Successful Junior Warriors coach John Ackland will leave the NRL club at the end of the season.

The former Warriors assistant coach won’t seek an extension to his contract which has seen him coach the under-20 team since 2010. He was the Warriors assistant to former coach Ivan Cleary from 2006-09.

The Junior Warriors won the national youth competition in 2010 and 2011. They reached the finals last year and are fourth after 13 rounds of this year’s competition.

Ackland was part of the Warriors’ foundation coaching staff in 1995 and returned to the club in 2004.

Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said he respected Ackland’s decision, saying he had made a significant contribution to the club.

The process to find a replacement has already begun, with Scurrah also saying a change in the club’s managerial structure is imminent.

“When Matt Elliott was appointed (as head coach) last October he had some definite ideas on how we could further improve our overall recruitment and development structure,” he said.

Scurrah said Elliott and Warriors general manager football Dean Bell are reviewing the current structure and that further details will be announced soon.