THE RFL’S new chief executive Ian Nolan, who took up his post at the start of October, has set out his ambitions for the game under his leadership.

“What I would love to achieve here is simply growing the audience of the sport,” Nolan has said.

“If you think about Rugby League, it’s got such a passionate, dedicated, hardcore base of fans.

“And as the guardians of this sport in general, I think we always look to those fans to see how we’re going to grow their engagement, how we’re gonna monetise them a bit more.

“And I actually think that’s probably the wrong way to look at it.

“The one thing I want to make sure that we do is stop squeezing the lemon, stop squeezing and asking for more money from our fans that are already there or from families that are committed, and look at how we could grow the top of the funnel.

“What that means is bringing new fans, new eyeballs, into our sport, and looking at ways that we can grow the pie. It takes the pressure off the fans that have been there for decades.”

And Nolan is convinced that Rugby League has the qualities that can increase its popularity.

“There’s a lot to be excited about in this sport,” he said.

“And we don’t talk about it enough, but it is a sport in growth mode.

“If you just look at the Grand Final, for example, that was a sellout and now we have stadiums clamouring to host it.

“But if you look beneath that, attendances are up, digital engagement is up, as is our fan database and our social media metrics.

“They’re all heading in the right direction.

“So it’s an extremely exciting time.

“Now, I think all we need to do is focus on how we monetise that and take it into the next deal.

“So it’s an incredibly exciting time for the sport.”

Nolan has spent the first month of his tenure meeting key stakeholders in the game.

“What’s really impressed me is how much passion the owners of the Super League and the Championship clubs and even some of the community clubs have for the sport,” he said.

“Having come from football, where it can be a very cold, very suspicious environment, where the clubs very rarely talk to each other, I think that is really refreshing.

“Rugby League really does feel different. I’ve had conversations with a lot of the owners where you can really feel the passion and enthusiasm, and they really want the sport in general to grow.

“I think that’s really special.

“And if I was a sponsor or an investor looking from the outside in, I would see that as a real opportunity.

“I think this sport is incredible.”

Since his appointment was announced, Nolan has re-engaged with Rugby League.

“I was a fan when I was a kid,” he added.

“I sort of fell back in love with it this year, and I started watching it again.

“It’s an incredible format.

“It’s dynamic, it’s quick, it’s fast, it’s tough.

“If put out there to the right audiences, it can really start to grow.

“And you can see from what’s happened with the NRL in Australia, that if you get it in front of the right audiences, it really does start to explode.

“I hope that in a couple of years’ time, when we go back in to bat with the broadcast rights cycles and sponsorships, that we’re in a much stronger place to command more for the sport.”