RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE chair Nigel Wood says incoming chief executive Ian Nolan will help the governing body get “ahead of the curve” in the digital landscape.
Nolan, who will begin in the role on October 1, has 20 years of experience in the sports industry, most notably as chief content officer at Manchester United.
He has also spent more than a decade working for Yahoo, including as general manager of their sports division, for whom he negotiated the acquisition of Premier League football rights.
Wood, who is also chair of Rugby League Commercial, said: “This appointment is the latest and most important piece in the jigsaw to rebuild Rugby League after five or six years of, at best, stagnation.
“It is clear to all that the broadcast and digital landscape is changing before our eyes, and how people consume their sporting preferences is changing.
“You can seek to resist or deny changing habits, or you can respond positively, embrace the new age and to try get ahead of the curve. The appointment of Ian should indicate how serious the new RFL board is to move the dial in this area.
“Rugby League in the UK is a great sport, with strong and reliable year-on-year commercial performance, great narratives, and great stories.
“At the Magic Weekend at Hill Dickinson Stadium the sport demonstrated yet again how good it can be in terms of delivering the best fan experience we can.
“The experience is everything and we know we still have much to do, including to simplify some of the very technical laws and interpretations that might disengage fans. It is our responsibility to build further on this approach, and to unlock that potential, and reshape our offer to meet the changing world.
“It isn’t a short-term project. It is about re-setting the sport to become even more relevant to its existing communities and those we hope to attract.
“The (broadcast deal) news coming out of Sydney should give us all encouragement that Rugby League can and will have a great future on a global basis. In Europe, with our two G7 countries in the UK and France, are ready to play our part fully in unlocking the global presence of our sport.
“We are not oblivious to the challenges but the Ashes Test Series last autumn, the repeated success of Super League clubs in World Club Challenge events, and the passionate and enthusiastic support of British Rugby League fans in the Las Vegas extravaganza, encourage us to believe that the future is bright for our sport.
“When you boil it all down, the RFL has two main priorities.
“First, the delivery of the very best customer experience to fans, broadcasters and commercial partners alike.
“And secondly, and vitally, it is to make life easier for those committed and generous individuals who continue to support the professional Rugby League pyramid. We are blessed to have the strongest ownership group we have ever had, but this cannot and will not be taken for granted.
“Our objective, put simply, is to restore the sport to the breakeven position it has enjoyed previously, ostensibly prior to the Covid crisis.
“Ian will join in the autumn just before the Grand Final. Until then we have a capable and engaged group of people who will further improve this work.
“By the time he joins we will have seen the end to another compelling season at all levels in both men’s and women’s Rugby League. The stories yet to be told and drama set to unfold will drive us nicely to the World Cups, where our three teams will be ready to compete with the best from across the globe.
“There is much to look forward to, and we have every reason to be confident about the future.”