GARY HETHERINGTON has had his say on his Leeds Rhinos future after revealing the biggest commercial deal in the club’s history at a press conference.
Chief executive Hetherington and chairman Paul Caddick were in attendance at Headingley to unveil a 15-year partnership with Leeds-based vehicle solutions business AMT Auto.
With the Rhinos enjoying a tremendous trajectory following an uncertain time through Covid, Hetherington also hinted that he will be at Leeds until he drops and that he hasn’t had any thoughts about retiring.
“Not really (I haven’t thought about retiring), I love what I do and I love being at Headingley. I like all aspects of being involved in rugby league, it’s what I’ve always been involved in,” Hetherington told League Express.
“I enjoy the challenges we are faced with on a day-to-day basis. I have had no thoughts about changing that for anything else.”
With Hetherington determined to lead the Rhinos through such an exciting period for the West Yorkshire club, all eyes are now on the future of rugby league under IMG.
IMG’s plans to ‘reimagine’ rugby league were passed earlier this year with focus on five pillars: fandom, finance, performance, catchment and facilities.
For Hetherington, he is in full support of the plans and outlines that Leeds will be one Grade A club in Super League.
“Yes, I am confident of achieving a Grade A. I think the grading process is a very viable one, it’s good for the sport and gives every club the knowledge of where it stands, where it needs to improve and we, like all clubs, need to improve on and off the field,” Hetherington continued.
“We are striving to make our business as solid and progressive as possible and that is a challenge in itself because we are in the midst of ever-increasing costs and looking for new income streams.
“That’s an ongoing challenge but we are mindful of what we need to do at Leeds to give us the best chance of delivering an outstanding service for our fans and stakeholders.”
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