About RuckingBall.com

RuckingBall is an internet-based Rugby development website for Schoolboy development through to International standard. It utilises cutting edge internet-based social networking tools to create a ‘community’ within the RuckingBall.com environment. The tools include:

• Personal Profiles
• Friends
• Groups / Teams / Clubs
• Messaging
• Discussion Forums
• Recommendations
• Rugby Knowledge Base – Written & video articles on all aspects of the game
• Personalised Rugby News
• Video Uploads and Reviews

RuckingBall.com offers jargon-free advice for Players, Parents and Coaches

‘To become the best that they can be’

Press Releases

- Sheffield Star – “Scrum Down For Web Revolution” – 21/07/2010

Executive Profiles – Company Directors

Neil Laycock – RuckingBall.com CEO

Neil worked at BT from 2000-2004 and built a team responsible for the relationship management of all the UK Internet Service Providers.

He joined PlusNet Plc in 2004 as Business Development Manager and over the 4 ½ years at PlusNet assumed various roles such as Development Director and Customer Services Director before becoming CEO in 2007.

As CEO, Neil oversaw the purchase, due diligence and integration of PlusNet’s £37m acquisition of Brightview Plc. This brought a further 70k broadband customers and 10k dialup customers onto the platform.  During his tenure he doubled the base of PlusNet by adding 50% more customers and removing a total of 54 employees from the acquired businesses.

Under Neil’s leadership PlusNet gained a reputation as the best ISP in the UK for network performance and service levels, winning numerous awards for customer satisfaction, customer support and ‘best’ service provider including the prestigious ISPA “Best Consumer ISP” as well as winning 9 out of 11 uSwitch broadband awards in 2008.

Since leaving PlusNet Plc in 2009 Neil now works as an internet consultant offering expertise in on-line strategies and services as well as being CEO of RuckingBall.com

Dean Sadler – RuckingBall.com CTO

Serial Internet Entrepreneur.

Ex-CIO of PlusNet Plc, Dean joined as a start-up.  He was responsible for all IT and Business Intelligence solutions.  He designed and developed PlusNet’s back-end operational software, Workplace, which was known as the ‘best of breed’ in the industry.  He was responsible for 13 white label brands including BT and John Lewis, over 200 Tier 1 brands including Microsoft, Barclays, Toshiba, Motorola and Renault, and 350k broadband subscribers and over 5000 resellers.

During his time with PlusNet Dean had been through successful trade sale (Insight Enterprises from US expansion into UK market in 1999), failed MBO (2003), successful IPO (2004) and successful trade sale (BT Group Plc for £67m in 2007).

Since leaving PlusNet Plc in 2007 he has developed a number of software platforms for his own businesses using a hybrid employee / outsource model.

He has developed the BT BizBox CRM solution (www.btbizbox.com) which BT has white labelled and sells to its SME customer base. He has developed the TravelManager platform (www.gotravelmanager.com) which is used by over 1100 motorcoach operators in 17 countries throughout Western Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia.  He has developed the DoddleCRM platform (www.doddlecrm.com) which is being beta tested by a number of Tier 1 brands globally.  He has developed the world’s first video marketing platform for the recruitment industry (www.talentonview.com) and he has developed the Matrix Tribepad platform which powers the A4e Community (community.mya4e.com), The Foundation for Social Improvement (www.thefsi.org) and he is the CTO of RuckingBall.com

Martin Corry – Director of Rugby

Martin ended his 10th season as a Leicester Tigers player by captaining the team in three grand finals and lifting the Guinness Premiership and EDF Energy Cup – the first Double of the game’s professional era.

Martin followed that remarkable season by going to his third Rugby World Cup with England and led the team as captain in the crucial pool games which resulted in qualification for the knockout stages. After being written off by everyone, Martin and his England colleagues beat Australia in the 1/4 finals and France in the semi-finals.

The dream was finally ended when England narrowly lost to South Africa in the final.

Since making his Tigers debut in August 1997, Martin has won five Premiership titles, a Premiership Championship, two Heineken European Cups and an Anglo-Welsh Cup after earlier spells with Bristol and Newcastle Gosforth.

Martin has won 64 caps for England, including being a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2003, Runner-up in 2007 World Cup and has toured Australia and New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions.

Those two Lions tours earned Martin six Test caps – a remarkable achievement in two three-Test series, especially considering he was only called up to the 2001 tour as a late replacement shortly before the first match against the Wallabies.

Supporters’ Player of the Season at Leicester in 1999/2000, Corry also picked up the Premiership and Professional Rugby Players’ Association Player of the Season awards in 2004/05. Martin was short-listed for the Guinness Premiership Player of the Year prize again in 2006/07 when the trophy was won by club-mate Martin Castrogiovanni.

Awarded an MBE in the 2004 New Year’s Honours, Martin Corry is widely regarded as one of the most consistent players in the English game and definitely a man to have on your side when the going gets tough.

Martin is now a freelance journalist and Director of Rugby at RuckingBall.com

If you want to talk to a member of the team at RuckingBall.com then contact

neil@ruckingball.com