Andrew Flintoff has stepped down as Northern Superchargers head coach after two seasons, citing contract disagreements with new owners Sun Group. Despite success on the field, Flintoff felt undervalued. He remains open to coaching offers elsewhere.
Former all-rounder turned coach Andrew Flintoff has announced his departure from the Northern Superchargers ahead of the Hundred’s 2026 season. After two years at the helm, Flintoff said talks with the team’s new Indian owners failed to yield terms acceptable to both sides.
The 47-year-old accepted the Superchargers coaching role in November 2023, which was his first major senior coaching position, following a spell on England’s backroom staff. His coaching career gained renewed attention after a life‑threatening accident during filming of Top Gear in December 2022.
Under his stewardship, the Superchargers made steady progress. In 2024, they finished fourth, and this year improved to third in the league stage. However, their hopes of reaching the final were dashed when rain washed out the Eliminator match against Trent Rockets, allowing the Rockets to progress based on group placement.
At the same time, Flintoff has also taken charge of the England Lions, overseeing their winter tour of Australia, which runs parallel to the senior team’s Ashes schedule.
Flintoff wasn’t valued by new owners, has couple of offers for Hundred 2026
In an appearance on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Flintoff confirmed his time with the Superchargers was over. He said negotiations with the Sun Group, which acquired the franchise, had stalled when the group made its vision for the 2026 campaign clear. The Sun Group, which also owns IPL franchises and teams in the SA20, offered Flintoff a renewed contract, but he felt it undervalued his contributions.
“We’ve seen the Hundred change now. We’ve got new owners, and I spoke to them when they phoned up. They said they wanted us to do it, so I said: ‘Yeah, fine. Make us an offer.’ I genuinely don’t do it for the money, right, although it’s nice … but I think I’m worth more than just over a quarter of the [salary of] other head coaches. I wasn’t encouraged they wanted me anyway, but then also you want to feel valued. So I said that it’s not going to work for me, and they weren’t going to move on it,” Flintoff said.
“So, unfortunately, I’m not going to do it, which is sad. The past two years, I felt we were building somewhere really nice, and I’d have loved to have seen it through,” he added.
The franchise countered, saying they had proposed a higher salary to retain him, and expressed regret at his departure. Meanwhile, Flintoff’s decision opens the door for other teams to express interest. Manchester Originals, based near his Lancashire home, and Trent Rockets are among the franchises reportedly weighing up potential coaching options.
As for Flintoff, he remains open to new opportunities but appears in no rush. “I’ve had a couple more offers over the past few days,” he confirmed, “but I’m just relaxed about it for now.”