Who we are
Meet the team responsible for coaching development, education and support across Rugby League
WHO ARE WE?
The RFL Coaching Department is dedicated to supporting, developing and inspiring coaches across all areas of Rugby League. We work with coaches at every stage of their journey, from volunteers taking their first steps into coaching to those operating within talent and performance environments.
Our team is responsible for delivering coach education, development programmes, qualifications, continuing professional development opportunities and coaching resources.
By working closely with clubs, leagues, foundations and the wider game, we help create positive, player-centred environments where participants can learn, develop and thrive.
Learn more about our team, our roles and how we work to support coaches and the ongoing development of Rugby League.
Marcus Tobin
Marcus is self-employed working within Coach Education and is currently coaching within the London & The South U16 Representative Programme, which is run by the London Broncos Foundation and London Broncos. Marcus has coached professionally within the London Broncos Academy and London Skolars, and also coached within the England Youth (U16) Programme for two seasons. Marcus started tutoring within the RFL in 2007 when the UKCC Programme was introduced and has been involved in Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 programmes. Marcus played at NCL level with London Skolars and at regional level with St Albans Centurions. Marcus is passionate about coach development across all Rugby League environments, whether Men’s and Women’s Open Age, Boys’, Girls’ or Wheelchair Rugby League. In conjunction with Rich Tunningley, Marcus wrote the Level 2 RFL Wheelchair and RL/RU Conversion Courses.
Connor Meese
Connor is the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) Manager within the female performance pathway at the Rugby Football League, a programme he has coached on since 2019. Connor's specialism, and the majority of his experience, lies in developing teenage female Rugby League players, particularly those with ambitions of reaching the highest standards of the game. Connor has been tutoring on an ad hoc basis since 2025, balancing this alongside his commitments within the performance pathway. His motivation for tutoring stems from a passion for developing coaches and helping to ensure that as many players as possible receive regular, positive and high-quality Rugby League experiences throughout their journey in the sport.
Darren Higgins
Darren is the Head of Youth Development at Leeds Rhinos, where he oversees the development of the club’s emerging talent and player pathway programmes. Darren has a wealth of coaching experience across a variety of performance environments, having previously coached at service area, regional, scholarship and reserves level. He also enjoyed a brief spell as Head Coach of the Serbian National Team in 2016. With more than 20 years of full-time experience within Rugby League, Darren has held a number of influential roles throughout the game. These include South Yorkshire Service Area Coordinator, RFL Regional Talent Coach, Head of Youth Development at Sheffield Eagles, London Broncos and Castleford Tigers, as well as Rugby League Development Manager for Leeds Rhinos Foundation, before returning to the club as Head of Youth Development at Leeds Rhinos. Darren brings over 15 years of tutor experience and combines his coaching knowledge with first-hand playing experience gained through the Hull FC Academy system. A highly qualified practitioner, Darren is a Level 4 qualified coach and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Elite Sports Coaching Practice, as well as an MSc in Sports Directorship. His extensive experience across player development, talent pathways and coach education enables him to support and inspire coaches at every stage of their journey.
Barry Diggles
Barry is currently Joint Head Coach and Team Manager of the Saints Community Development Foundation Wheelchair Team, as well as an Inclusion Coach for the Foundation. He began coaching in 1984 with Pilkington Recs and joined the Rugby League coach education programme in 1987. Over the years, Barry has progressed from District Coach to Course Lead Tutor and remains an RFL Coach Educator and qualified Internal Quality Assurer. He has coached across all levels of the men's and women's community game, worked at RFL High Performance Camps, served as an RFL Performance Analyst, and supported the St Helens player pathway programme. His representative coaching experience includes leading Lancashire and North West regional teams, coaching Lancashire Ladies to Origin Series success in 2002, and being part of the England Women Under 21 coaching staff. Barry's specialist interests are inclusive coaching and Wheelchair Rugby League. After more than 50 years involved in the sport, he remains as passionate as ever and recently made his competitive wheelchair rugby debut for the Foundation at the age of 66.
Craig Hamilton
Based in Aspatria, Cumberland, rugby league has been a huge part of Craig's life, both as a player and a coach. He currently coaches junior rugby at Aspatria Hornets. Craig has worked with age groups from U6s through to his current team at U14s and has been the club's Welfare Officer since 2018. His playing career began at the age of 14 and, as an adult, he represented Glasson Rangers before helping to re-establish his hometown club, Aspatria, in 2011. He also played university rugby league at Newcastle, where he had the honour of captaining the side during the 2002-03 season. Professionally, Craig is a qualified teacher, holding a PGCE, a Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning and Development, and is a Chartered Member of the CIPD. This background gives him a strong, evidence-informed foundation that he brings to both his coaching and tutoring practice. His particular areas of interest are people development and team development, and his personal coaching philosophy reflects this. Craig firmly believes that coaching must be personalised to be truly effective. This conviction shapes everything from how he works with young players on the pitch to how he supports coaches in their own development journey.
