Newcastle Thunder have permanently appointed Castleford legend Graham Steadman as their head coach following a stint in interim charge.<\/p>\n
Steadman, who will turn 64 in December, commanded a world record transfer fee of \u00a3170,000 when Castleford<\/a> acquired his services from Featherstone Rovers in 1989.<\/p>\n The Knottingley native went on to establish himself as a certified Fords legend, lifting the Yorkshire Cup twice and the Regal Trophy once.<\/p>\n Donning a shirt for Great Britain and Yorkshire in the representative game, Steadman also had a stint as Cas\u2019 head coach between 2001 and 2004, and earlier this year, delivered a rousing talk to their current crop which helped to inspire an out-of-the-blue win over rivals Wakefield Trinity.<\/p>\n Castleford Tigers legend receives vow of faith as coaching appointment confirmed<\/p>\n The 63-year-old has plenty of experience in both codes having held numerous coaching roles within union since his stint at the helm of the Tigers.<\/p>\n Taking charge of Newcastle<\/a> at the back end of June, he was first appointed on an interim basis following the departure of Chris Thorman.<\/p>\n And now, Thunder have handed him the reins on a permanent basis, with Steadman saying: \u201cI\u2019m absolutely delighted, privileged and honoured to be given this opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really excited about the future of Thunder and what we can build based on the strong foundations laid by the young men of Thunder \u2013 without them, we wouldn\u2019t be in this position.<\/p>\n \u201cThese boys kept the club in the competition, and I\u2019m looking forward to a great pre-season and our Performance Pathways Partnership with York.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re determined to make sure Thunder is visible and active in and around the city of Newcastle.\u201d<\/p>\n In dire straits financially this time last year, Thunder have now lost all of their games in the third tier in each of the last two seasons.<\/p>\n Next year, they will form part of a 21-team division \u2013 with the Championship and League 1<\/a> set to merge into a bumper competition.<\/p>\n 2026 potentially looks set to bring a brighter future, with newly-promoted Super League<\/a> side York set to send some of their fringe players up to the North East for game time.<\/p>\n Newcastle\u2019s CEO, Richie Metcalfe, added: \u201cWe are delighted to welcome back Graham Steadman as head coach.<\/p>\n \u201cHis track record as a player, his leadership qualities and his deep understanding of rugby league are exactly what the club needs as we embark on this next phase.<\/p>\n