Watkins becomes RLEF chairman

Acting RFL chairman Maurice Watkins CBE has been elected as the new chairman of the Rugby League European Federation.

Watkins, a former director of Manchester United FC, succeeds Richard Lewis, who recently left rugby league to make a return to tennis.

He said: “This a very exciting time for rugby league in the areas over which the RLEF has jurisdiction, one of unprecedented, concerted and structured expansion.

“I hope to be able to bring guidance, direction and experience to the table of what is already a dynamic group. In only a short time I have sensed their passion for the game and how it is impacting on juniors and seniors throughout the regions it serves.”

Also chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, Watkins has a wealth of experience in the sports governance sector. 

As Joint Senior Partner in a prominent law firm and a director of the British Association for Sport and Law, he has served as the FA Premier League’s representative on the Association of European Professional Football Leagues and is a Member of the Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee for England and Wales (PFNCC).