RFL CHAIRMAN Simon Johnson could be ready to leave his post as early as today (Monday), in advance of this Wednesday’s RFL Council meeting, League Express understands, when he has a meeting with club representatives who have urged him to stand down.
With all clubs experiencing declining financial liquidity, the clubs appear to believe that there is a need for a more hands-on Chairman with a greater understanding of all facets of the game than Johnson and they want the former RFL chief executive Nigel Wood, who is currently the Chairman of Bradford Bulls, to take on the role, initially on an interim basis.
The RFL had received four proposed member resolutions for Wednesday’s meeting, proposed by Leigh Leopards and seconded by Batley Bulldogs, and they were listed in the Notice of Meeting sent out on 12 February.
Apart from the proposal to remove the Chairman, it also proposed that RFL director Sandy Lindsay be removed from office “with immediate effect”. She has now resigned her position
The third resolution was for a member led strategic review of Tiers 1 to 3 of the sport, with Derek Beaumont and Gary Hetherington as the club-nominated representatives having the power to appoint an Implementation Committee and a Chair with its findings to be reported to and approved at Council in July 2025.
And the final resolution proposed by the clubs was that no appointments are to be made to the RFL Board until the Implementation Committee reports its findings and that the Chair of the Implementation Committee be installed as Interim Chair of the RFL until the next AGM of the company in July 2025.
However, the RFL has so far resisted the clubs’ demands and it has suggested that it would not be prepared to table the motion to remove the Chairman.
“The RFL has taken legal advice from Pinsent’s on the Proposed Resolutions,” the RFL said in an email to clubs.
“Our legal advice has led the Board to conclude that the Proposed Resolutions – as drafted and if passed – would place the RFL in breach of governance requirements in its own Articles of Association, the Code for Sports Governance, and its financial arrangements with Sport England and DCMS. This would place the RFL, the sport and clubs at risk of severe financial and reputational harm.
“Our legal advice is that the RFL is under no obligation to place any resolution before members that would be in breach of its constitution. However, we aim to ensure that members’ interests and concerns are heard. The RFL Board therefore has also proposed its own resolutions to be considered by Council. The RFL Resolutions attempt to address some of the concerns we have heard, and to deal with them in a way that complies with the RFL’s constitution and wider obligations, and in a timescale that provides stability and good order.”
The RFL resolutions allow for Simon Johnson to retain his position until the December Council meeting.
However, that proposal now appears to have been overtaken by events, with the clubs confident that they have sufficient proxy votes to enable a successful vote of no confidence and that the writing is on the wall for the Chairman.
At today’s meeting the clubs are ready to persuade him of that fact.