Super League hope to have served up top appointment with arrival of Roger Draper

Having already heartened many by employing former Leeds Rhinos and England captain Kevin Sinfield as rugby director in August, they announced further changes yesterday which will please many in the sport.

Draper, who is currently the chief executive of League Leaders’ Shield winners Warrington Wolves, will take up a newly-created position of chief commercial officer and Super League executive director in December.

With his substantial knowledge of operating at a high level in governing bodies – he was in charge of Sport England between 2003 and 2006 before moving to the LTA – as well as now at club level, the 46-year-old clearly has the tools to highlight and address issues from both sides of the fence.

Draper will take a position on the RFL Board and be responsible for all activity undertaken by the commercial, marketing, communications, ticketing and events teams.

As the public face of Super League, he will also work closely with the Super League board and its clubs to help with their continued growth and success off the pitch.

Mark Foster, who has been interim Super League general manager since Blake Solly left for NRL club South Sydney in May, takes on that role full-time but will report to Draper.

Tony Sutton, who was chief operating officer at Hull FC until 2014, is the RFL’s third significant appointment, joining the organisation as director of finance and facilities.

RFL chief executive Nigel Wood described Draper as “one of the most accomplished sports administrators in the UK” and hoped the “exceptional” trio’s recruitment would “demonstrate we are determined to continue to move our sport forwards in a very positive way.”

Draper, who helped grow turnover at the LTA by 45 per cent but was criticised by some with regards his efforts on improving participation, said: “I’m delighted to be joining the RFL at an incredibly exciting time for the organisation.

“The role is an important and challenging position and one I feel will enable me to add real value to the sport.

“I have spoken at length with Nigel and believe that my experience within the club environment and at other successful national governing bodies will help continue to move this organisation forward.

“Whilst I am, of course, sad to be leaving the Warrington Wolves and in particular the board, staff, players and fans behind, I am excited to be joining another forward-thinking and successful organisation and I can’t wait to get started.”

His imminent arrival should keep most of the Super League clubs happy, given they mainly wanted a high-profile, rounded appointment from outside the RFL to replace the popular Solly.

In essence, given his overseeing role of the promoted Foster, that is what Draper will do, although admittedly he is still employed by the governing body.

At Sport England, he had overall accountability for business turnover of £340m, was involved in London’s 2012 Olympic bid and the Wembley National Stadium construction project.

Draper joined Warrington in March, 2015 and, before seeing them reach last weekend’s Grand Final, had only signed extended terms in April. This new position proved too inviting.

Wolves chairman Professor Steven Broomhead thanked him for modernising their club over the last 18 months.

He also said Draper’s leadership had produced “much-improved fan and sponsor engagement, greatly-improved match-day and customer experiences and an overall, much better professional standard within the club”, all talents that will prove crucial now in his wider remit.

Foster will focus on working with the Super League clubs to manage high-profile events such as the Dacia Magic Weekend and Super League Grand Final, help with their work off the field while continuing to lead the marketing and communications functions.

Finally, following the departure of Sue Allan in August, Sutton – currently chief operating officer at Hull Colleges Group – will begin working for the RFL early next year.