View source for Paul Rowley

{{short description|British RL coach and former England international rugby league footballer}}
{{for|the dart player|Paul Rowley (darts player)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name                = Paul Rowley
|fullname            = Paul Alun Rowley<ref>[https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?scan=1&r=254227587:3012&d=bmd_1653949805 FreeBMD Entry Information]</ref>
|image               = Paul Rowley.jpg
|image_size          = 
|birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1975|03|12|df=y}}
|birth_place         = [[Leigh, Greater Manchester|Leigh]], Greater Manchester, England
|death_date          = 
|death_place         = 
|height              = 
|weight              = 
|position            = {{rlp|HK}}
|club1               = [[Leigh Centurions|Leigh]]
|year1start          = 1992
|year1end            = 94
|appearances1        = 50
|tries1              = 16
|goals1              = 0
|fieldgoals1         = 0
|points1             = 64
|club2               = [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax Blue Sox]]
|year2start          = 1994
|year2end            = 00
|appearances2        = 170
|tries2              = 40
|goals2              = 1
|fieldgoals2         = 3
|points2             = 165
|club3               = {{nowrap|[[Huddersfield Giants]]}}
|year3start          = 2001
|year3end            = 
|appearances3        = 27
|tries3              = 5
|goals3              = 0
|fieldgoals3         = 0
|points3             = 20
|club4               = [[Leigh Centurions]]
|year4start          = 2002
|year4end            = 07
|appearances4        = 148
|tries4              = 54
|goals4              = 0
|fieldgoals4         = 2
|points4             = 218
|teamA               = [[England national rugby league team|England]]
|yearAstart          = 1996
|yearAend            = 00
|appearancesA        = 4
|triesA              = 2
|goalsA              = 0
|fieldgoalsA         = 0
|pointsA             = 8
|coachteam1          = [[Leigh Centurions]]
|coachyear1start     = 2009
|coachyear1end       = 
|coachgames1         = 
|coachwins1          = 
|coachdraws1         = 
|coachlosses1        = 
|coachteam2          = [[Leigh Centurions]]
|coachyear2start     = 2012
|coachyear2end       = 16
|coachgames2         = 130
|coachwins2          = 101
|coachdraws2         = 1
|coachlosses2        = 28
|coachteam3          = [[Toronto Wolfpack]]
|coachyear3start     = 2017
|coachyear3end       = 18
|coachgames3         = 53
|coachwins3          = 45
|coachdraws3         = 2
|coachlosses3        = 6
| coachteam4         = {{nowrap|[[Salford Red Devils]]}}
| coachyear4start    = 2022
| coachyear4end      = present
| coachgames4        = 106
| coachwins4         = 48
| coachdraws4        = 0
| coachlosses4       = 58
|retired             = no
|source              = <ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/paul-rowley/summary.html|title=Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.englandrl.co.uk/player_records?search=Rowley&submit=Go&c=England|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074434/http://www.englandrl.co.uk/player_records?search=Rowley&submit=Go&c=England|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|title=England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk|publisher=englandrl.co.uk|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Coach statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/coaches/paul-rowley/summary.html|title=Coach statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Rugby league records|id=314|title=Paul Rowley}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=They Played For Leigh |url=https://leighrl.co.uk/wp/v2/they-played-for-leigh/ |website=Leigh Centurions |access-date=12 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Fletcher |editor-first1=Raymond |editor-last2=Howes |editor-first2=David |title=Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1995-96 |date=1995 |publisher=Headline Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=978-0-7472-7817-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Fletcher |editor-first1=Raymond |editor-last2=Howes |editor-first2=David |title=Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1996 |date=1996 |publisher=Headline Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=978-0-7472-7767-5}}</ref>
|updated             = 29 June 2025
}}

'''Paul Rowley''' (born 12 March 1975) is a British [[rugby league]] coach and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He is the current head-coach of [[Salford Red Devils]].
An [[England national rugby league team|England]] representative {{rlp|hk}}, he played at club level for [[Leigh Centurions|Leigh]], [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]] and [[Huddersfield Giants|Huddersfield]].<ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/paul-rowley/summary.html|title=Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2011|accessdate=1 January 2012}}</ref> After retiring as a player, Rowley began a coaching career and was appointed head coach of [[Leigh Centurions|Leigh]] in 2012, leading the club to [[Championship (rugby league)|Championship]] titles in [[2014 RFL Championship|2014]] and [[2015 RFL Championship|2015]] before departing at the beginning of the 2016 season. He subsequently was the head coach of the [[Toronto Wolfpack]] in the [[RFL Championship|Championship]].<ref name="Coach statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org"/>

==Background==
Rowley was born in [[Leigh, Greater Manchester]], England.

==Playing career==
Having begun his career at his hometown club, Leigh, Rowley appeared in the [[Super League]] for [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]] and the [[Huddersfield Giants]], returning to his hometown club in 2002. He retired as a player in April 2007 after his 400th career appearance,<ref>{{cite web |title=Rowley calls it a day |url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/1326186.rowley-calls-it-a-day/ |website=The Bolton News |access-date=12 June 2022 |date=12 April 2007}}</ref> and joined the coaching staff at Leigh Centurions.

