New NRL boss to help grow game globally

The new CEO of the NRL will be a fan of the game and will be given the target of helping grow both the NRL in Australia and the sport of rugby league around the world.

Welshman David Smith stepped down as CEO in October last year. Acting NRL chief executive and chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission John Grant said an interview process is currently underway.

A shortlist is expected to be narrowed by late February with a final candidate potentially selected by March or early April.

Grant said a key factor is that the successful candidate must have knowledge of and love for the game of rugby league.

He also said it is the NRL‘s goal to continue to grow the globe globally.

“I think rugby league needs to be and can be the pre-eminent sport in Australia. Every indicator says that it can be,” Grant,
speaking at Rugby League Central for the announcement of the NRL‘s 2016 Community Ambassadors, said.

“Playing off its international opportunities as well just gives it another string to its bow.

“We see NRL firstly as the game of Australia but we see NRL as an opportunity to launch rugby league more strongly into the world game.

“We’ve got 40 nations playing rugby league with organised competitions around the world now. We’ve got our Four Nations at the end of this year in the UK, we’ve got Scotland as the fourth nation – things you would never have heard before.

“So there are opportunities to use the NRL as one of the pre-eminent competitions in rugby league in the world together with the Super League in the northern hemisphere, the opportunity to build those foundations internationally and build the world game is really something that we’re playing to.

“We see just continuing opportunities.”