ST HELENS have appointed Craig Richards to a new role leading their academy and pathways, tasked with ensuring the best young players are joining the club.
As head of rugby across all of their junior programmes, the former England women’s head coach will be responsible for the recruitment and development of new talent.
It follows the recent announcement that current academy chief Derek Traynor will leave at the end of the season after more than three decades at Saints.
Richards has been with the club for the past twelve years, working both in youth development across various roles and with the women’s team, who he has coached alongside Dec Hardman since the start of last season.
His new position spans both the men’s and women’s junior set-ups as St Helens aim to remain leaders in both.
“Youth development is everything to me,” said Richards, who led the England women’s side for five years up to the World Cup in 2022, in which they reached the semi-finals.
“Throughout my time at this club, what truly stands out is the collective pride displayed by everyone, all staff, coaches and supporters alike, at witnessing local players progress through and go on to have successful careers at St Helens.
“I’ve got a real appreciation of the hard work and effort done at community clubs, and over the years I’ve built strong partnerships and friendships with people across our region.
“Hopefully, that will help when it comes to recruitment and development and making sure we are bringing in the best young players to join our club.
“The additional knowledge I’ve gained from working with the women’s programme for the last eight years is hugely important too. We’ve had the most successful women’s team in the game, and sometimes we can take that for granted.
“We want that success to continue, and to do that, we need to make sure the same model we’re using to develop the best young male players is aligned across the female pathway as well.”
Chairman Eamonn McManus said Richards would help St Helens attract the best youth talent ahead of emerging rivals.
“Competition from other Super League clubs has noticeably increased with regard to youth development. This is truly great for our sport,” said McManus.
“St Helens aims to continue to be a leader in player production for its first teams, and for the national teams, at the premier levels that it has achieved throughout its history.”