Nigel Wood’s first words after RFL return with message to Bradford Bulls

Bradford Bulls have released a statement to confirm that Nigel Wood has stood down from the club’s board in order to take up a role with the RFL. Wood has been asked to chair a strategic review of the sport by Leigh Leopards’ Derek Beaumont and Leeds Rhinos’ Gary Hetherington.

As such, Wood, who was paid a significant sum of money to leave the RFL in January 2018, will return to work with the governing body while also taking up the interim chairman of the RFL position.

As part the leading figure of the strategic review, Wood will be responsible for conducting a deep dive review of the sport alongside a number of representatives from clubs and the RFL Board.

Consequently, Wood has decided the right thing to do is to step down from his role of chairman at Bradford, something he has confirmed with a message to the Bulls fans.

“I have been asked to lead a comprehensive review of where the sport currently is and where the clubs, who after all are the shareholders, would like it to go,” Wood said in a statement on the Bulls website. “It is entirely proper that such a review is undertaken from as independent a perspective as possible, so I have reluctantly advised the Board that I will stand down.”

On Bradford, he added: “I believe the club is now in the strongest shape it has been for some years, with a dynamic and powered up ownership group, full of passion and brimming with energy for the future.

“It has been five long years, but we have returned the club to Bradford, which was our first objective, restored the stadium to the club’s ownership, which gives the club a chance to develop, and hopefully have built a strong playing group, under a renowned Bradford coach to move us forward.”

“I’d like to close by thanking the staff, led magnificently by our CEO Jason Hirst and all of the numerous other volunteers who make the club what it is.”