Ralph Rimmer confirmed as new RFL boss
The Rugby League Football has announced that Ralph Rimmer has become its new chief executive with immediate effect.
Rimmer, formerly the chief operating officer of the RFL, has been interim CEO of the national governing body since January.
He began his involvement as an amateur player and coach in Cumbria and has worked at all levels of the sport in development, performance, club and stadium management.
Rimmer was CEO of Sheffield Eagles during the early days of Super League and held the same post at Huddersfield Giants from 1999 to 2004.
He has also spent time as the managing director of the Galpharm Stadium, during which time he was also a board director of Huddersfield Town FC and remained a director at Huddersfield Giants, before joining the RFL in 2010.
RFL chairman, Brian Barwick, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Ralph is to become the new Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League.
“Ralph is a Rugby League man through and through and has extensive knowledge of the sport at every level.
“He is a person of enormous integrity, a straight-talker and somebody who gets things done. He also has the respect of those in the sport for regularly demonstrating those qualities. He is the right person at the right time to be the executive in charge of our organisation.
“Ralph has huge ambitions for the future of the sport as well as dealing with the ‘here and now’ issues of the game.
“Ralph will start in his new role immediately and the RFL board offer their sincere congratulations and their total support for their new CEO.”
On his appointment, Rimmer said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as CEO of the Rugby Football League.
“I am passionate about the sport and I am honoured to hold this position. I have always taken my responsibilities within the sport extremely seriously, and I take up this role with a 100% commitment to driving Rugby League forward.
“I have very many strong relationships within the game and I intend to work collaboratively with all to achieve its future growth and success.
“I believe that I understand its changing landscape and am hugely ambitious as to what we can achieve together in the future, including maximising the significant opportunities presented by a home World Cup in 2021. I am convinced that exciting times lie ahead.”