Newcastle academy director Steve Harper eyed for surprise Cricket switch - Report

The longest-serving player in Newcastle United's history is now the club's academy director, but he could be about to leave his position.

Steve Harper was on the books as a player at Newcastle for 20 years and has been the club's academy director for five years now, with a brief break after suffering a stroke. Now the 51-year-old is being looked at for a new job away from Newcastle United.

Harper, who holds a master's degree in sports directorship, is apparently high on Durham County Cricket Club's list to become their new director of cricket following the departure of Marcus North, who has taken up a role with England.

It looks like quite the shift, but we imagine a lot of the skills are transferable, and it's not as if Harper is completely alien to cricket.

Steve Harper is partial to a bit of cricket

As The Mail reports, Steve Harper is a keen cricketer and plays for South Northumberland, where he became good friends with Marcus North.

While it is reported that Harper has ambitions to diversify from football, it's not clear at this point how he feels about making the switch to cricket.

Harper isn't the only person on the list, so it's far from a certainty that he will leave his post at Newcastle to take up a new venture.

Could Harper be on the move?

We can't imagine the money in county cricket is the same as in football, even when you're comparing a director of cricket position with an academy chief, so it will have to be an impressive offer, we assume.

On the flip side, Harper has seen a lot of staff members come and go under his stewardship, particularly head coaches of the academy, and that could well take its toll.

It's an interesting thought, but we think Harper will continue at Newcastle. He's not one to leave on a whim.