The Rugby League International Federation has appointed England’s Nigel Wood as its new chairman.
Wood, who will retain his full-time role as chief executive of the Rugby Football League and Super League (Europe), steps up from the post of vice-chairman to succeed New Zealander Scott Carter.
The appointment of Wood, who is the first Englishman to hold the post since Maurice Lindsay in 1998, was confirmed at the RLIF’s annual meeting in Sydney, where Australian Rugby League Commission chief executive Dave Smith was appointed as vice-chairman.
Wood’s appointment comes just six months after he helped deliver the most successful World Cup in history which generated a profit in excess of $6.7 million for the RLIF.
Wood, who was tournament director, says some of that money will go into establishing a first-ever full-time office dedicated to strengthening the international game.
“The appeal of international competition was underlined by the recent Rugby League World Cup, the success of which has created a platform that will enable us to grow the game around the globe,” he said.
“The RLIF has long acknowledged the primacy of international competition and the need to create more opportunities for rugby league players to represent their country on the biggest stage.
“We made a commitment some time ago to put in place a dedicated executive team to realise the aims and ambitions of the RLIF and the resources that we now have from the RLWC2013 will allow us to begin that process.”
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