Ryan Campbell takes Durham director role after unbeaten promotion season

Ryan Campbell will leave his position as Durham's men's head coach to become director of cricket and high-performance coaching, the club announced on Monday. The 54-year-old Australian replaces Marcus North, who departed in May to take up the role of England men's national selector, and will help choose the coach who succeeds him.

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The appointment gives Campbell responsibility for Durham's cricketing strategy across both the men's and women's professional squads. His remit also covers the talent pathway and cricket operations, extending his oversight beyond the men's team he has coached for four seasons. Durham said the move is a promotion and that he would step down as head coach at the end of the season.

Campbell joined Durham in 2023 and secured promotion to Division One in his first season. The county has now won Division Two twice during his tenure, with BBC Sport reporting that Durham completed this summer's championship campaign unbeaten. The change in leadership therefore comes as the men's side prepares to return to the top division next year.

Durham's announcement also highlighted progress in limited-overs cricket during Campbell's time in charge. The men reached the Vitality Blast quarter-finals for the first time since 2018 and qualified for the knockout stages again in 2025. They also reached the semi-final of this season's Metro Bank One Day Cup, adding another knockout appearance to his record at the club.

Player development was another part of the club's account of Campbell's tenure. Durham identified academy graduates Ben McKinney, Haydon Mustard, James Minto, Daniel Hogg, Luke Robinson and Robbie Bowman as recent examples of players given their professional debuts. Campbell said seeing members of the squad progress to representing England had been a particular source of pride during his time as head coach.

Chief executive Tim Bostock said continuity had been an important consideration in making the appointment. He confirmed that work to select Campbell's successor had already begun, with Campbell and Bostock involved in the process. Durham said it would update members once the appointment was completed. Campbell described the new post as an opportunity to continue influencing the club's direction after a period that included promotion, relegation and this year's Division Two title.