Chessum signs new multi-year contract with Leicester Tigers

Ollie Chessum, captain of Leicester Tigers, the English rugby union club that plays in the Premiership, has signed a new multi-year contract and will remain at Welford Road, the club's home ground. For the club, it means its captain is secured for the coming seasons.

The 26-year-old has made 88 appearances since coming through the Tigers academy. He was named club captain ahead of the 2025/26 season and was part of the squad that won the Premiership title in 2022.

The new deal arrives less than a week after fellow England international Jack van Poortvliet committed his future to Leicester.

Head coach's view

Leicester head coach Geoff Parling highlighted the role of players who have come through the academy. He said those young players were developed at the club and are hungry for the team to do well. In his view, supporters can identify with a local player in the side, which he called really important, and he added that they are quality players too.

Parling said Chessum has developed considerably as captain, is a great driver of what the team does and is well supported by other players. The coach said he had heard good things about Chessum before arriving at the club but wanted to form his own opinion. In his first weeks of training he saw Chessum's desire to improve, which aligned with Parling's own thinking on how the team performs and trains. He added that the player has characteristics he wanted in a skipper.