Nigel Wood’s RFL salary confirmed as Bradford role clarified in Derek Beaumont statement

Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont and Leeds Rhinos CEO Gary Hetherington have confirmed that they have appointed Nigel Wood as the head of a new strategic review panel – and subsequently, as interim of chair of the RFL.

Clubs voted through proposals on Tuesday that would potentially revolutionise the governance of rugby league, with a new committee to be formed that would review the sport at professional level. Those proposals called for Beaumont and Hetherington to be named as the club representatives.

And per those proposals, that gave them the right to appoint an individual of their choosing as both the head of that panel and as Simon Johnson’s replacement as chair of the RFL. As expected, it is Wood who has taken that position: and he will now step aside from his position on the Bradford Bulls board as a result.

Wood is only expected to take office for a short-term period until July, and will work for free. He was described in a joint statement from Beaumont and Hetherington as ‘the best and most experienced person for the job’.

He will report his findings back to Council in July, with a permanent successor to Johnson then set to be appointed.

The pair said: “As per the resolution we have implemented Nigel Wood OBE as the chair of the strategic review panel and by right he therefore takes the interim position as chair of the RFL. We will now meet with Nigel in the coming days to form the remainder of that committee to undertake the strategic review.

“The review will encompass the “whole of the game” and will solicit views from as wide a cross section as possible, engaging the views of all clubs, and to include those of our biggest assets, our partners and supporters.

“The sport has numerous talented people around the clubs and the centre, across different fields and disciplines and the committee will be looking to engage fully with these colleagues to exploit those skill sets.

“It is aimed to have this work undertaken, for presentation to the RFL Council at the next scheduled meeting in July, when members will have their say on the best way forward. This is not intended to be a long drawn-out process but a prompt, transparent and effective one that delivers outcomes that will produce results the game needs to achieve.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it should be stated that Nigel has agreed to step down from the Bradford Bulls club board throughout this period.

“Furthermore, and to negate damaging speculation, we would like to make it clear, Nigel has never sought, nor has he been offered any remuneration for this project.

“He is considered without doubt by those who have proposed him to be the best and most experienced person for the job given his extensive knowledge of all aspects of the game which can only have been further reinforced having also gained experience of running a club.

“We will update with details of the full committee once concluded.”

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