Rhinos News
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Chairman: Paul CaddickPaul Caddick became owner of Leeds CF&A Co Ltd in October 1996, including ownership of Headingley Stadium. Under his leadership, the company turned from being perennial under achievers to world champions on the field and after years of losses, a profitable business off the field. In 2009 he became only the third Chairman to win four Championships, equalling the records of Jack Robinson at Wigan and Chris Caisley at Bradford Bulls. Back in 1996, the Rugby League team was on the verge of bankruptcy having chased the dream of winning the Championship with world record transfer fees and over inflated pay packets and egos to match. Leeds had just escaped relegation in the first Super League competition and worse still Yorkshire County Cricket Clubhad announced that they were set to move to Durkar and leave behind over a century of history at Headingley Carnegie. As the owner of the Headingley Stadium, Paul was instrumental in the Yorkshire CCC becoming owners of their own stadium for the first time in the club’s long history when he agreed to sell the cricket stadium to his neighbours in December 2005. Having started out as a site engineer in 1966, Paul Caddick went onto gain a degree in civil engineering at Sheffield Hallam University in 1974. After qualifying as a Chartered Civil and Municipal Engineer, he subsequently worked for the West Yorkshire County Council Engineers Department and John Laing before establishing his own civil engineering contracting company in 1980. Under his leadership, the business rapidly expanded into building, design build, development and property, with significant achievements including the development of the first major business park in Yorkshire, Wakefield 41 Business Park. More recently successful projects include the development and sale of a large shopping centre in Kings Lynn with ongoing major developments including a high quality business park for corporate office occupiers at Stourton, a JV to redevelop the Trinity Quarter in Leeds and a mixed industrial and office scheme at Newburn. Today, Paul retains a hands-on role at Caddick Developments. Away from work he enjoys sport particularly rugby and shooting. Paul played second row during his Rugby Union playing days with Castleford and Headingley but supported Castleford Rugby League growing up. A proud father and grandfather, Paul regularly attends Rhinos games with his family. |
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President: Harry Jepson OBEAwarded an OBE for his long, distinguished service to the code, Harry Jepson has spent a lifetime in the sport of Rugby League. Now in his 90th year, he was born in the heart of Hunslet and first visited his beloved Parkside in the late 1920s to watch the famous myrtle and flame, one of his earliest heroes being Jack Walkington. As a schoolboy he won a Scholarship to the renowned Cockburn High School and, having passed his matriculations, went to work at Leeds City Council’s Education Department in their Medical section. Enlisted at the start of the Second World War, he joined the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and then the Royal Army Service Corps, seeing active duty in North Africa and Southern Italy. Trained as a school teacher on his return, he was seconded to the famous League-playing Bewerley Street School where he came under the wing of the Headmaster there, Edgar Meeks, the Hunslet chairman. He became involved in looking after the under 11’s, then the under 13’s and eventually the Senior side at the school while also becoming Secretary of the Hunslet Schools Rugby League Association and involved in County Rugby League at that level. He was also seconded by Hunslet Secretary George Richardson to lend a hand at Parkside, receiving an official appointment as Assistant Secretary and, in 1963, becoming Secretary. His teaching work took him to Cottingley Junior Mixed School and then Rodley before ending his days in education as Deputy Head at Clapgate School for the final 14 years of his professional working life. He remained at Hunslet for seven years, joining Leeds in the late 60’s to work as Chairman Jack Myerscough’s right hand man and fixer with initial responsibilities for the second team. He was a key presence in the newly-instituted Colts League and was the Chairman of it until 1988, one of the highlights of his time in the sport being when he managed the sole Colts Tour to Papua New Guinea and Australia in 1982. He was elected as one of the inaugural members of the Rugby Football League Board of Directors, which took over the strategic running of the sport from the RL Council, on which he was Leeds’ representative from 1983. He became Football Director at Leeds in the mid 80’s using his extensive knowledge and contacts worldwide to help rebuild the side, signing players such as established Kangaroo internationals Eric Grothe, Wally Fullerton-Smith and Peter Tunks while the likes of Andrew Ettingshausen, Tony Currie and Peter Jackson subsequently went on to represent their country. He chaired the Council meeting that discussed the offer to implement Super League and was heavily involved in the formation of French club Paris St Germain, who entered the competition on its launch in 1996, his passion for French RL stoked by meeting Jean Galia at Headingley in 1934 when an impressionable schoolboy. Now President of Leeds and a noted ambassador for the club and the sport, he is also Chairman of the Rugby League Conference, the competition which has spread the game throughout England, Scotland and Wales in the summer, the sides in the Premier Divisions contesting the Harry Jepson Trophy. |
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Chief Executive: Gary HetheringtonBorn and raised in Castleford, the son of a colliery manager. Gary developed a passion for Rugby League at the age of 8 as a fan of his beloved “Classy Cas” team. He trained as a teacher, but started his working life as a salesman, firstly in the grocery trade and latterly in double-glazing. Gary played nearly 300 first team games as a professional RL player for Wakefield Trinity, York, Leeds and Huddersfield throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and he was instrumental in setting up the game’s first trade union for players. His coaching career included the position of Assistant Coach to the GB team for the Test Series against Australia in 1994 and a Lions Tour to New Zealand in 1996 and also Coach to the GB Under 24 team. His passion from his early 20s, was to coach and manage, and after being turned down for the coaching job at York at the age of 27, he and his wife, Kath decided to form their own club – the Sheffield Eagles. Using £13,000 from his wife’s earnings