Leeds Rhinos CEO provides update on his future

Leeds Rhinos CEO Gary Hetherington has spoken about how long he sees himself remaining in charge of the club.

Speaking on The Bench with Jenna and Jon, a Sky Sports podcast hosted by Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin, Hetherington was asked whether he’d thought about his future, and the prospect of not being involved in the game.

He responded: “I’m very fortunate, I’m really really fortunate to have actually been involved in the game.

“I don’t know what I’d have done without rugby. I wasn’t an academic at school, my only interest was rugby.

“I decided at an early age I was going to be a player, whether I was good enough or not.

“And then when I became a player, I wanted to be a coach, I wanted to manage and I wanted to be involved in the game.

“So that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do and that’s all I’ve ever done in actual fact.”

The Leeds Rhinos CEO’s future

Born in Castleford, Hetherington started his playing career at Wakefield Trinity in 1973.

He finished his playing career at Sheffield Eagles, and then became head coach of the club.

He joined Leeds in 1996, and was responsible for the rebranding of the club.

It seems that, after almost 30 years at the club, he’ll be around for plenty longer.

He continued:  “I don’t think I’m qualified to do much else and I’m not looking to do much else either.

“So yeah, I’ll see my time out here however long that remains to be.”

Being part of the sport for so long, in a number of roles, there aren’t many people that know the sport like Hetherington does.

In a refreshing moment, he spoke about the positives of the game.

“I’m extremely fortunate to have been involved in rugby league.

“I think sport, you know all sports, is great for youngsters. I think when people get a passion for a sport, whether it be a player, a coach, a fan, a volunteer, whatever, it enriches your life, there’s no doubt about it.

“My life has been significantly enriched by my involvement in the game.”