In a move that has gone somewhat under the radar this week, Ralph Rimmer, former CEO of the RFL is back in the sport after returning to Huddersfield Giants.
Rimmer has re-joined the club he was CEO of from 1999 to 2004. He moved into stadium development until 2010, and his time there will be beneficial now, with him having to use some of those skills learned upon his return. The plans for a new purpose-built stadium in Huddersfield for the Giants to use is one of Rimmer’s key objectives.
He was COO then CEO of the RFL until his departure in 2022, but has returned to rugby league for a third time in his career.
This week, he has given fans an update as to what his role entails, and how excited he is to be back at the club where it all started.
“Ken has a lot on in his Giants and stadia portfolio at the time,” he said, speaking to Giants media. “I’ve been involved in rugby league a long time, but I also had a fair stint in stadia development. Ken wants me to help shape all of that [new stadium] and give Richard [Thewlis] a hand here and there as well.”
He added: “I just hope we can bring the club and the stadium strategy, which are all interlinked, to a good place over the next two or three months.
Rimmer’s main job will be the development of a new stadium in Huddersfield, however he will need to find a new location for it to be built after last month’s announcement that Kirklees council rejected a bid for Davy to build on his preferred location.
What will Ralph Rimmer do at Huddersfield Giants?
Rimmer is excited by the task at hand, but knows there is a lot to get done in just three months.
He said: “I think it’s a good time for a good new story for this club and I think there are plenty to tell. We need to get our ducks in line in various parts of what the club does and certainly as far as the stadium goes as well.”
“It’s quite wide ranging, but there’s a lot on the table though and it’s clearly a critical point in the club’s history so there’s a lot to do in a short space of time.”
Rimmer believes that Giants aren’t too far away, and with his help can progress to that next level.
“It’s a very well supported club as far as Ken and his colleagues go. I think we need to tweak some things in order to get it to a good place and I’m certainty here to try and make that happen.
“Success for these three months is that we have put a plan together that tells us where we want to go, in what time scale, and how we are going to get there. I want to drop it on pretty quickly and get started with it pretty quickly. I’ve got a lot of energy and I’m here to make an impact.”
