Danny McGuire returns to Leeds Rhinos as new role revealed

Danny McGuire has sealed a return to Headingley, joining the Leeds Rhinos Foundation in a role as their Rugby League Impact and Growth Manager.

Having come through his hometown club’s youth system, McGuire made his senior bow for Leeds back in July 2001 and remained with the Rhinos until after their 2017 Super League Grand Final triumph.

Scoring an abundance of tries in over 400 appearances for the Rhinos, he became Super League’s all-time top try-scorer, though that record was eventually broken last year by former team-mate Ryan Hall.

As he rejoins the club in a newly-formed role, he now hopes to inspire children in the city to begin their own rugby league journey.

Danny McGuire returns to Leeds Rhinos as new role revealed

Set to turn 43 in December, McGuire returns to the sport for the first time since his departure from fellow Super League outfit Castleford Tigers back in July.

Having worked as the Tigers’ assistant prior, he was handed the head coach reins ahead of 2025 on a three-year deal, but was relieved of his duties less than 12 months into that contract.

Now back at Headingley, he said: “People talk about community like it’s just an idea but in rugby league, it’s a reality. Our clubs are the beating heart of our communities, they live alongside us and offer us a chance of something else – they always have.

“I am proud to be a rugby league player. When I was growing up, I watched my heroes and dreamed of being like them. I was lucky enough to live my dream and now I want to help every boy and girl have the same opportunity that I had.

“Sadly over the last 30 years, the chance to play rugby league in schools and clubs has faced tough times. Cuts to spending and other hobbies have taken a generation away from the playing fields of Leeds.

“But the Leeds Rhinos Foundation want to change that.

 “We want more kids playing the game, more adults coaching the game and more teams in the game. We want every child to know where their local team is and want to join it, no matter where they live.

 “Rugby league changed my life, not just because of the career I was able to have but the mates I made along the way and lessons I learnt.

“But in order for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation to reach as many children as possible, we need the support of the people of Leeds.

“It’s a simple equation; the more money we can raise, the more children we can reach. Through the Rugby League Development Plan, we can strategically bring the game back to those kids and help our clubs in the city to grow with more youngsters coming through their doors every year.”

‘It is great to see Danny back at the club and for the Foundation to give him a chance to grow the game we both grew up loving’

As McGuire departed Headingley back in 2017, he joined Hull KR – and eventually hung up his boots at the end of the 2019 campaign.

He remained with the Robins as part of their coaching team, and enjoyed a spell as their interim head coach after Tony Smith’s departure back in 2022, before heading for Castleford ahead of the 2024 season.

McGuire’s former Rhinos team-mate Jamie Jones-Buchanan is set to become Leeds’ new Chief Executive Officer following the departure of Gary Hetherington, and has high hopes for his long-term friend.

Jones-Buchanan added: “It is great to see Danny back at the club and for the Foundation to give him a chance to grow the game we both grew up loving.

“I am a product of the rugby league environment I was nurtured in. I was a kid in the South Stand cheering on my heroes, then a player on the field and now we have the chance to lead the club into a new era.

“That is the incredible opportunities the sport of rugby league gives you and I hope, through the Rugby League Development Plan, we can pass that gift onto the next generation.”