Wood named new chair of RL Commercial

Nigel Wood was given an OBE in 2021 for his services to rugby league

Nigel Wood has been named as the new chair of Rugby League Commercial, succeeding Frank Slevin, who is standing down after three years in the role.

Wood is also currently interim chair of the Rugby Football League and he will deliver a strategic review to clubs next month.

Now the former Bradford Bulls chair will take on this new position, after his appointment was endorsed by the RFL and Super League Europe.

"I am pleased to assist the sport at this pivotal moment as it seeks the plan for growth that we are all determined to achieve," he said in a statement.

Wood is very experienced in the game's administration, having first joined the RFL as finance director in 2001.

He held a number of roles, including chief executive, before leaving in 2018 to become chief executive of Rugby League International Federation, the sport's global body.

Now as the new chair of RL Commercial, he wants to bring together the different facets of the game.

"We have already made significant progress, both through the strategic review and in the reshaped Board of the Rugby Football League, and stakeholders have concluded there are obvious advantages in simplifying central administration of the sport," he said.

"RL Commercial has delivered some impressive successes for the sport in recent months, with attendances and viewing figures heading in the right direction, and the exciting prospect of an Ashes series later this year – with two of the three Tests already sold out.

"I am convinced that rugby league is on an upward trajectory."