Roe has left his part-time role as Featherstone Rovers coach and his job as a benefit fraud investigator to take up a full-time post with the Wildcats.

Wakefield narrowly avoided relegation from the Super League last season, winning against the Salford Reds on the last day of the season to stay up.

Roe, who was assistant to Yorkshire coach Lee Crooks for the Origin Game this year, has coached Barrow, Halifax, Keighley and Swinton.

Roe joins former Bradford and Great Britain coach Peter Fox at the club, and is delighted to make the step up to Super League.

"It's my big chance," he said.

"There's not many blokes over 50 left in the game. This might be the only chance I'll ever have so I've decided to leave my full-time job and go for it.

"If you don't gamble, you never win the lottery, do you? But I'm happy I've made the right decision."

It was a day of arrivals at Wakefield, as they announced the signing of former Great Britain prop forward Paul Broadbent.

Wakefield also tried to sign Broadbent's former Hull team-mate David Maiden but family illness in Australia scuppered the deal.

Featherstone have replaced Roe with his assistant Ian Fairhurst.