England Rugby League are pleased to announce that four new faces have joined the England Academy and Youth coaching teams for the 2012 season.

Hull FC’s Andy Last and Alan Kilshaw of Warrington Wolves have been appointed to fill the England Academy and Youth assistant coach roles, respectively, with both men working under the guidance of current head coach Dave Elliott, while RFL League for All officer Shane Eccles and recently retired player Gary Broadbent have also been appointed as Youth Development Coaches.

The appointments come at the beginning of an exciting year for the junior sides, with the Youth team set to renew their Easter rivalry with neighbours France in a two-Test series while the Academy will embark upon a tour of Australia this summer.

“2012 is a big year for both the Youth and Academy sides,” said Elliott. “We’ve got some important games coming up and I believe we’ve brought on board some talented coaches to help ensure our players continue to develop to their maximum potential.

“Andy (Last) has worked at Hull FC for the last few years and he’s got a lot of experience working with elite young players. He’s a really talented young coach as well and I’m confident he’ll bring something new in to the Academy set-up ahead of this summer’s tour.

“He’s got a lot of enthusiasm for the game and is very passionate about being involved in the England set-up and helping young players reach their full potential. I’m confident Andy will fit into the set up easily and help us prepare to the very best levels we can.”

Last will join Elliott and Bradford’s Stuart Barrow as part of the Academy coaching team but it will be a completely new line-up working under Elliott within the England Youth system.

“There’s going to 40 new players and three new coaches coming into the Youth set-up this year,” said Elliott. “It will take time for everyone to gel but I’m confident that everything will fall into place quickly.

“Alan has worked with Warrington Wolves for a few years and he has lots of experience working with different age groups so I’m really looking forward to working with him. I think he’ll help the team and help the players develop and with Shane and Gary joining the team as well, I think the Youth side with have a wealth of experience and coaching styles to draw from.

“Shane is a very talented coach and he’s got a bright future within the game and Gary has a great level of first hand Rugby League experience which he can pass on to the players and those attributes combined give us a great platform to work from.”