DUDLEY Kingswinford have appointed former London Welsh and Worcester coach Carl Douglas as the club's new director of rugby.

He will take up the role, which involves overseeing coaching, team performance and the long-term development of DK, from May 1.

Douglas has previously also held the positions of player development manager at both Gloucester and Leicester Tigers, head coach at Oxford University Blues XV for five seasons and head of rugby development at the Welsh Rugby Union.

The experienced Level 5 qualified coach will take over from current director of rugby, Gordan Bannatyne, and current head coach Shaun Perry, who also applied for the position.

DK have been searching for a new director of rugby following a disastrous campaign in National League Two North that has seen them relegated without picking up a single victory.

Gordon Bannatyne said: "The club have gone through a lengthy, thorough and diligent process through advertising, interviewing and selection to ensure we have the right candidate for the post. We believe Carl's background and experience will help lay the foundations as the club seek to establish its traditional routes to success. This will involve building and developing a playing structure based on players developed from within the club, supplemented by introducing some experience in key positions to help with the development of players who have come through the club's very successful youth section.”

Douglas' remit will be to recruit new players as well as to develop the current squad with a view to returning to level four at the earliest opportunity.

The role will encompass the whole of the club and involve working with the youth section, 16-19 rugby as well as the senior teams. He will also spend time on other club duties beyond coaching and recruiting, such as team administration and building the club’s sponsor base and funding.

Ed Parry, DKs first team captain added: "After what has been a long and tough season this year, the players are excited to welcome Carl to lead us towards success in the team’s next chapter. Hopefully, with Carl's experience and expertise, we can build on the steep learning curve many of our young players have been on in National Two. We hope to be back at this level stronger and more prepared as a club, sooner rather than later. The players would also like to thank Shaun Perry for being head coach this year during difficult times."