JAKE WEBSTER has left Keighley Cougars after a six-year association with the club on the playing, coaching and off-field staff.

The former New Zealand international joined Keighley as a player in 2020, scoring 17 tries in 28 appearances before retiring at the end of 2023 to become director of rugby.

He stepped into the role of head coach in July 2024, only to stand down after just one game of this season.

Webster continued with a commercial and community role at the Cougars, although this was reduced in June when he became an assistant coach at Huddersfield Giants.

Keighley have now announced his departure, along with that of chief operating officer Steve Watkinson, in moves they say will make the club more sustainable.

Kaue Garcia, co-owner alongside Ryan O’Neill, will move into a full-time role and take on the responsibilities of both Webster and Watkinson.

Garcia and O’Neill said: “Jake has been with the club for six years, as a hero on the field, integral to our unbeaten Invincibles season (in League One in 2022), as well as being a huge support off it, working in the local community, building bridges with local clubs and organisations.

”Steve has been with the club for the past three years, working tirelessly to make the club tick and prosper, organising everything from commercial, to players, to matchday.

“They have been by our side in the good and the tough times, and it is with sadness that we will be losing them.

”Having undertaken a tough review of club sustainability, we have had to make hard choices to ensure the long-term strength of the club in a climate that is very uncertain, making commercial commitments and decisions difficult.

“We both wish Jake and Steve every success. They will always be a part of Keighley Cougars.”

Webster, a former player for Hull KR, Castleford Tigers and Bradford Bulls, said: “This club has been my life for the past six years and I will take so much away with me into the next chapter of my life.”