We are delighted to announce that Dan Bedford will join Birmingham Hurricanes as our new Head of Strength and Conditioning for the 2027 season.
Dan began his career in rugby league as a junior with Emley Moor ARLFC before he would be snapped up by Championship outfit Sheffield Eagles as a youngster, where he would train before leaving the club to attend university in Liverpool. He would go on to represent GB Students.
He would eventually return to the game and play for then-League One side Rochdale Hornets, where a tackle in a Pre-Season game against Salford would lead to a PCL and cartilage injury that kept him out of the game for a significant period. He would return to the game with Newcastle Thunder and eventually signed for the Canes in 2021 (when we were Coventry Bears), but would find playing time limited and ultimately decided to retire from playing.
Moving away from playing and into coaching at the turn of his decade, Dan has experience of strength and conditioning coaching at both Championship and League One level. He spent two seasons with then League One side Oldham between 2021 and 2023, before moving to then Championship side Featherstone Rovers for the 2025 season before financial issues led to them being denied a RFL licence for the 2026 season.
In addition to experience at club level, Dan also applied his coaching prowess at international level for Ireland for the last three years, first as their Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach before being promoted to Head of Performance.
The icing on the cake? In addition to his work in rugby league Dan is an accomplished powerlifter who has won and placed in multiple competitions, and will be heading to Florida shortly to compete in the World’s Strongest Man competition in the under 90kg category. We therefore have no doubt he will be capable of incorporating the exceedingly high standards he sets for himself into his work with the Canes.
When asked to discuss his decision to join the Canes, Dan Bedford said:
I am very much looking forward to joining the Hurricanes for the 2027 season.
I have spent the last four years working with Featherstone Rovers, Oldham RLFC and Heading up the performance programme for Ireland RL. I look forward to getting to know all the players and staff over what I’m sure will be a successful upcoming season.
The club clearly has high ambitions and have great systems in place already. I am very excited to add my input and thank Eorl & Mark for the opportunity.
I have well over a decade of playing and coaching experience at this level and above. My goal is to help achieve its longer term goal of reaching the next level and add as much value as I can to the team/club as a whole.
Mark Dunning, Men’s Head Coach, said this on Bedford’s appointment:
We’re delighted to welcome Dan to the club and Canes family as our new Head of Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Dan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and I’m looking forward to him adding to our staff as we look to take the step to the next level.
Having spoken to him at length, I’m confident that he will continue to build on the foundations already established and we will continue to see the physical progress of our team.
We’re sure that everyone will join us in welcoming Dan to the club and look forward to seeing how we gets the lads ready for what promises to be an exciting and challenging 2027 Championship campaign.
