Ralph Rimmer believes there are some “exciting possibilities” on the horizon after meeting with Barry Hearn last week.
The sports promoting guru met with the RFL’s interim CEO in Birmingham last week for a ‘relaxed’ conversation about the sport and its future.
It follows Rimmer’s previous meeting with Barry’s son, Eddie, who has expressed interest in the sport and potentially helping it grow.
Rimmer told League Express that his latest meeting was fruitful, and although he talked down the possibility of the Hearns coming into the sport immediately, he believes there is potential for the two parties to work closely moving forward.
“I can see why they’re successful,” he said.
“They have lots of energy. The first meeting with Eddie came about because of some of the tweets he put out on the sport. I sent him an email, asked if he wanted to meet for a coffee and we had three hours where we sat and talk. We’ve had some communication since.
“Barry and I both made an effort, we met in Birmingham and we sat together for three hours. Three hours of their time is a big chunk. At this moment in time, I think they’re just staying where they are, but there are some exciting possibilities in this. But they’ve spent a combined six hours with us with nothing in it for them other than sharing their knowledge and exploring some opportunities in the future.
“I’ve learned a fair bit from them and I’d hope they’d picked up some things of us and Mark and we will be meeting again. We want to push the boundaries of this sport and make a difference.”
Meanwhile, Rimmer confirmed there is interest to move the Summer Bash elsewhere as the event returns this week.
The Championship event returns to Blackpool for a fourth year this term, but Rimmer admitted the RFL would be assessing their options ahead of the 2019 instalment.
“There is interest elsewhere,” he confirmed.
“It’s not of the size as there is in Magic, but there are other opportunities and maybe at some point, Blackpool might not feel like the right one, we do a debrief after every one and figure out what we should do. But let’s see how we go this weekend.”
