David Collier named Rugby League International Federation boss
Thursday 12 March 2015 12:17, UK
Former England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier has been named as the first full-time executive officer of the Rugby League International Federation.
Collier, who spent 10 years with the ECB and also worked for the International Cricket Council, will take up the specially-created role on April 1 and will be based in London.
RLIF chairman Nigel Wood said: " RLIF is delighted to have appointed a CEO with 30 years' experience of leading a number of the world's leading sports organisations.
"David has the highest reputation in the world of sport and brings a wealth of international experience as RLIF seeks to build upon the success of the 2013 World Cup and the exciting prospects for the Rugby League World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2017."
Collier spoke to Sky Sports News HQ about his new role, saying: "It's been nine months since I retired from cricket, it was always a desire to work in a world governing body and this was a fantastic opportunity in one of the world's fastest growing sports.
"One of the first priorities is to get a 12-year fixture programme, a calendar of events into place. It's something rugby has been demanding for some time. We have two wonderful leagues around the world, the NRL and the Super League, and fitting international events and fixtures around those is going to be a key priority.
"Thanks to the fact that the 2013 World Cup in England was so successful, there was £3.7m placed into a development fund, the next World Cup in 2017 is in Australia and New Zealand and we are anticipating a very, very successful World Cup.
"We are considering a second international event of major teams because what we want to do is strengthen the quality and quality of international teams. "
