THE celebrations will continue for much of the week but Leigh Centurions' thoughts are already turning to next season writes Mike Hulme

Promotion to Super League after being out of the top flight for 11 years will bring its own particular set of problems for the Hilton Park board and coaching staff.

First, they must find out if coach Darren Abram will accept the offer of a full-time Super League contract that has been on the table since his arrival from Chorley a year ago.

Abram has a well-paid job outside of the game, but with Leigh needing a full-time coach in a full-time competition, a decision will have to be made sooner rather than later.

Time is short for Leigh to recruit, prepare and plan for Super League X, which will kick off in February.

In addition to their coaching structures, Leigh will need to recruit heavily in the player market if they are to do themselves justice in the top division. With £800,000 of Sky money falling into their laps through promotion, Leigh will not be short of players offering their services.

Abram is likely to run with a squad of 24 or 25 full-time players next season, but the number of quality Super League players currently without clubs is extremely limited. That could lead the club to looking to Australia and New Zealand for talent, with three overseas players allowed in their quota next season.

Leigh must also decide which of their current squad will be offered Super League contracts. Some, such as skipper Ian Knott, Neil Turley, Dave Larder, Oli Wilkes, Paul Rowley, Phil Jones and John Duffy are foregone conclusions, but inevitably others will leave.

To make matters worse, Leigh will need to finish at least third from bottom next season to avoid dropping back into NL1. Two teams will be relegated from Super League this time next year to accommodate the arrival of Perpignan in 2006.