Stuart Littler signs extended deal with Swinton

Drew Darbyshire 02 Aug 2019 9:11 AM

Swinton head coach Stuart Littler has signed a two-year contract extension with the club.

Littler – who is also head coach of the Ireland national team – will remain chief of the Lions until at lest the end of the 2021 season.

The 40-year-old took charge of Swinton in his first coaching role in 2017 following the departure of John Duffy. He will take charge of his 65th game when the Lions face Leigh on Sunday.

Littler said: “I’m delighted to have agreed a new two-year deal with Andy [Mazey] and the board.

“Since Andy has come in at Swinton, our relationship has developed and he is a person that I trust and believe in.

“Our club has made some serious progress both on and off the pitch this season and I am truly excited for the future. On the pitch we now have an exciting young team and we are in the best place we have been since I arrived at the club.

“We still have five games to go this year and with the league being so tight it is essential we apply ourselves in the right way in all of them.”

Swinton chairman Andy Mazey added: “It is fantastic news for everyone associated with the club.

“We have been having a chat for a few months about tying Stuart down for a further length of time so it’s good to finally be in a position to do so.

“We’ve been getting player deals sorted in good faith and Stuart was keen to ensure his boys where being sorted before worrying about his own position which shows not only the mark of the man but also the level of mutual trust that exists. We agreed to sit down once we had secured Championship status for 2020 and we quickly got a deal sorted.

“The chairman and head coach relationship is a vital one in any club and I believe that Stuart and his staff can continue to make further strides in the coming years with this exciting young team as we head into a new chapter for the Lions.”