FROM being on the books at Leyton Orient as a teenage goalkeeper, to just being named team manager at Keighley Cougars, Frank Levy has enjoyed a rich sporting life.

The 60-year-old Londoner, father of current Cougars back-rower Aaron Levy, says the future is bright at Keighley and he's revelling in his important new role.

His new position will see Frank 'oversee all logistical matters relating to first-team matters' as explained in the club's official announcement.

Frank's go-between duties will include 'all liaison roles between Cougars' playing, coaching, media and administration departments'. In other words, Frank has further become a crucial member of the club's loyal and dedicated staff.

Frank's sporting CV is definitely a varied one. He signed schoolboy forms as a 14-year-old goalkeeper at Leyton Orient with a broken leg ended his football dream.

After a spell playing rugby union, he was part of the squad of Fulham RLFC's first-ever season in 1980-81, playing in the sport's Second Division.

He later moved from the capital to Yorkshire, specifically Bradford, coaching at clubs in the district and also as a scout for Bradford Bulls, interspersed with a previous spell at Cougars, before previous head coach Craig Lingard brought him back to Cougar Park in 2017.

On his latest role at Cougars, Frank said: "It's really good, it's really exciting.

"We have youngsters of really good quality here. Hopefully it will be a really exciting time.

"We are going forward in a really good place. I have been at Keighley beforehand. I fell into the role really. I was looking after the reserves.

"I'm looking after something of the logistical side of the club, I'm the link. This is a natural progression to me. I will liaise with Gary Moorby (Cougars' head of rugby), the players, Rhs (Lovegrove - Cougars' head coach). I'm the link with everybody."

Frank says the new owners, who were at the forefront of the Cougarmania era of the 1990s including owner Mick O'Neill, have rebooted the club and have the community at heart.

Frank said: "Mick O'Neill, Ryan (O'Neill), Kaue (Garcia) are all level-headed businessmen. They are part of the community in Keighley. The link-up with scout groups, visiting hospitals.

"It feels fresher at the club this year. We were meandering along before. We needed some fresh faces at the top. That's no disrespect to the people who were doing it before. They are like a breath of fresh air.

"They know what they want. It's about getting the community back on board. We had lost Keighley at first. When I was at Bradford, it was community-based.

"We need to build up links with the local community."

Frank is also a proud dad when it comes to his son Aaron, but says he is in the team on his own merit.

Frank added: "He has done really well for himself. The coaching he has had from Craig Lingard and Rhys has brought him on as a player and as a person."

Frank also predicts a bright future for Cougars, starting with a Betfred League One title assault next year. He also says the club will have a longer, and better, prepared pre-season, which gets under way on November 5.

He added: "I would love to say we would be at the top next season.

"Players have signed for two years, so their future is more settled. We can be a very good Championship side.

"We have a pre-season meeting next Tuesday. Rhys is really meticulous. A bit of a small squad would be better for us. More like 27 to 28 players, rather tan 40."

From Brisbane Road to Cougar Park, Frank's enthusiasm for sports shines through.