Newcastle Falcons: Alan Dickens new senior coach under Steve Diamond : Planet Rugby

Newcastle Falcons have announced the appointment of Alan Dickens as head coach, with the former England Under-20s manager joining from Leicester.

Dickens has been appointed senior coach after spending the first part of the 2023/24 season as the Tigers’ attack and defence coach before being stood down in October.

The 48-year-old played professional rugby in the Premiership for Sale Sharks, Leeds Carnegie, Saracens and Northampton before turning to coaching.

Arrival of the falcons

“I am delighted to welcome Alan to Newcastle Falcons,” said director of rugby Steve Diamond after the north-east side announced the new coaching appointment.

“His vast experience as a player and manager in the Premier League will be invaluable as we strive to compete at the highest level.

“Alan embodies the mindset we are instilling throughout the club, from the coaching staff to the players and, most importantly, he understands the challenge that lies ahead.

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“His commitment to hard work will be crucial in helping us achieve our goal of becoming a highly respected Premier League team.”

Dickens and Diamond have long-standing ties and the former scrum-half is excited to join him in his new role at a side that struggled in the Premier League last season.

“I have known Steve since 2001 when I became a professional rugby player and since then we have had a few opportunities to work together,” he said.

“He is someone I hold in high regard and when he approached me for the position it was an obvious choice. It is certainly an exciting time for the club.

“I will assume the role of senior coach for the Falcons, overseeing both offense and defense.

“I know there is a strong group of coaches at the club who are very loyal, with Micky Ward, Mark Laycock and James Ponton being local people to the club, and Tom Williams, who is an enthusiastic young coach. So it will be great to settle in and work with them in the new season.”

Dickens will be looking to improve on last season’s winless Premiership campaign and despite that run of results, he is confident the Falcons can turn things around.

“I think when you look at the results in full, yes they were disappointing, but a lot of them, certainly at home, were tight, hard-fought games; they just came out on the wrong side of the results,” he said.

“From what I saw of the Falcons last year, they were very competitive, certainly at home, and they weren’t far off getting the results they worked so hard for.”

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