Daniel Anderson appointed at Eels

The Pirtek Parramatta Eels are excited to announce that Daniel Anderson will join the club as General Manager, Football Operations.

Anderson is a two-time Grand Final coach with the New Zealand Warriors in 2002 and the Parramatta Eels in 2009, and has spent the past 12 months as the NRL Referees Elite Performance Manager.

With more than a decade's experience at the Parramatta Eels as a Head Coach, Assistant Coach and in junior development, Anderson says he is looking to free up the Eels new Head Coach Brad Arthur to concentrate fully on the NRL team's fortunes in 2014.

"I think the pressures nowadays on the head coach at any NRL club are extensive and the scrutiny is very tough on coaches," Anderson said.

"The less distractions they have from the mundane, the administrative components of their job, the better. I see me being a pivotal part in allowing him to focus and free his creativity as a coach."

"Meanwhile the focus for myself and the team in the area of Parramatta is also to generate quality players that will be able to put pressure on Brad, as the Head Coach, to have to consider them for NRL."

And as a Parramatta junior, Anderson says he and Head Coach Brad Arthur have a common connection to the Eels.

"Brad and I are both similar in that we have an obligation to the Parramatta club to foster and enhance rugby league so our community is proud of us. I know from living and growing up in the area how important the rugby league culture is to the community, and I want to see the Eels rising again."

Pirtek Parramatta Eels Chief Executive Officer Scott Seward says the appointment of Anderson in this newly-created role is a significant step forward in returning the club to success.

"Daniel brings a wealth of experience to his position as General Manager of Football Operations, and will play a pivotal role in restructuring our football department into a modern-day club," Seward said.

"The General Manager, Football Operations will look after the pathways, the performance, the development of our players, the recruitment and retention, and make sure we have pathways for our players here to play at their very best.

"We are looking to transform our football side into a powerhouse, and Daniel's experience as a football coach and a rugby league administrator makes him more than capable of doing that."