St.Helens R.F.C. and Abi Ekoku have agreed that Abi will be leaving his role at the Club and returning to London for family reasons. The Board understands and respects his decision.
Abi would like to express his sincere gratitude to the Club, its Board, staff, players, supporters and wider stakeholders for the opportunity to lead this magnificent Club, and for the welcome and support he has received since arriving earlier this year.
St.Helens R.F.C. recognises Abi’s commitment and contribution during his time at the Club and wishes him and his family every success for the future.
St.Helens have appointed Joe Nicholl, a long-standing director of St Helens R.F.C., as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) with particular responsibility for the commercial, financial and operations functions of the Club.
Chairman Eamonn McManus stated: “We sincerely thank Abi for his contributions to the Club during what has been a very challenging year. In particular, we appreciate the personal sacrifices made by him due to his family residing in London. We wish him every success for the future, and he remains very much a friend of the Club.
“We have great confidence in Joe successfully taking over the reins as COO of the Club, given his 20 years to date on our Board of Directors, along with his deep experience in owning and running his own businesses.
“The management changes also follow on from and reflect an organisational demarcation of the rugby and commercial sides of the business, which have been implemented recently to meet the growing complexities and demands of the sport.
“The Club remains determined to improve performances at every level both on and off the pitch in an increasingly demanding and competitive sporting landscape.”