as a double-glazing saleswoman, the Eagles were formed and accepted into the RFL in 1984. Gary was the Owner, General Manager, Player and Team Manager. The Eagles finished 17th in the Second Division with a turnover of just £86K in their first season, but after 5-years, the team was promoted to the elite division, finishing a best ever 5th in 1995. Significantly, the business had grown with a turnover of £1.4m. The success of the Eagles, both on and off the field was one of sports fairy tales and in 1996 Gary and his wife sold their controlling interest and Gary joined Paul Caddick to take over the ailing Leeds CF&A Co Ltd, owners and operators of Headingley Stadium and Leeds Rugby League Club. The Company had suffered significance losses in it’s previous 20-years, culminating in a debt of £5m and faced the prospect of losing Test and County Cricket with Yorkshire’s decision to relocate to Durkar. The Leeds Rugby Union Club was acquired 8-years ago and Leeds Rugby became the World’s first dual code club. The team won promotion to the Premiership in 2001 and in 2005 won their first major trophy, the Powergen Cup at Twickenham. The business has reversed its’ trend of losses with annual profits making Leeds Rugby one of the best performing sports businesses in the UK. Leeds Rhinos were voted Super League Club of the Year in 2007. Gary is also a Director of both Super League Europe and Premier Rugby and a past President of the Rugby Football League. His wife Kath is Chairperson of rivals Hull FC, a past President of the RFL and the only female on the RFL Council, the games’ governing body. Under Gary’s leadership, the Rhinos turned from perennial underachievers to World Champions in less than ten years and won their first Championship for 32 years in 2004. He has promoted a policy of nurturing local talent that has seen the Rhinos become the envy of world rugby league with a squad of young, talented British players, the majority of which are play for their home town club. Off the field, attendances have averaged over 17,000 making the Rhinos the best supported and most televised rugby team in the country. Gary has also been the driving force behind Leeds Rugby’s groundbreaking partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University which has seen the renaming of Headingley Carnegie Stadium and the construction of the Carnegie Stand, the first major construction work on the rugby stadium in over 70 years. That partnership was strengthened even further when Leeds Met took control of the Tykes and renamed the club Leeds Carnegie for their return to the Guinness Premiership in 2007. In 1989, he was awarded the Rugby League Writers Association Order of Merit for his outstanding contribution to the sport and in 2004 had the honour of being President of the Rugby Football League, following in the footsteps of wife Kath, who had held the role previously in 1995. Gary’s two daughters, Lucy and Polly, both work for Leeds Rugby in the commercial sales and retail departments respectively whilst son Matthew is a regular visitor to the stadium as part of his job in corporate hospitality and sponsorship. |
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Commercial Director: Rob OatesRob is a lifelong Leeds Rugby League fan having been a season ticket holder since the age of four. He landed his dream job when he joined the club in June 2003 as Head of Commercial Sales. Following a period of outstanding success and growth for the commercial department Rob was invited to join the club's Board of Directors in January 2006. The Leeds-born director heads up a team of three sales people in the Rhinos commercial department who are supported by two administration staff. Rob has overseen the arrival of Leeds Building Society, Leeds Metropolitan University, Jet2.com and ISC as major partners of the Rhinos and has a hands on approach to running his department and building relationships with our important commercial partners. On a home matchday, Rob can be found speaking in the various suites here at Headingley Carnegie before taking up his seat in the stand to watch his beloved Rhinos. Rob enjoys playing football and tennis and running in his spare time and is married with two daughters. He joined Leeds from Carlsberg Tetley having build up a reputation as an outstanding salesman in his 13 years at the Leeds-based brewer where he handled the Headingley Carnegie account amongst other tasks. Prior to his time at Tetley's he worked for Whitbread and Eagle Star Insurance after leaving school at 16 years of age. |
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Finance Director: Peter HirstPeter Hirst is a chartered accountant and became the financial director of LCF&A when Paul Caddick took over the business in 1996. The company was in very poor health, however, with funds injected from Caddick Group resources, the immediate threat of bankruptcy was staved off. After the takeover the company continued to be loss making. |
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Legal Director: Chris RossBorn and brought up in London, Chris came to Leeds in 1972 and joined the Board soon after Paul Caddick took over the Club. A partner and principal in national law firm Cobbetts LLP, Chris advises the Board on legal matters. On behalf of the Club he undertook the detailed restructuring of the relationship with Yorkshire County Cricket Club over a number of years, culminating in the redevelopment and sale of the test match ground. Chris has four children who share his enthusiasm for the Rhinos. In his spare time Chris is a regular at the gym, continues to develop his French and Italian language skills, enjoys a wide range of reading and music and has been known to play a little guitar and piano. |
Club ShopPolly Hetherington Julie Ramsdale Andy Scott Commercial SalesRob Oates Lisa Crooks Lucy Hetherington Charlotte McGahey FinanceNigel Chambers Janice Hastings Emma Scott Paul McHale-Webster Tony Spinks ITAmit Nicholas Steve Beck GroundstaffJason Booth Ryan Golding Kiel Barrett Allan Wright Media & PRPhil Daly Leanne Flynn Headingley Experience Fiona Bishop James Bradley Rob Fogarty Simon Forsey James Haigh Andy Peacock Claire Pearson Adam Clay Diane Deville Damien Hyland Jason Maciag James Bogaardt Gemma Breeze |
Headingley LodgeDenise Denman Wendy Gabriel Julie Hickman AdministrationGary Hetherington Julie Bush Julie Callaghan Sarah Tate Chris Gibson LotteryNadine Burgess Jane Moody Chris Rees Leeds Rugby FoundationChris Rostron Gareth Cook Sam Horner Nigel O'Flaherty-Johnston Jonny Wainhouse MarketingAbigail Furniss Helen Saunders Andrew Webster Stadium ManagementLynn Martin Sue Ward Andy Dennison Lloyd Bentley Steve Maycock Angela Fletcher Customer ExperienceSian Jones Kevin Brock Andrew Scholes Karen Ward Emma Warden |
