Crooks joins Fev revolution
Former Great Britain international Lee Crooks has joined Featherstone Rovers as the club’s new General Manager.
It creates a new role at the club as they continue their push to reach Super League in 2015, which has also recently seen the appointment of PROBIZ chief Faisal Nahaboo to the club’s Strategic Management Board.
Crooks will work alongside Daryl Powell and Ryan Sheridan to maximise the Featherstone Rovers Youth Development pathway system. This will incorporate a host of key development elements including coach support, sports science, medicine, lifestyle and recruitment. Part of the role will be to provide further support to the clubs scholarship set up.
He said: “Having an opportunity to get back into Rugby League was something I couldn’t refuse. Sometimes you think it won’t come along but I have tried to continue to develop myself and now it has paid off. Joining Featherstone Rovers provides another exciting part of my career in the game and hopefully I will be able to add some more experience and value in their Super League licence application.”
Crooks will also be responsible for strengthening links in the local community particularly with Featherstone Technology College as well as business development of the club as a whole.
Featherstone chief executive Craig Poskitt added: “I’d like to welcome Lee to Featherstone Rovers and look forward to working with him. Lee brings a wealth of experience and contacts from the world of Rugby League that will be an invaluable asset to the club. To realise our Destination Super League ambitions, we must operate like a Super League club at all levels of the business and Lee will play a major part in our growth.”
During his playing career, Crooks played for Hull, Western Suburbs, Balmain Tigers, Leeds and Castleford, as well as representing England and Great Britain at international level.
He appeared in four Challenge Cup finals, winning the competition with Hull in 1982.
After hanging up his boots in 1997, he went on to have coaching spells at both Keighley and York.