Bio

Joining Northampton Saints ahead of the 2023/24 season, former rugby league player and coach Lee Redford arrived at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens as an assistant coach, focusing on the team’s defence. 

During a playing career which spanned 17 years, Radford made 158 appearances for Bradford Bulls in-between two spells at hometown club Hull FC (where he played 193 matches in total), and earned five international caps for England.

Radford became the youngest-ever player to represent Hull FC in 1998, and twice won the Super League Grand Final with Bradford Bulls in 2003 and 2005. He also reached two further Grand Finals (2004 and 2006), won the World Club Challenge in 2004, and claimed the Challenge Cup title in 2003.

Towards the end of his playing career, Radford was appointed defence coach at rugby union side Hull RUFC in National 2 North, winning the Yorkshire Cup title in 2011.

And once he hung up his boots permanently in 2011, Radford quickly ascended from an assistant coach role at Hull FC to head coach in 2013, winning back-to-back Challenge Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, and scooping the Super League’s Head Coach of the Year Award in 2016.

After leaving Hull FC, Radford took over as Castleford Tigers’ head coach from the start of 2022 until March of this year. He was also appointed defence coach by Samoa for the Rugby League World Cup which was held in England in 2022, helping the side all the way to the Final where they were eventually beaten by Australia.