Richard Wright steps down at Cas

James Gordon

Castleford chief executive Richard Wright has stepped down with immediate effect.

Wright has been with the Tigers for 15 years, and has been heavily involved with their attempts to move to a new stadium in Glasshoughton, while he has also seen the club appear in three Challenge Cup semi-finals during his tenure.

He said: “I have made this decision to move on with a great deal of thought. 15 years in the role has taken its toll on me; the job consumes you totally for 7 days a week and it’s time to give priority to my family.

“My biggest regret is that in my time we never had the opportunity to spend up to or near the maximum salary cap and whilst this does not guarantee success, I do believe it is impossible to win a trophy without doing so and I think the records across the game bear this out. We’ve been close to success on a number of occasions, never more so than the heartbreak of the Cup semi final last year.”

Wright’s departure comes amongst rumours that a consortium had been looking to launch a take-over bid, in an attempt to secure Castleford’s Super League future.

He added: “It has been a real privilege for me to work at this great Club and whilst I leave my role with sadness I believe there are good times ahead. The move has got nothing to do with recent rumours regarding consortiums looking to take over the club. Whilst it is true there was an approach, when the time came to get the chequebook out nothing materialised.”

While stepping down from the day-to-day running of the club, Wright is to remain a director of the club, and assures fans that this move will have no impact on the new stadium project.