Former Super League stalwart Brad Singleton lands shock first head coach role in Championship

Two-time Super League champion Brad Singleton will take charge of Championship outfit Workington Town from the start of 2027 having landed his first head coach role in the game.

Set to turn 34 in October, three-time Ireland international Singleton boasts over 300 career appearances on his CV, and is still playing in the Championship today for hometown club Barrow Raiders.

The Raiders are challenging at the top end of the second tier, and look likely to be involved in the play-offs: with experienced forward Singleton having returned earlier this year following his exit from Super League side Castleford Tigers.

But once the 2026 campaign reaches its conclusion, focus for the veteran will turn to the world of coaching, and he will take charge of fellow Cumbrian outfit Workington as their current boss Jonty Gorley steps upstairs into a Director of Rugby role.

‘What excites me more is coaching and Workington have been very proactive getting in touch… I’m looking forward to it’

Having won two Grand Finals at Old Trafford during his time as a Leeds Rhinos player, Singleton has six major honours on his CV in total, lifting the Challenge Cup on two occasions as well as the Super League Leaders’ Shield.

Workington announced his appointment on Monday evening, and the 33-year-old said: “I’m very grateful.

“At this current moment, I’m still playing for Barrow and I’m proudly doing that, I want to finish that right.

“But it was time for me to think, ‘what’s next’?

“I could probably have squeezed another year out (playing), but I think what excites me more is coaching and Workington have been very proactive getting in touch.

“It’s a great position to be in and I’m looking forward to it.”

Singleton – who made his first-team debut for Leeds against Salford City Reds back in March 2011 – boasts appearances for ten different clubs on his CV having scored 30 tries in 328 professional games across all competitions to date.

In addition to the Rhinos, he has donned a shirt for Dewsbury Rams, Wakefield Trinity, Hunslet, Featherstone Rovers, Wigan Warriors, Toronto Wolfpack, Salford, Castleford and Barrow.

Barring an unlikely set of circumstances, he will link up with a Town side that finish in the bottom half of the Championship, but his vision is clear as he explained: “The bigger picture is Cumbrian rugby league.

“We need the numbers up and three strong Cumbrian sides bangs on that door, Barrow, Workington, Whitehaven… we want one of them, or even all three of them, to be in Super League.

“This county itself is a rugby league county, and the more we speak about that, the better.

“We get described as a ‘hotbed’ often enough, but I don’t think there’s enough going on for us. We need to be counted.”