Old Selbornian nets top Aussie rugby league job
A former deputy head boy of Selborne College, Andrew Abdo, has been appointed CEO of the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) based in Sydney.
The sport falls under the umbrella of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), the governing body.
The league is huge in Sydney, much bigger than union rugby and cricket.
Rugby league telecasts are the most-watched programmes on Australian television and each season some three million fans attend matches, with more than 86,000 spectators attending at the Premiership final.
The league, which consists of 15 Australian teams and one from New Zealand, boasts the most Facebook fans of all sports in Australia.
In addition, there are three State of Origin matches each year: The New South Wales v Queensland match is similar to North v South and attracts huge interest with sold-out crowds.
Test matches are also regularly played between New Zealand and England.
Abdo, his wife Annalisa, and their two children, Megan and Anthony, have been living in Australia for eight years now.
Abdo joined the NRL about six years ago.
He was also the chief commercial officer for four years, being responsible for all commercial transactions of the organisation, including their income, brand, marketing and broadcast revenue from TV networks.
Recently Abdo travelled to the US for high-powered talks with global streaming companies and to negotiate with television broadcasters.
During the Covid-19 crisis he was acting as interim CEO and the ARLC were so impressed with the way he handled the difficult job that he became the front-runner for the job of CEO.
He has been interviewed on TV and by a number of newspapers on many occasions since joining the league.
His position has been described as the toughest job in sport in Australia.