Ian Nolan will become the Rugby Football League’s new chief executive.
Nolan will take over the role on October 1, following Tony Sutton who stood down as RFL CEO in September with Abi Ekoku and then, more recently, Rhodri Jones, managing director of RL Commercial, holding the role on an interim basis.
Jones will remain in place until then.
Nolan, 44, worked as a senior executive at Manchester United, leading the club’s global media network, before joining Science in Sport (SiS) as chief marketing officer.
RFL chair and RL Commercial chair Nigel Wood said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Ian to the Rugby League.
“Amid a field of top-class candidates, he emerged as the person best placed to take us forward during a pivotal time for the sport.
“Ian’s skillset and vast experience in the global, digital market, including an influential seven years at Manchester United, will complement what we already have within the RFL.
“With his fresh ideas and dynamism, this appointment is the most significant as we continue to turn around the sport’s fortunes and put revenues back onto an upward trajectory after the past few years.”
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Highlights of the Super League match between Wigan Warriors and St Helens
He added: “There is so much to be proud of in our game here with the best-ever Magic WKND just a few days ago – a brilliant occasion attended by more than 80,000 people – a case in point.
“Ian’s appointment is the first step in a bold and ambitious new strategy; he has a wealth of experience in the growth and commercialisation of sports, media and sports rights, plus an impressive track record of leveraging digital, social and modern media platforms to accelerate growth into global markets.”
Super League 2026 – upcoming key dates
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3
Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
