Cardiff-born Marc Lovering has joined the non-executive board of directors at Wales Rugby League.
Lovering works at the Rugby Football League in England as the Director of Participation and Development, and has always maintained a keen interest in rugby league in his country.
He said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to join the WRL board.
“Being Cardiff born, I have always taken a keen interest in the development of rugby league in Wales and there are some well established community clubs which provide a strong foundation to build upon.
“Welsh teams have made a valuable contribution to RFL competitions over the years from Champion Schools through to Wheelchair Rugby League, as well as providing some talented players at the elite level.
“Whilst we are obviously experiencing some challenging times, rugby league in England and Wales will emerge strongly and like all sports, be a positive force in helping the nations recover.”
“Gareth Kear and his team have done a great job driving the game forward.
“The growth of the women’s game is something I have watched with interest as has the emergence of Disability Rugby League. These are areas I have been closely involved with at the RFL and I hope to be able to add value in those areas and across the wider game.
“The RFL and WRL have always had a good working relationship. Ralph Rimmer and the rest of the RFL Executive are keen to see the game grow in Wales and hopefully through my appointment to the WRL Board I can contribute in that respect.”
WRL chairman Brian Juliff said: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome Marc onto the non-executive board at Wales Rugby League.
“He is the first of a number of high profile appointments that will be announced over the coming weeks as WRL actively ramp up the process of bringing the game back to life in Wales, as restrictions begin to lift after the dreadful suffering so many have faced due to the COVID-19 virus.
“Marc is very familiar with the development pathways within WRL and brings a wealth of knowledge from his role of Director of Participation and Development at the RFL.
“His experience will give guidance and structure to the board in terms of growing the sport and, with the Rugby League World Cup being played in England during the Autumn of 2021, WRL recognise the opportunity to build on that tournament legacy to raise the profile of League in Wales.
“On that basis WRL are very focussed on increasing participation and adding more teams to Women’s, Wheelchair and Disability RL, and aligning that growth to strengthen the footprint of our community clubs.
“We are also keen to encourage further participation in our very successful Champion Schools programme to enhance the strength of our player pool at Junior International level.
“Marc’s appointment will give direction and advise on the templates required to ensure that we can build sensibly and sustainably towards achieving our objectives.”