League clubs embrace change

Sir Rodney Walker will step down as boss in April

Rugby League clubs have unanimously agreed to a major overhaul of the game's administration.

At a meeting on Friday, the 31 club representatives approved plans to unify the game after being told of moves to wipe out the organisation's debts of £1.8m inside two years.

Super League Europe will be brought back into line with immediate effect.

And talks are planned with the British Amateur Rugby League Association to bring them on board in the near future.

The whole council wanted to draw a line in the past

Sir Rodney Walker

The Rugby Football League will keep its title and the game will continue to be part-administered from Red Hall.

But the media, marketing and finance departments will all be housed at Super League's city-centre Sovereign House.

Super League Europe and the Association of Premiership Clubs will continue but their powers will be severely curtailed.

Also, their meetings will be chaired by the League's new executive chairman, who could be in place by the summer.

The full-time chairman will be joined on a five-strong board by a business director and three non-executive directors.

They will oversee a management team in charge of six distinct departments.

The radical plans were formulated by a task force, led by Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay.

All accumulated losses eradicated by the end of 2003

Sir Rodney Walker

It is expected the task force will stay in place for another two months until the new board is assembled.

"The proposals put to council by the implementation committee were endorsed unanimously," said RFL chairman Sir Rodney Walker.

"The whole council wanted to draw a line in the past. There was a remarkable atmosphere of people wanting to go forward together."

Six staff at Red Hall have been made redundant and director of rugby Greg McCallum and finance chief are both thought to be negotiating severance terms.

"Unification could not be achieved with the present structure," said Sir Rodney, who intends to step down after the Challenge Cup final on 27 April.

"It required fairly radical surgery which created the opportunity to put in place a very focused, structure business plan which will see all accumulated losses eradicated by the end of 2003."