RUGBY UNION: Sale Sharks appoint Lamon as Head of Women’s Rugby

Sale Sharks have appointed Darren Lamon as their Head of Women’s Rugby to oversee the newly-formed Sale Sharks Women.

This follows the news that the club had an application accepted to join the Tyrells Premier 15s – the top domestic league in English women’s rugby

Lamon will move into the new role working with the new team as well as overseeing the new elite Centre of Excellence programme in collaboration with England Rugby.

Lamon has worked with the club through their community trust and academy, holding various roles including Academy Development Manager.

Speaking of his appointment, Lamon said: “I’m absolutely delighted! I’ve been involved with rugby for a long time and been involved with Sale Sharks in various roles, and this is a terrifically challenging role, and one that I can’t wait to get stuck into.

“The nature of the position, overseeing all aspects of women’s rugby, including the Sale Sharks Women’s squad and performance staff competing in the Tyrells Premier 15s. It gas been an ambition of the cubs for a while now to get a women’s team up and running. Full credit to the owners for making it happen.

“We see this as a fantastic opportunity to promote the women’s game and accelerate the development of all female players in the north west. We have seen in the past year alone there is a huge interest within the region for the women’s game and we hope to welcome as many female rugby players and fans to the AJ Bell Stadium next season.”

Director of Rugby Steve Diamond is excited about the future of the club and hopes that the recent improvement and successes of the men’s team can be mirrored in this new venture.

“I think what I’ll bring from my previous roles is a proven blueprint for success,” said Diamond.

“We need to grow the game, so we need to get more girls active and aspiring to play rugby. Hopefully having some of the best talent in the country playing on our doorstep and coaching in the community, we will raise the profile of the game.

“I will be bringing across all aspects of the Sale Sharks Academy, regarded as one of the best in the country, to create a ‘Centre of Excellence’ that will complete to be the best development pathway in the female game.

“I would envisage working with the excellent regional England Rugby staff and creating partnerships with current Head Coaches of senior women’s squads at under 18s coaches along with all stakeholders.”

Image credit: Sale Sharks