===International honours===
Rowley won [[Cap (sport)|cap]]s for [[England national rugby league team|England]] while at Halifax in 1996 against France (sub), and in the [[2000 Rugby League World Cup]] against Australia, Russia, and Ireland.<ref name="England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk"/>

==Coaching career==
Rowley was appointed first team coach of Leigh Centurions on a permanent basis in January 2012. After a successful first season in charge which included guiding the club to 2nd in the Championship and a Northern Rail Cup semi-final, Rowley was named Championship Coach of the year. In February 2013 Rowley signed a new contract to keep him at the club until the end of 2015. Having won back-to-back Championship titles with Leigh in 2014 and 2015, Rowley resigned as Leigh Centurions head coach 10 days before the start of the 2016 Championship season, citing personal reasons.<ref name="Paul Rowley: Leigh Centurions head coach resigns">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/35429726|title=Paul Rowley: Leigh Centurions head coach resigns|publisher=bbc.co.uk|date=28 January 2016|accessdate=28 January 2016}}</ref> On 27 April 2016 he was confirmed as the inaugural head coach of the [[Toronto Wolfpack]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Toronto Wolfpack to join third tier of English rugby league in 2017 |date=2016-04-27 |website=[[The Globe and Mail]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111202306/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/toronto-wolfpack-to-join-third-tier-of-english-rugby-league-in-2017/article29770185/ |archive-date=2020-11-11 |url-status=live |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/toronto-wolfpack-to-join-third-tier-of-english-rugby-league-in-2017/article29770185/}}</ref>
 
On 5 November 2021, Rowley was announced as the new head-coach of the [[Salford Red Devils]].<ref>{{cite web|website=Love Rugby League|date=5 Nov 2021|accessdate=6 Nov 2021|title=Paul Rowley confirmed as new Salford coach|url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/paul-rowley-new-salford-coach/}}</ref>
In Rowley's first season in charge of Salford, the club started poorly and at one stage were sitting second last on the table before they went on to win eleven games which saw them qualify for the playoffs. After upsetting Huddersfield 28–0 in week one of the playoffs, the club played against St Helens in the semi-final in which they lost 19–12. In the 2023 Super League season, Rowley guided Salford to a 7th-placed finish as the club missed the playoffs by two points.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/62939943/|title=Super League semi-final: St Helens 19–12 Salford Red Devils|work=BBC Sport |accessdate=7 October 2022}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Paul Rowley is the son of the rugby league {{rlp|pr}} who played in the 1970s and 1980s for [[Leigh Centurions|Leigh]], [[Workington Town]], [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] and [[Carlisle RLFC|Carlisle]]; Allan Rowley (born {{birth year and age|1951}}). Paul Rowley has two sons, Alex and Oliver.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

== Honours ==

=== As a player ===
* [[RFL Championship|National League One]]: [[2004 Rugby League National Leagues|2004]]

=== As a coach ===
* [[Championship (rugby league)|Championship]] (3): [[2014 RFL Championship|2014]], [[2015 RFL Championship|2015]], [[2018 RFL Championship|2018]]
* [[League 1 (rugby league)|League 1]] (1): [[2017 League 1|2017]]

==== Individual ====
* [[Championship (rugby league)|Championship Coach of the Year]]: [[2013 RFL Championship|2013]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* (archived by web.archive.org) [https://web.archive.org/web/20160710170626/http://www.torontowolfpack.com/club/coaching-staff/ Toronto Wolfpack profile]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20220330044417/http://www.leighcenturions.com/team_member.php?id=483 Leigh Centurions profile]}}
* (archived by web.archive.org) [https://web.archive.org/web/20001216043200/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/static/in_depth/rugby_league/2000/world_cup/team_profiles/england.stm The Teams: England]
*[http://www.leighreporter.co.uk/sport/leigh-centurions/rowley_named_as_coach_1_4206981 Leigh Reporter]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=%22Paul+Rowley%22 Search for "Paul Rowley" at bbc.co.uk]
{{Salford Red Devils squad}}
{{England 2000 Rugby League World Cup squad}}
{{Inaugural Toronto Wolfpack side}}  
{{Navboxes
|title= Coaching positions
|list1= 
{{Leigh Centurions coaches}} 
{{Salford Red Devils Coaches}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowley, Paul}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Canada]]
[[Category:England national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:English rugby league coaches]]
[[Category:English rugby league players]]
[[Category:Expatriate rugby league coaches]]
[[Category:Halifax Panthers players]]
[[Category:Huddersfield Giants players]]
[[Category:Leigh Leopards captains]]
[[Category:Leigh Leopards coaches]]
[[Category:Leigh Leopards players]]
[[Category:Rugby league hookers]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Leigh, Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Salford Red Devils coaches]]
[[Category:Toronto Wolfpack coaches]]