Rhinos strengthen talent pathway structure for 2026

This article has been updated since it was first published at 1300 today

Leeds Rhinos Academy and Reserves team have both enjoyed highly successful 2025 seasons with just one game lost each this season but already the club is looking to the future and strengthening their off field team. 

Former Leeds Academy graduate Simon Brown has been appointed the club’s new Scholarship Coach for next season. Brown will continue to assistant  Chev Walker with the Academy coaching team but will step up to lead his own programme next season as well as being Head Coach of the Scholarship team. 

Walker will continue his role as Transition Coach and be in charge of the Academy and Reserve teams, which has been a huge success this season with a host of players continuing their development through the Reserves and in the first team squad. 

Long standing development coach Mark Butterill will take up a new role as Head of Pathways Talent ID having established a reputation as an excellent coach in various roles at the club over the last decade, most recently as Head Coach of the scholarship team last season. 

Darren Higgins, who has an outstanding knowledge of the community game across the region through his work at the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, will become the club’s new Head of Youth with the objective of attracting the best young talent to the Rhinos pathway in the years ahead. 

Leeds Rhinos Sporting Director Ian Blease said, “Our talent pathway is a major focus for us as a club, not only identifying the best young talent but almost as importantly nurturing and developing that talent so those players are ready to come through into the Super League squad. Chev Walker has done an outstanding job this season combining his role as Transition Coach for the first team with that of Head Coach for the Academy and Reserves team. The importance of this role, which Brad Arthur was instrumental in creating this time last year, can be seen with the likes of Zak Lloyd, Jacob Stead, George Brown and most notably Presley Cassell, who have been able to step up to be involved with the first team without any hesitation. 

“Simon Brown is a talented young coach who himself came through the player pathway at Leeds before moving to Sheffield to establish himself as a professional. After retiring at Hunslet, he began his coaching journey at Sheffield and has impressed everyone at the Rhinos since coming back to AMT Headingley this year. 

“Mark and Darren are two highly knowledgeable people who have worked at every level of Rugby League in the region. They have developed as coaches through the Rhinos whether that is working on aspects like student Rugby League or the Rhinos Talent Pathway with the North v South programme. They have built up contacts and connections across the game and it is great that we are able to reward their hard work and dedication by offering them these new positions, showing how the club wants to develop the next generation of coaches as well as players.”