In the fledging part of his career, he was part of the Northampton Saints Academy and made six first-team appearances.
Confirmation of his re-signing adds more continuity to the squad with this the 18th member of last season’s squad committing to the #BluesFamily again in 2024/25.
Director of Rugby, Mike Rayer added: “We are extremely pleased that Woolfy will be back in Blue next season. He had a really good season last year and is now experiencing a different brand of rugby and life in Australia. Hopefully he’ll come back full of energy and bring back new and refreshing ideas with him.”
