FORMER Warrington Wolves head coach Darryl Van de Velde has passed away.
Queensland Rugby League, whom he served with distinction as a player, coach and administrator, confirmed his passing this morning at the age of 72.
Van de Velde spent four years as head coach at Wilderspool having joined in 1997 and he presided over 59 wins in 140 matches before leaving the club in 2001.
Before then, he had coached in England with Castleford and Huddersfield having earlier guided Redcliffe to back-to-back Brisbane Rugby League premierships.
After leaving The Wire, Van de Velde returned to Australia and became a Queensland Rugby League board member, only recently stepping down from his role.
“Darryl achieved many great things and was highly respected within the rugby league community,” QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said in tribute.
“It can be a tough game at the best of times, so to be able to play, coach and serve as an administrator at such a high level over many years is a testament to his character and love for the game.
“His passion for rugby league, particularly here in Queensland, was always evident in the boardroom and throughout his many travels and endeavours throughout the state.”
Van de Velde joined Warrington at a rocky period in the club’s history.
John Dorahy had been sacked after the team’s poor start to the second season of Super League at Wilderspool Stadium.
Financial difficulties were growing behind the scenes, with one blossoming young star Iestyn Harris sold before Van de Velde’s arrival and another, in the shape of Paul Sculthorpe, transferred later in 1997 – both for world record fees at the time.
The new coach was supported in buying another rising teenage star, Lee Briers, from St Helens, to orchestrate the team on the field and to build around.
A takeover by a consortium of businessmen – including current owner Simon Moran – and eventually the development of a new stadium after Van de Velde’s departure, were to follow, which in effect saved the club from financial ruin.
This was the backdrop to what Van de Velde and his team were attempting to achieve on the pitch.
His passion, commitment and dedication for the team, club and sport were unwavering.
With the arrival of marketing guru Peter Deakin as chief executive, supported by and pushed for by Van de Velde, promises were made and funding provided for The Wire coach to rebuild the squad with a series of headline-grabbing signings ahead of the 2000 season.
Australian legend Allan Langer, his former Brisbane Broncos enforcer Andrew Gee and New Zealand Test star Tawera Nikau were brought in by Van de Velde to reignite the playing group and push for honours.
And they did reach the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup in 2000 and 2001, the closest the team had been to reaching Wembley since 1990, but faced a mighty Bradford Bulls outfit on both occasions and could not get over the line.
Financial issues arose again and there was frustration on Van de Velde’s part with the way Deakin was running the club’s day-to-day affairs, both of which ultimately led to the Australian announcing mid-season 2001 that he would not be renewing his contract at the end of the year.
Agreement was then reached that Van de Velde would leave his role early and make way for a new coach to come in and put plans in place for 2002 and beyond.
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