Mark Robinson Returns to Sussex as Director of Cricket

Mark Robinson is back at Sussex as director of cricket, the role that oversees the club's cricket across its teams and playing pathways. The BBC reported the appointment on 5 November 2026.

The job is part-time. Robinson will also keep his role as director of cricket at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, which is Sussex Cricket's official state school partner.

Robinson knows the club well. He played as a fast-medium bowler, a bowler who runs in briskly without reaching full pace, for Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Sussex. He was with Sussex from 1997 to 2002. He later spent a decade as Sussex head coach and led the club to County Championship Division One titles in 2006 and 2007. That division is the top tier of England's county game, where teams play longer four-day matches.

His coaching record goes wider than Hove. He guided England Women to victory at the 2017 World Cup. As head coach of Warwickshire, he led them to the Division One title in 2021.

His return comes in a period of change at the club. Paul Farbrace was due to switch from Sussex head coach to director of cricket before joining Lancashire.

Robinson has told Sussex's official website that he is delighted to be back at Hove, the club's home ground. Sussex had already brought him back once. In March 2025 the club announced that he would rejoin its coaching team on a short-term deal. Three months later, in June 2025, he was appointed State School Technical Lead, a role that links the club with schools and young players. The academy partnership is part of that work.

For supporters, the appointment puts a familiar name back in charge of the club's cricket structure. The details of his day-to-day responsibilities and the wider coaching line-up have not been set out in the announcement, so those will be worth watching as the club confirms them.