Brian McDermott, 51, replaces James Webster who left Featherstone last week by mutual consent after the club missed out on Super League promotion with defeat to Toulouse in the Million Pound Game earlier this month
Monday 25 October 2021 11:14, UK
Championship club Featherstone Rovers have appointed former Leeds Rhinos boss Brian McDermott as their head coach from the 2022 season.
The four-time Grand Final-winning Leeds coach, 51, replaces James Webster who left last week by mutual consent after opting to focus on his studies and lecturing work at Leeds Beckett University.
McDermott, who also oversaw Leeds' 2012 World Club Challenge and two Challenge Cup triumphs during an eight-year stay, most recently coached at Toronto Wolfpack until they pulled out of the Super League in the summer of 2020.
Featherstone missed out on a place in the Super League with defeat to Toulouse in the Million Pound Game earlier this month.
"It is one of the most progressive clubs in the game but it has got that single objective of getting promoted to the Super League. That is my task," said McDermott, whose Wolfpack side beat Featherstone in the promotion decider in 2019.
"I am really excited about the project that is ahead. There are not many projects in the game at the moment. There are not many clubs who have the ambition that Featherstone have."
McDermott, who has also coached the USA, ended the 2021 season as a consultant with relegated Championship club Oldham.
Speaking of the appointment, Featherstone chairman Mark Campbell said: "I've made it really clear in my tenure that I'm committed to giving everything I possibly can to bring Super League status to this club. It is what this club deserves.
"I've known and worked with Brian previously and I know he is the right fit to take us to the next level. We have moved quickly to take this opportunity; it is not every day you get the chance to bring a top-class coach like Brian to your club and we are extremely excited about working together moving forward."
