RFL to make new appointment in the shape of former Manchester City official

A new member of the Board of the Rugby Football League is set to be appointed in the shape of Dr Cherrie Daley who has worked with the likes of Manchester City in the past.

Members of the Rugby League Council have been advised today that they will be asked at next month’s meeting to ratify the appointment of Dr Cherrie Daley to the Board of the Rugby Football League.

A high-performance consultant, having held roles across a range of Olympic, Paralympic and professional sports, she will join Sandy Lindsay MBE and Dr Rimla Akhtar OBE as Non-Executive Directors.

The recommendation follows a thorough recruitment process involving representatives of the Rugby Football League, clubs and the community game – which was managed by the leading executive recruitment specialists Perrett Laver.

In addition, the RFL have advised clubs of the intention to appoint an Observer to the Board with recent high level experience of the sport.

Simon Johnson, the RFL Chair, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Dr Cherrie Daley as the newest independent member of the RFL Board. She brings a wealth of high level, elite sport experience to the RFL Board and will enhance our ability to drive Rugby League forward as we embrace the opportunities of the coming months. Her knowledge and style will bring a fresh approach to the Board. In addition, we will search for a recently retired elite level Rugby League player or coach as an Observer to further widen the advice available to the Board. We will make a further announcement on this in the coming weeks.”

Dr Cherrie Daley said: ‘’I am delighted to join the RFL board at such an exciting time for the sport. It has been fantastic to witness the growing excitement and strong on-pitch performances across Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup competitions in recent weeks. I look forward to the opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to support the board in shaping the next chapter for the sport.”

Dr Cherrie Daley is a high performance consultant who served as a Technical Lead for Psychology at the English Institute of Sport supporting both Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and as a senior Psychologist with varied sports including British Diving and the Rugby Football Union.

She later moved into professional sport, joining Manchester City FC in 2014 as Head of Human Science, before becoming Global Lead – Human Performance for the City Football Group in 2016, and Director of Performance Services and Applied Research in 2018, leading departments responsible for the areas of coaching support, human performance and applied research with 10 professional football clubs around the world.