JURASSIC Coast Raptors have appointed Mark Newell as their new head coach.

Former coach Bill Heinrich took the decision to take a step back after two years in charge of the team during its inaugural season and first full season in the BAFA league. However, he remains on the coaching team.

Former assistant coach Newell started playing in 1986 for the Crawley Raiders as a line-backer and then over a period of eight years had spells at various south coast teams.

In 1990, after a serious knee injury, he started studying the game with a view to taking up coaching.

Newell's first role was a joint one both coaching and playing with the South Coast Sharks.

He then took to coaching with roles at the B52’s youth team and then senior team, Sussex All-stars and then the Bournemouth Bobcats with a period as head coach in 2013.

Newell then joined the Raptors at the end of the 2014 season.

He was very impressed with the set-up, and the commitment of the players and has to date held a number of coaching positions at the club including line coach, assistant offensive co-ordinator and offensive co-ordinator.

The appointment of Newell to head coach provides the team with continuity at a time of expansion and growth for the club who have recently been awarded a £10,000 Sport England grant which has gone towards playing kit and training equipment.

October 2016 sees the club start an ambitious expansion programme, which include three Rookie sessions to expand the team and a plan to create a junior team to provide new players as the sport expands again in the UK.

Heinrich will also help manage the youth team as the game expands into UK schools under the Sainsbury’s School Games Program.

Newell said: “I’m looking forward to the opportunity being offered to me by the Raptors' organisation.

"I cannot praise enough the work done by Bill Heinrich to get the team to this point in its short history.

"My goal is to continue the development of the Raptors into a contender in the SW Conference in as short a time as is realistically possible.

"The players showed in every game last season their fighting spirit, and our returning players are already applying themselves to come back bigger, stronger, and faster; so we have the building blocks necessary to continue to develop a culture at the Raptors of evolution; changing, building, learning and adapting, working hard at getting better, and being the best we can be, both as individuals and collectively.’

n The Rookie recruitment days take place in three sessions across October, November and December.

Kit is provided for these sessions. Potential new recruits should call the club or apply via this link – surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7SYRCWS