Daryl Powell to leave Castleford at end of season
Castleford coach Daryl Powell will leave the club at the end of the season.
The 55-year-old took charge of the Tigers during the 2013 campaign with the team languishing at the bottom of Super League but he has played a key role in helping turn the club’s fortunes around to challenging for silverware.
Powell has led Castleford to Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Finals and won the League Leaders’ Shield with the club in 2017.
Castleford say Powell has agreed to an updated contract which will see him finish his tenure with the club at the end of the season.
Powell said: “This is my eighth full season in charge which for a coach is a long time and towards the end of last season, I sat down with Ian Fulton and explained what I wanted to do.
“For both me and the club, it is the right time, I want to finish what has been an unbelievably great time for me at Castleford personally in a positive way this year. It gives the club time to plan for the future, I thought the timing was right and I wanted to make a proactive decision, for both parties it gives us that time.
“I am massively motivated this year, I have loved being a part of the club’s history and helping players to grow and develop, and I would really love to finish off in a positive way with a Grand Final win and close a chapter that has been such a special time in my life.
“There is always an end of an era and it certainly feels like that for me, and it will be a great opportunity for the team and the club to finish that era in a special way. It is going to be tough no doubt about that, but we have had an awesome pre-season and there is a good opportunity for us all to pull together and make sure anyone finishing at the club this year has a special final season.
“Castleford has been my club; I supported the team as a young fella and for me to be able to coach the team has been a dream come true. I almost achieved the very pinnacle by winning the Grand Final, but I think we have been super consistent, and I think we have played in the true Cas style, in a classy Cas way. It means a lot to me when I speak to the past players of the club and they talk about us upholding the history and standards of past playing days.
“The fans have been absolutely unbelievable; I walk across the pitch at every home game and the reception I get is always special so I hold that dear and I always will. Castleford Tigers is a special club and I have had a really special time being a part of it.”
Castleford chairman Ian Fulton said: “I personally and on behalf of all Tigers’ fans would like to thank Daryl for all his hard work over the years, he has been an integral part of this team and indeed the local community in the time he has spent here.
“I know his achievements here will have given him and his family memories to last a lifetime and he is committed to making even more in 2021 and we would love to see him end his time at Castleford with silverware.
“After some lengthy conversations that started at the end of 2020, both Daryl and the club felt that with a number of coaches and players out of contract at the end of the year, 2022 would be the right time for a new face to come in and take charge, and the process of appointing that person will be incredibly thorough and has already begun internally.
“Once again, I would like to say how thankful I am to Daryl and to his family for all that they have given to the Fords over the past eight years and everyone at the club wishes him well for the upcoming season and beyond.”
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