Former Great Britain and Wigan prop Terry O'Connor has been appointed as sporting director of Widnes Vikings.
Ambitious Vikings add to backroom staff
Former Great Britain and Wigan prop Terry O'Connor has been appointed as sporting director of Widnes Vikings.
Wigan-born O'Connor is hoping to play a key role in the National League One club's bid for a Super League franchise under new chairman Steve O'Connor.
He will specifically be responsible for player recruitment, player welfare and the establishment of community initiatives when he takes on his new job on January 2.
"There's obviously a tremendous amount of work to be done to transform the fortunes of Vikings and I'm thrilled at being given the chance to help," said the 36-year-old O'Connor.
"There's a genuine excitement in the town that big things are going to happen and I'm delighted to be able to be a part of it."
Transform
Steve O'Connor added: "At the outset I made it clear we would transform this club by introducing experienced business professionals to work alongside talented and successful people from the world of rugby league.
"Terry O'Connor is ideally placed to help us achieve our goals of securing the long-term future of this club and mounting a successful campaign to win one of the coveted Super League licences."
Another former Vikings player, John Stankevitch, 28, has re-joined Widnes as assistant to head coach Steve McCormack.
The former St Helens forward joined Widnes as a player in 2004 and, after being forced to retire because of a persistent arm injury, took up a role as senior academy coach.
He left the Vikings in June 2007 to become head coach at Doncaster, but quit last month, citing personal problems.
