An update from Ralph Rimmer OBE

Ralph would like to provide an update to the fans on how things have been going since re-joining the club

It’s been 5 weeks now since I returned to Huddersfield and my re-integration has been made easy. It’s been fantastic, if I'm honest. I’ve had many warm messages from people within, and associated with the club and also from contacts within the wider-game. Everyone has been extremely welcoming and I remain very grateful to them all. The people external to the club but within the sport whom I have spoken with have also been very supportive of what we are trying to do here and of the club’s ambitions and have been incredibly open.

It’s been like coming back to the family and despite the fact I cannot profess to have played any part whatsoever in them, on the field, the Giants have registered three wins from four since I began! Those wins are the product of the hard work that Ken, Richard, Andy and Luke have put in before my arrival, alongside the efforts of the rest of the staff, and it obviously does make people feel good. Those that know me will understand that I am a huge believer in the power of positive energy and there is a bit of that around the place currently.

I was asked by Ken to produce options and recommendations, largely tied to stadia strategy but which obviously intrinsically link with the club and its activities. A great deal of ground has been covered behind the scenes; the work is on track. 

My objective here is to produce what has been requested and give Ken and the Board something exciting to discuss for the future. The issues are complex and involve many stakeholders and solutions must be multi-layered and therefore take a little time to order. The answers will need to be well-structured and comprehensive, not piece-meal. I’m confident something exciting will emerge from this journey for everybody involved in the club. So yes, there is a positive energy at the moment, but we still need to be patient to get to the right solution and then execute it properly.

As Ken alluded to on the All Out Rugby League podcast, there are short, medium and longer-term solutions to be found. I have previous experience of leading on stadium projects and I can assure all that they are complicated. We have however taken really big and positive steps in the last month or so and some clarity is forming; but there is still a way to go. This is sport, and so we can all expect plenty of set-backs ahead , both on and off the field, but combine that positive energy with a structured new direction and who knows what can be achieved.

Ralph Rimmer OBE