Bedford Blues 'ripe for investment' - Rayer
Mike Rayer won 21 senior international caps for Wales
- Published
As the last remaining part-time club in rugby union's Champ play-offs, director of rugby Mike Rayer believes anyone wanting to invest in the sport should look no further than Bedford Blues.
The Goldington Road club host Coventry in the semi-finals on Friday night (19:45 BST) for the right to meet either Ealing Trailfinders or Worcester Warriors in the final on Sunday, 31 May.
"Bedfordshire is a growing county and I'm sure the board would welcome significant investment and try to develop this place and push it forward," Blues stalwart Rayer told BBC Look East.
"We're probably more ripe than any other club in England because we actually break even or make a small profit every year so why wouldn't you want to invest in a company that doesn't lose money?
"It makes so much sense for someone to come in here and do that but obviously it has to be the right person and the right sort of investment."
Bedford Blues spent two seasons in the Premiership around the turn of the century
The Welshman has been in charge at Bedford since 2005, leading them to the British and Irish Cup final in 2011 and the Championship final in 2013.
Victory in this year's play-off final would see Bedford remain a Champ club with traditional promotion and relegation to and from the Prem scrapped from the start of next season but that has not changed Rayer's approach.
"The Championship is the best competition in England for club rugby," he said.
"Our way in the immediate future is blocked so all you can do is aspire to be the best at your level. That's a realistic hope for all of us in the Champ - to look forward to the play-offs every year and potentially a play-off final."
Bedford finished the regular season in second place, 30 points behind top side Ealing but ahead of their opponents Coventry who, along with divisional rivals Worcester, Doncaster and Cornish Pirates, are a full-time club.
"We're the only part-time team left in the semi-finals which says a lot about how the place is run from the boardroom down," added Rayer.
"We're pretty proud of that. We've been pretty consistent with our results although performances haven't been up there all season but that's the nature of a long season.
"We've got an incredible link with the town and a real connection with the people and we just set up the boys to go out there and express themselves."
Bedford Blues - captained by Alex Day (sixth from left) - were one of 14 clubs in the revamped and renamed Champ this season
In among all the investment in the teams around them, Bedford won 18 of their 26 league matches including doing the double over both Worcester and Pirates while also beating Coventry at home in January.
Rayer is aware of the task facing them to become champions with a final against either Worcester or Ealing should they get past Coventry on Friday.
"It's something we've been striving for, for many years - to get back to a final and to win that would be incredible," he added. "But we've got the small job of trying to get one over Coventry on Friday night.
"We're up against a full-time operation which gives us lots of fuel but at the same time we understand in Ealing's case the massive discrepancy in the budget for what they have spent compared to what we spend."
Lifting the title would upset the odds and while it may not offer a path to the Prem, Rayer is happy to try to be the best of the rest with the potential to take the club further in the future.
"We want to be the best we can be at whatever level we're playing at," he said.
"If there was an opportunity to dive into the Prem because a multi-millionaire gives us a fantastic offer to come in and help us do that, we'd welcome that opportunity.
"But from around about 2000 where we nearly lost the club we've been about trying to maintain a sustainable business and we've done that - we've always been in a good position financially."
