Wigan-born Sean Long appointed League 1 coach following Wakefield Trinity departure

He has signed a deal at Boundary Park until the end of 2026.

Long, now 47, began his professional career with the Warriors, making his debut in 1994 before enjoying an illustrious career with St Helens, making more than 300 appearances and winning four Super League Grand Finals and five Challenge Cups alongside the 2000 Man of Steel award.

He retired as a player in 2011 and has gone on to coach in both codes, including stints as assistant coach at Wigan, Salford, St Helens and most recently Wakefield. He was also appointed Featherstone Rovers head coach ahead of the 2023 Championship campaign, later replaced by James Ford.

The former Great Britain scrum-half also worked on the coaching staff at France and Samoa on the international stage, as well as Premiership Rugby Union club Harlequins where he was attack coach.

He has been appointed by rugby league icon Mike Ford, who led the club’s takeover earlier this year alongside local businessman Mick Harrington.

“Oldham has been a hotbed of rugby for many, many years, and the prospect of getting them back to where they should be, pushed me [to sign] and I didn’t really have to think about it,” said the newly-appointed Roughyeds boss.

“The vision of the club and the facilities we’ve got is something that attracted me.

“We’ve got a very good squad and next season we want to win the league and, building on that, the vision is to go all the way.”