It has been officially announced today that former Chorley Lynx Head Coach, and the NL2 Coach of The Year, Darren Abram, has been installed as the new Head Coach at this years beaten NL1 Grand Finalist, Leigh Centurions.

The Centurions have been without a Head Coach since the departure five weeks ago of Paul Terzis. Darren will be in position with immediate effect following his decision not to accept a new contract with Chorley.

Darren Abram with be assisted by Norman Turley and Tommy Martyn, with Alex Murphy acting as Director of Football for the Centurions.

Darren Abram commented, "It is a great honour for me to be asked back to Leigh as Head Coach. I am delighted to get the opportunity to bring success to not only the club but also the town and the fantastic fans we have here. My family are from Leigh so I know what the expectations are for this sleeping giant, and I feel very confident that when we get the right players playing for Leigh we can achieve great success. I am very lucky to have a great board of directors behind me who have shown great faith in me by negotiating not only a NL1 but also a Super League contract for when we get there".

Executive Director Steve Blakeley added, "It is very pleasing to have Darren as our new Head Coach. He is a promising young British coach who we believe will push the club to achieve success. We have kept a close eye on Darren when he left last year to take over at Chorley, and it is pleasing to bring him back to Leigh".

A further addition to the team is the appointment of Alan Rowley as full time Chief Executive. Club Director, Derek Beaumont commented, "Following Alan's help as acting Chief Executive in the lead up to the Grand Final, we have agreed that he should extend that position to further enhance the clubs ambition as not only being successful on the field but also having the right team behind the scenes". Derek added, "This year promises to be very positive, unlike last season when the season was upon us when we took over the club, this year we have planned very well for the 2004 season. We are passionate about Leigh and so are our fans, we now have the right coach, the right backroom staff, and Darren will be given our full support to make sure we have players playing with pride when they wear the Leigh shirt. We have worked very hard behind the scenes over the last twelve months, and the dividends will be seen in the next twelve months".