Paul H
Paul is currently an England Rugby League Coach Education Tutor and Assessor, combining his passion for coach development with extensive experience across the game. Alongside his tutor and assessor responsibilities, Paul is the Head Coach of Crosfields Women Open Age, competing in Northern League 3. He has built a strong coaching track record across grassroots, service area and performance environments, with a particular passion for supporting player progression and creating opportunities within the women’s and girls’ game. An experienced Rugby League coach with significant involvement in youth development and regional talent pathways, Paul has been tutoring since 2006. His specialist areas include talent identification and player development, helping coaches better understand how to nurture and support players throughout their journey in the sport. Paul holds a UKCC Level 3 Certificate in Coaching Rugby League and brings a strong academic background to his work as a coach educator. He is also the BSc Physical Education and Sports Coaching Course Leader at the University of Chester, where he plays a key role in developing the next generation of coaches and practitioners. With a wealth of experience spanning education, coaching and talent development, Paul is committed to helping coaches create positive, challenging and rewarding environments that enable players to reach their full potential.
Andy Procter
Andy has been involved in Rugby League coach education for 28 years, helping to develop coaching syllabuses and learning resources, including the Conditioning for Rugby League workbook. He has also delivered Level 1 and 2 qualifications and regularly guest lectured on Level 3 programmes for professional players and coaches. As a player, Andy represented Saddleworth Rangers, Liverpool University and England Students, captaining both Liverpool University and England Students at the 1992 Student Rugby League World Cup in Australia. He later enjoyed an eight-year professional playing career with Wakefield Trinity, Bramley and Oldham RLFC, captaining Oldham. His coaching career has included roles at Oldham, Huddersfield Giants and Halifax RLFC, specialising in strength and conditioning and academy player development. Andy also worked as a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching at UCLan and was part of the inaugural UKCC Level 4 Coaching Rugby League programme. He has coached extensively within the university game, working with UCLan and North West and Northern Universities representative teams, and counts his time with the Serbian National Team during Rugby League World Cup qualifiers as one of his proudest achievements. With extensive experience across coach education, player development and performance coaching, Andy remains passionate about supporting the next generation of coaches and helping them positively impact young players both on and off the field.
Randal Raines
Randal has been a Rugby Football League Coach Educator for 18 years, joining when the national coaching framework was introduced and qualifications became nationally recognised. He also served as an RFL Safeguarding Tutor and continues to support coach welfare and safeguarding through his role with UK Coaching. Although he came to Rugby League later in life after playing other sports including basketball and volleyball, Randal quickly developed a passion for the game. Alongside his work as a Coach Educator, he coached the same junior team from the age of seven through to eighteen, giving him extensive experience in long-term player development. Randal also spent seven years coaching within the youth pathway of a professional Super League club, helping develop players who progressed to careers in both Super League and Championship Rugby League. Passionate about youth development, Randal is committed to helping coaches develop players' skills, tactical understanding and enjoyment of the game. He firmly believes community coaches play a vital role in shaping and inspiring the next generation of Rugby League participants.
Andrea Dobson
Andrea is currently the Head Coach of Sheffield Eagles Women and Manager of the Eagles Foundation. She has held a variety of coaching roles within the Foundation and Rugby Union, and has been involved in coach education for around three years. As a player, Andrea represented England Women from 2003 to 2019 and captained the national side between 2014 and 2017. She spent the majority of her playing career with Featherstone, establishing herself as a highly respected figure within the women’s game. With experience across elite performance, community development and coach education, Andrea is passionate about both high-performance coaching and the continued growth of Rugby League. She is committed to helping coaches develop the knowledge and confidence needed to positively impact players at every stage of their journey.
Steve Molloy
Steve began his coaching journey with Oldham RLFC following a distinguished playing career, spending three seasons developing his coaching skills before moving into the Rugby Football League’s player performance pathway. This experience enhanced his understanding of performance environments, coaching methodology and player development. He has also been delivering coach education since 2008, supporting coaches in developing their knowledge, confidence and practical coaching skills. As a player, Steve enjoyed a professional career spanning more than 17 years and over 460 games. During that time, he represented and captained England and toured with the Great Britain Lions in 1996, gaining invaluable experience at the highest level of the sport. Passionate about the development of young people and their long-term participation in sport, Steve draws on his extensive experience in elite performance, education and coach development to help coaches create positive learning environments and make a lasting impact on players and communities.
