Coach appointments announced for upcoming international cycle

After an extensive and competitive recruitment process, the England Touch High Performance leadership is pleased to announced the Opens, Seniors, Masters and Junior coaches that will lead the national teams to the next European Touch Championships, Touch World Cup, and Junior international events.

England Touch is seeking to build on a legacy of recent successes, which includes 10 medals from 13 categories at the 2024 Touch World Cup and repeated Gold medals at European Touch Championships, European Youth Touch Championships and Atlantic Youth Touch Cups.

“We’ve worked really hard as a high performance programme to develop the strength in depth of our coaching group, and this is reflected in the appointments which we’ve made,” says Sammie Phillips, Director of Pathways and Performance.

“It was certainly the most competitive appointments process in our history.

“There is a massive amount of experience, and plenty of desire to improve even more, and I’m looking forward to working with all of the coaches in the build up to the 2026 Euros, the 2028 World Cup, and the various Junior international events, too.”

Opens

The Opens coaches will be working with male and female Opens athletes, and as well as leading the three Opens teams will play an important part in setting the tone for the entire High Performance programme.

Men’s Open
Head Coach	Mark Aldous
Asst Coach	Tomos Hardiman
Women’s Open
Head Coach	Martin Wright
Asst Coach	Dan Powell
Asst Coach	Sadi Musson
Mixed Open
Head Coach	Tim Osborne
Asst Coach	Adam Thomas

Seniors

Senior coaches play a pivotal role in the High Performance Pathway and will be looking to continue England Touch’s strong standing in global Touch.

Women’s 27
Head Coach	Ben Powell
Asst Coach	TBA
Men’s 30
Head Coach	Gareth Revell
Asst Coach	Erik Cerne
Asst Coach	Max Shepstone
Mixed 30
Head Coach	Squid
Asst Coach	Martin Bunn
Women’s 35
Head Coach	Oscar Davies
Asst Coach	Rory Bott
Men’s 35
Head Coach	Daren Roe
Asst Coach	Mat Jaynes

Masters

Our Masters Programme has seen a huge amount of success in recent Touch World Cup cycles, and looks set to push the teams even further over the next three years.

Women’s 40
Head Coach	Archie Shaw
Asst Coach	Jake Rigby
Men’s 40
Head Coach	Jason Logan
Asst Coach	Matt Mahoney
Women’s 45
Head Coach	Sammie Phillips & Katrina Spring (interim)
Asst Coach	Soul Phoenix
Men’s 45
Head Coach	Shane Wilson
Asst Coach	Charlie Rigby
Men’s 50
Head Coach	Mark Holmes
Asst Coach	Paul Bunce
Asst Coach	Eddie French
Men’s 55
Head Coach	Andy Sharpes
Asst Coach	Adrian Danks
Asst Coach	Clive Lovering

Youth

Youth coaches are critical within the High Performance Programme, balancing achieving success in tournaments with developing the positive cultures that players and their families will take with them throughout their time with England’s national teams and Touch as a whole.

Men’s 20
Head Coach	Max Shepstone
Asst Coach	Cooper Bainbridge
Asst Coach	Kyle Owens
Women’s 20
Head Coach	Marnie Wills
Asst Coach	Archie Shaw
Mixed 20
Head Coach	Ed Budge
Asst Coach	Dougie Benzie
Asst Coach	Maximiliano Perez
Boys 18
Head Coach	Adam Brimelow
Asst Coach	Theo Edwards
Asst Coach	Squid
Girls 18
Head Coach	Andy Penniceard
Asst Coach	Matt Jaynes
Asst Coach	Lexie Williams
Mixed 18
Head Coach	Claire Rylance
Assistant Coach	Adam Thomas
Assistant Coach	Vicky Stevens
Boys 15
Head Coach	Rob Emery
Asst Coach	TBA
Girls 15
Head Coach	Matt Chapman
Asst Coach	Will Coomes
Mixed 15
Head Coach	David Sharpe
Asst Coach	Niel Chambers
Asst Coach	Catherine Richardson-Waldin