Mike Friday

Michael John "Mike" Friday (born April 25, 1972) has been the head coach of the United States national rugby sevens team since summer 2014. Friday succeeded the previous coach, Matt Hawkins, following the 2013–14 World Series.

Mike Friday
Birth nameMichael John Friday
Date of birth (1972-04-25) April 25, 1972
Place of birthChichester, England
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb; 12 st 4 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)

London Wasps
Blackheath FC
London Wasps
1997–2000
Harlequins
2000–2001

London Wasps
2001–2002
 ()
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
1998–2001 England 7s
Coaching career
Years Team
2004–2006
2012–2013
2014–2015
2014–		 England 7s
Kenya 7s
London Scottish
USA 7s

Friday had previously served as head coach for the national rugby sevens teams of England from 2004 to 2006, and Kenya from 2012 to 2013.

Playing career

Friday was born in Chichester, England. Friday played professional rugby 15s for various teams, including the London Wasps and Harlequins. He captained the England national rugby sevens team, including at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens.[1] While at Wasps he helped them win the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 1999 and 2000; he was a replacement in both finals.[2][3]

England (2001–2006)

Friday served for three years as assistant coach to Joe Lydon of the England national rugby sevens team. Friday then became the head coach of the England 7s team near the end of the 2003/2004 season.[4] He resigned from the role at the end of 2006 to take up a business role in the City of London.

In June 2010 Friday announced his involvement in RuckingBall.com, an online community for the development of school-boy rugby, coaches and parents.

Kenya (2012–13)

Mike Friday was appointed as coach of the Kenya national rugby sevens team on 25 May 2012 by the Kenya Rugby Football Union.[5] He led the Kenya 7s team to one of its best performances in Wellington New Zealand, on 2 February 2013, to the final versus England which Kenya lost 19-24 during extra time. Friday also led Kenya to a 5th-place finish in the 2013 London Sevens. Friday led the Kenyan sevens team to a series high of 99 points in the 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series.

Friday was reportedly fired by the Director of National Squads and Elite Performance, Philip Jalang'o, barely a day after the end of the 2012–13 season. This decision was however denied by the chair of the Kenya Rugby Union Mwangi Muthee, with Philip Jalang'o losing his job as a result.[5]

United States (2014–present)

Friday was appointed head coach of the United States national sevens team by USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville in July 2014. Melville was Friday's coach when Friday played at London Wasps. Under Friday’s leadership, the U.S. qualified for the Olympics in 2016 and again in 2020.

Initially Friday concurrently retained his role as director of rugby for the England-based London Scottish professional rugby team.[1] As of May 14, 2015 it was announced that Friday was leaving the London Scottish role.[6]

Coaching results

The following table shows the results of national teams coached by Mike Friday in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

SeasonTeamFinish
2004–05England 7s3rd
2005–06England 7s2nd
2012–13Kenya 7s5th
2014–15United States 7s6th
2015–16United States 7s6th
2016–17United States 7s5th
2017–18United States 7s6th
2018–19United States 7s2nd
2019–20United States 7s7th
2021

References
  1. "Friday appointed Men's Eagles Sevens head coach" Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, USA Rugby, 18 July 2014.
  2. "Wasps win Cup at last". BBC. 16 May 1999. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. "Wasps deny Saints cup double". BBC. 13 May 2000. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. "Rugby Football Union - Mike Friday England Sevens profile". Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
  5. "Daily Nation - Breaking News, Kenya, Africa, Politics, Business, Sports | HOME". nation.co.ke. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  6. "Mike Friday Leaving London Scottish" This is American Rugby
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