Craig Lingard has departed Castleford Tigers with immediate effect, the team said.

After just one season in charge, the Tigers have made the unexpected decision to fire Lingard.In his debut season as a Super League head coach, Lingard led the Tigers to a 10th-place finish with a youthful and inexperienced team.

However, following a challenging 2024 season, Lingard resigned, and the team has now made the decision to take a different course in 2025.

He managed Castleford for 29 games, but they only won eight of them.

“I would like to thank Craig for all of his hard work over the past year as head coach and in his previous role as assistant head coach,” stated new owner Martin Jepson. It is my sincere hope that Craig will have the best possible future.

Making this choice wasn’t simple. Although our supporters think highly of Craig, I thought it was time for a change of pace and a fresh perspective in the locker room. I wanted to give a new coach the chance to mold preseason and establish a winning culture of his own before the players return in a few weeks.

The Tigers will now start looking for someone to replace Lingard. Jepson said that he hoped for a speedy resolution.

“The search for a new head coach is underway, and we anticipate making an announcement shortly,” he stated.

Numerous names are anticipated to be associated with the position, and they will take over a Castleford team that is undergoing a major off-season transformation.With some prominent names leaving the Tigers following a challenging 2024 season, players like Daejarn Asi and Zac Cini are expected to join the team in 2025.

And after reaching an agreement to buy the Fulton family’s shares last week, Jepson is obviously determined to put his mark on club operations.