RFL head makes need for change admission after resignation announced

Johnson will step down after an RFL council meeting tomorrow (Wednesday). He was appointed interim-chairman in July, 2019 and named chairman three months later, having initially joined the governing body’s board as a non-executive director in July, 2014.

“I am proud of all we have achieved in my six years as chairman,” Johnson - who had 15 months remaining on his contract - said in an RFL statement. “It has always been my aim to lead an inclusive sport with integrity, honesty, authenticity and openness.

“My interest has always been to put rugby league first. Now, to enable the sport to move forward constructively, I have decided to step down as chair at close of business on Wednesday, March 12. There is a need to discuss how change can be made, without exposing the sport to undue risk and I hope that by stepping down I can help those discussions to take place constructively.”

Johnson, who previously held directorships at ITV, the Premier League and Football Association, insisted: “During my tenure, I am immensely proud we have improved welfare and safety for players by introducing groundbreaking and comprehensive measures to protect brain health, overseen investment in the women’s and girls’ game and fuelled the growth of wheelchair rugby league. We have built on the legacy of staging the most inclusive World Cup ever in 2022 - with men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions running parallel - and established a long-term and stable International calendar, able to look forward to the benefits that an Ashes series will bring once again. There are more people with more opportunities to enjoy rugby league.

“I carry memories and achievements which will live with me forever: the annual wreath laying at the Cenotaph before the Challenge Cup final, the first Women’s Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium and the England wheelchair team winning the World Cup high among them. On the fifth anniversary of the pandemic, I cannot forget our vital work as we steered the sport through Covid with a ground-breaking Government-backed loan programme and using the same approach of working closely with clubs that I’ve taken throughout.

“I grew up in Prestwich with an admiration for the sport and if nobody described me as a ‘rugby league person’ when I first joined the board, I certainly am now. I wish the sport, in all forms and with all of its supporters and its clubs, the very best for a healthy, sustainable and constructive future.”

The RFL say the process of securing a new chairperson will be “decided in due course following a formal review”.