LICHFIELD'S pre-season has begun under the watchful eye of a revamped coaching team.
Paul Hurst has been joined by new attack and backs coach Tom Hughes, while James Hitchen has stepped up from the Colts too.
They will be seeking to build on the club’s impressive season in the Midlands’ leading league, which brought a top half finish.
There are currently home warm up games arranged against Thornbury and Hinckley on 15th and 22nd August respectively, followed by a final outing at Derby on their 4G pitch.
The league campaign will begin a week later this year on 12th September, with Lichfield visiting Lutterworth first before their home campaign begins on 19th September against newly-promoted Moseley Oak.
Syston and Oxford Harlequins have returned to the league after relegation, while Broadstreet were promoted into the Midlands Premier competition via the new play off system.
In a late change of plans, the RFU have also returned Burton – who will provide Lichfield with two much-anticipated local derbies – to the Midlands from a North league at a similar level.
The men’s 2nd XV open their season at home to Hinckley. Meanwhile, the women return to training on 14th July with the girls U18 squad adding to the numbers, but there are no fixtures revealed by the RFU for the club’s two senior female sides yet.
The junior and mini sides are well into the planning stage for a return to training from late July with games starting in early September.