Chris Shaw
Chris is a Coach Educator for the Rugby Football League and brings a wealth of experience from both community coaching and coach development environments. Throughout his community coaching journey, Chris spent his coaching career with Garforth, successfully guiding the same team from Under 8s through to Under 16s, developing players across every stage of their youth pathway. With over 20 years of coaching experience, Chris has built extensive knowledge of player and coach development within the community game. His Rugby League coaching experience has primarily focused on youth players from Under 8s to Under 16s, giving him a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by community coaches. In addition to his grassroots coaching background, Chris has spent nearly nine years working in coach education with the Rugby Football League and Leeds Rhinos Foundation. As a player, Chris was involved in community Rugby League from the age of eight and continued playing into the later stages of his sporting career. He then moved into Rugby Union, where he played for 13 years before returning to Rugby League to pursue a coaching career and support the development of the next generation of players and coaches. Chris specialises in community coaching and youth development, with a particular passion for helping coaches apply and build upon the knowledge gained through their Level 2 coaching qualification. He is committed to supporting coaches in creating positive, player-centred environments that encourage enjoyment, skill development and lifelong participation in Rugby League. Drawing on his experience across playing, coaching and coach education, Chris is dedicated to helping community coaches grow in confidence and effectiveness, enabling them to make a lasting impact on the players and teams they support.
Nick Settle
Nick has over 20 years of coaching experience across community, development and performance rugby league environments. Throughout his coaching journey, he has worked with a range of clubs and organisations including Warrington Wolves Foundation and Scholarship, Perth (Australia) for the Western Australian Rugby League, Warrington Wizards, Woolston Rovers Juniors, Blackpool Panthers Foundation, York City Knights and Pilkington Recs Juniors. Alongside his coaching work, Nick has been tutoring and developing coaches for the past 15 years, supporting individuals at various stages of their coaching journey and helping to raise standards across the game. Away from rugby league, Nick works as a Community Builder for Help for Heroes and is also self-employed as a bid writer. He is currently involved with the North Wales Crusaders Foundation, supporting the growth of rugby league and community programmes across the region. As a player, Nick represented Rylands RLFC and Warrington Wizards at community level, giving him valuable experience and insight from both playing and coaching perspectives. Nick’s specialist area is community development coaching, with a strong passion for creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in sport, develop confidence and achieve their potential.
Martin Flynn
Martin has enjoyed a wide-ranging career across playing, coaching, refereeing and administration, giving him a broad and practical perspective on the game at all levels. As a coach, Martin is a UKCC Level 2 qualified coach with extensive experience leading teams in both community and performance environments. His roles have included Head Coach positions with Peterlee Pumas ARLFC, Scarborough Seahawks ARLFC, Yorkshire Coast Tigers ARLFC and university programmes at Durham University and the University of Teesside. He has also coached at representative level, including BARLA Yorkshire Under 18s and regional player development camps, alongside assistant roles with professional clubs such as Gateshead Thunder and York Wasps. Martin has been an RFL Coach Educator since 1995 and has over 30 years’ experience delivering and assessing Level 1 and Level 2 coaching qualifications. His depth of experience enables him to support and challenge coaches across all stages of their development. As a player, Martin represented clubs including Bradford Northern Colts, Batley RLFC and played for Great Britain Masters, also taking on player-coach roles within the community game. His specialist interests include player development, coach education, and building strong community rugby league environments. Martin has also held numerous leadership and governance roles within the sport, including Chair of Masters Rugby League (2011–2025) and Director of RFL Performance Camps at regional and national levels. Martin remains passionate about developing coaches and players, and is committed to helping create positive, inclusive and effective learning environments within Rugby League.
Marc Simon
Marc has over 20 years’ coaching experience across the women’s game and representative rugby league, including roles with Widnes, Warrington and Salford women’s teams, England Lionhearts men’s teams at U18 and open age, and both GB Teachers squads. He has been tutoring for around 10 years and brings valuable playing experience as an original London Skolars player, as well as with Hemel, London Broncos, GB Students and Canada Students/full international teams. Marc’s specialist interests include talent development and the application of sports psychology to support player confidence and performance. He is also enjoying reconnecting with the game through the Masters Rugby League circuit.
CONTACT:
General Coaching Enquiries
General enquiries on coaching matters are handled by the RFL Coach Education Business Team