Major New Appointment for Celtic Crusaders
By admin
Issued on behalf of Celtic Crusaders Rugby League Club
PROMOTION-CHASING rugby league club Celtic Crusaders has appointed commercial litigation lawyer David Thompson as its chief executive officer.
Thompson, 33, has been in charge of the Crusaders since the end of last season and has overseen its transformation into one of the fastest-developing clubs of any major sport in the UK.
His new role as CEO will include the overseeing of all commercial, sponsorship, community and off-field operations at the Crusaders’ Brewery Field base in Bridgend.
Since being handed day-to-day control of the club by owner Leighton Samuel, Thompson has succeeded in introducing rugby legend Jonathan Davies as club president, signed up Redrow Homes as shirt sponsor, brought in one of Europe’s top fitness and conditioning coaches, seen sponsorship of the club increase by more than 600 per cent and appointed a lottery manager and community manager.
During his period at the helm, Brewery Field attendances have also more than quadrupled with the club enjoying a flying start to the new season – unbeaten in five Co-operative National League Two and cup games until the recent Sky TV league defeat.
“We have made huge progress in the last six months, but we have set our sights high and still have a long way to go,” said Thompson, an economics graduate from Swansea University who lives in Cardiff.
“We have made no secret of our intention to apply for a Super League licence if they become available in 2009, and the first step on the road to Super League has to be to win promotion to National League One this season. We have a strong squad and should be in a position to challenge for promotion come the end of the season.
“We have the right building blocks in place, having brought in quality people to do the right jobs, particularly with coach John Dixon leading the playing side. But the Crusaders is also a business and we have brought in quality people behind the scenes to give us the sound commercial footing we need.
“We have to succeed both on and off the field and at the end of the day the lifeblood of any club like the Crusaders is the people coming through the turnstiles on matchdays. We are well aware of how important they will be to the future of this club.
“The support and fanbase we have already generated has been superb and we are working hard to ensure it continues to grow and rugby league becomes a mainstream sport in Wales.”
Thompson added: “The success of the Crusaders will be down to the individuals we have at the club and our fantastic supporters who are continuing to grow in numbers. Everybody involved with the Celtic Crusaders is working together to bring Super League to Wales and is prepared to go that extra mile to do so.”
