The departure of the former chief executive of the Rugby Football League, Ralph Rimmer, and his deputy, Karen Moorhouse, cost the governing body almost £250,000 in exit payments – almost a quarter of the entire losses of just over £1m it incurred in 2022.
All of rugby league’s professional clubs met in Huddersfield earlier this week for the RFL’s annual general meeting, in which more details were disclosed about the sport’s performance on and off the field last year. The RFL had already confirmed losses of £1.022m, a drastic turnaround from the previous 12 months when the governing body made a seven-figure profit.
At the time, the RFL cited rising insurance premiums as a major contributory factor for the losses, with the sport forced to seek a new insurer after the previous one withdrew its renewal last summer, resulting in a surge in the cost of protecting players. But the payments to Rimmer and Moorhouse also played a major role in what were described as unexpected losses, according to the governing body.
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It had budgeted for a profit in the region of £350,000 for 2022. However, the rise in insurance premiums, lower than expected ticket sales for events such as the Challenge Cup final and severance payments for Rimmer and Moorhouse ultimately yielded a seven-figure loss. It is not the first time the governing body has paid a significant fee to an administrator for loss of office. Rimmer’s predecessor, Nigel Wood, was paid in excess of £300,000 when he left his role as chief executive in 2018 – meaning that the game has now laid out more than £500,000 in such payments in little over five years.
That payment comes at a time when clubs are nervously awaiting news on who will broadcast Super League in 2024. The Guardian understands that Sky Sports are favourites to continue their lengthy relationship with the competition but there is competition from broadcasters including Dazn and TNT Sports. Clubs were told at Wednesday’s AGM that talks are continuing, with a deal expected to be announced in the forthcoming weeks – though it is feared the next contract could be worth less to the game than in recent seasons.
