Cornwall RLFC has been sold by its Canadian owners to Cornish businessman Kenny Stone.
Stone, who has previously been a coach and development officer with the Rugby Football League, has most recently been coaching the sport in the United States.
Cornwall were founded three years ago and play in League One – the third tier of the English game.
Eric Perez and his Ontario Inc consortium have been in control of the club since it was founded – Cornwall have the RFL licence that Perez had hoped to use to start a club in Ottawa before the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have a five, 10, 15, 25-year plan and strategy,” Stone told BBC Sport.
“In my time away from the RFL I have been in a variety of different roles and it just feels right, this is the time.
“I came back from United States 18 months ago and have been talking with some former colleagues and friends about options and possibilities.
“I happened to get a phone call from a colleague about Cornwall and their current situation, so that allowed me to pivot and visit the players and the guys there, speaking about my ambitions and plans.”
The 45-year-old, whose father is Cornish-born, was involved with the University of Gloucestershire All Golds before moving to Colorado in 2017.
He was head coach on the University of Denver’s rugby league side as well as being director of rugby at Queen City RFC in Colorado’s biggest city.
Stone says his plan is for the club to be at the centre of the community in Cornwall with its priority being on providing opportunities for people from all walks of life.
“I want to flip it upside down in what a rugby club is,” added Stone.
“For me it’s about how can I have a positive impact on the community, it’s about social care, foster care, adult care, engaging the foundation, creating something that has a legacy that has positive impacts.
“From those on and off the field aspects it’s developing something where there’s hospitality, hotel, various other businesses and partnerships that will lead to Cornish-born, Cornish-bred individuals representing a club on and off the field with aspirations to play at the highest levels.”
Stone says he has been working hard to ensure the club does have the necessary financial backing to ensure it can play at League One level.
The club is geographically out on a limb from the rest of the third tier – the nearest away match next season will be a 500-mile round-trip to Midlands Hurricanes while their away day at Newcastle Thunder is a 900-mile journey there and back.
“I’m under no illusions the first year right now is about making sure that we have the staff and things in place to make that work and then from that we build from that,” Stone said.
“That’s buy-in from the community, that’s buy-in from the fans and from myself personal buy-in financially as well.
“I’m under no illusion that there’s many aspects of the professional game that is a sunken cost, but I believe there are different ways of generating revenues and incomes and creating a customer experience, a fan experience, in the middle of that.
“I’m aware there’s more investment needed and support, and that’s something that we’ll be working and canvassing with, with my team of people looking for the right investors that are wanting to do it for the right reasons.
“It’s not a money-making exercise, it’s a giving exercise.”
