League One champions North Wales Crusaders have released a statement to confirm the departure of head coach Carl Forster.
The Welsh side won the third tier title this season, winning 14 of their 18 games to finish a point clear of their nearest challengers Workington Town and they can now look forward to competing in an expanded Championship competition next year.
However, they will be looking to appoint a new head coach before they can fully start making plans for the new season with Forster making the decision to leave the club. The coach will instead be working in Super League next season, with the Crusaders confirming that Forster has taken up a full-time role with a top flight club, which is still to be announced.
The club have since posted a job advert on X for a new head coach, with the club looking to move on and get a replacement in swiftly.
Following the departure of Carl Forster, #NWCrusaders are inviting expressions of interest for the position of Head Coach for our men’s first-team.
📧 Any individual interested in the position is asked to send their CV to enquiries@nwcrusadersrl.com by Monday 6th October. pic.twitter.com/71PxBDz32D
— North Wales Crusaders (@NWCrusadersRL) October 4, 2025
Forster, a former St Helens and Salford Red Devils player, took over at the Crusaders in an initial player-coach role in November 2022. He hung up his playing boots at the end of last year, after two seasons in the role, and focused himself on coaching, which is a move that seems to have paid off.
A year later, the 33-year-old was celebrating getting his hands on the League One title, having led the Colwyn Bay outfit through a remarkable season, and he moves on with the club’s well wishes.
League One head coach set for Super League switch
“I’d like to thank everyone at North Wales Crusaders for the last three years,” Forster said in a statement published on the Crusaders website. “It’s been a privilege to be your coach. The route to the play-off final in 2023 and getting our hands on the title this year will stay with me forever.
“To the fans, thank you for sticking with myself and the team throughout the tough times to see the good times.
“Winning the league is everything you guys deserved. The players and staff, the current group is the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing a changing room with.
“I can’t thank you enough for the efforts and commitments you’ve given to myself and the club.
“I will always be a Crusaders fan and will no doubt catch up with everyone soon. Thank you for having me.”
Crusaders owner Arun Watkins said: “A little less than 10 months ago, the club was predicted to finish 3rd from bottom across the entire RFL elite system and was possibly moments away from going out of business.
“Fast forward to now, we are league champions, building solid crowds, our fanbase has skyrocketed and our head coach has been asked to step up to a team who last year were two divisions above us.
“That is possibly one of the highest compliments to get. It is with a heavy heart that we must congratulate Carl and wish him all the best for the future.
“At the same time, we will stay focussed to our vision of the club itself reaching Super League and will take this into our recruitment and current conversations allowing us to make the right appointment of the person to take us forward.”
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