Championship club appoints Kyle Amor as new head coach in shock twist
March 2019: Kyle Amor dives over for a try as St Helens beat Hull KR 36-24 at the Totally Wicked Stadium
Struggling Championship club Whitehaven have confirmed that former player and Sky Sports pundit Kyle Amor has taken charge as the club’s head coach with immediate effect.
Amor, who hails from the area and played for Haven 15 years ago, has agreed to step into the role at short notice after previous coach Jonty Gorley resigned just minutes after their victory over Doncaster on Sunday.
The move marks Amor’s first foray into coaching, and he has been tasked with keeping Haven in the Championship despite huge off-field problems which have mounted in recent weeks.
In a statement, the Cumbrian club said: “Whitehaven Rugby League are delighted to announce that Kyle Amor has agreed to take over as head coach at the club with immediate effect for the remainder of the 2024 season. The 37 yr old TV broadcaster with Sky Sports is returning to his roots having played for Whitehaven in 2009 and 2010.
“His illustrious career has seen him don the shirts of Leeds Rhinos, Wakefield, St Helens, Warrington and finally Widnes. Kyle was also an Irish international and has represented Cumbria.
“Kyle, who is an ambassador for Ortus Solar Energy will assemble the squad on Tuesday and hit the ground running ahead of the clubs visit to Dewsbury. The club would like to welcome Kyle and hope the fans get behind him and the team going forward.”
Haven are currently second-bottom in the Championship and travel to bottom side Dewsbury Rams this weekend, knowing a victory could lift them out of the relegation places.
However, the club are dealing with a plethora of issues away from rugby – with a failure to pay players last month and the club’s CEO, Les Messenger, making a public plea for people to come forward and support the club.
Gorley stated his position was ‘untenable’ after Sunday’s win against Doncaster, and now Amor has agreed to step into the role for the rest of this season to try keep his hometown club afloat in the Championship.
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