Craig Lingard departs Sheffield Eagles
01/10/2026
Sheffield Eagles can confirm the club has parted ways with head coach Craig Lingard with immediate effect.
Following a meeting held earlier today, Thursday 1st October, with Craig, it was decided that it would be best for Craig to move on and for the club to take a new direction for its men’s head coach.
With significant changes ahead for the Championship next season, including the introduction of a new salary cap and a new league structure, the club believes that this is the right time to make changes as we look to build for the future and prepare for the next chapter of Sheffield Eagles and address the financial sustainability measures being introduced at this level of the game.
Craig stepped into the role of head coach in December 2024 following his departure from Castleford Tigers and he helped guide us back into the Championship playoffs this season for the first time since 2023.
After an 11th-place finish in his first season at the helm, this year saw Craig lead the Eagles to a seventh-place finish in the regular season, before we were beaten by Barrow Raiders in the second round of the playoffs.
We would like to place on record our thanks to Craig Lingard for his contributions and efforts across the past two seasons, and we wish him all the very best for the future. Craig came to Sheffield Eagles in very difficult and unusual circumstances and dealt with those circumstances very professionally and much to his credit.
The club will provide a further update in due course in respect of coaching appointments ahead of the 2027 Championship season.
