Leigh Beattie joins as assistant coach & head of player development.

The Midlands Hurricanes are delighted to announce the appointment of Leigh Beattie as assistant coach and Head of player development. Leigh will join the club immediately and start work with Mark ahead of this weekends fixture against North Wales Crusaders.

Leigh Beattie commented “I am really excited to take on this opportunity, with the potential and vision of the club it’s going to be exciting times. I have worked with Mark now for about 10 years and I respect him as a coach. He has progressed through the ranks at Bradford Bulls so the offer was a no brainier for me. Also, once I’d spoken to Mike and Greg I was instantly impressed, they are great people with plenty ambition. This sort of environment makes it easy to commit and go the extra mile for good people.

I am really looking forward to getting started and help develop the game in the midlands.”

Greg Wood Cheif executive said “We are thrilled to announce the recruitment of Leigh to the Hurricanes' staff. He brings with him a wealth of experience and his existing relationship with Mark will no doubt make them an exceptional duo at the helm.

Leigh's past roles in working with youth and development of young players is also an incredibly exciting prospect for us as we move towards our vision in developing a pathway for Midlands based players to play academy and reserves rugby. Leigh's track record and shopping list of super League stars he has turned out is unquestionable and I'm sure he can replicate his past successes in the Midlands!! Welcome to the team Leigh”

Head Coach Mark Dunning added “I’m delighted that Leigh has agreed to join the club as Assistant Coach and Head of Player Development. Upon hearing Leigh had left his role at Bradford I acted quickly to enquire about his intentions to stay in the game, and was delighted to hear he still had a desire to remain within Rugby League. Leigh will be a valuable addition to the club both on and off the field. He is a man I trust implicitly and he shares a very similar coaching philosophy and outlook on player development as myself.

Leigh has enjoyed a successful career in player development over a number of years and we’re all looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the Hurricanes”

General Manager Karl Walker added “ This is a fantastic appointment for us, I am fully aware of the success that Leigh has had at academy level. The number of players he has brought through the youth system and into Super league speaks for itself.

This is a really exciting time for young players in the Midlands as we continue to build a pathway for them into the professional game.