BY JOHN DAVIDSON
“I’m under no illusions about the importance of the next decade for the sport.”
Kris Radlinksi has seen a lot in his 46 years on this earth. Born and raised in Wigan, he grew and enjoyed the club’s golden era as a fan through the 80s and 90s.
In 1993 he signed for his hometown club as a teenager and went on to make more than 300 appearances for the Cherry and Whites. He won titles, grand finals and Challenge Cups, representing England and Great Britain at Test level and in World Cups.
After hanging up his boots he became general manager at Wigan in 2009, working in an off-field role to eventually becoming CEO this year. Radlinksi is well placed to opine on the state of rugby league in the UK, not to mention the Warriors themselves.
rugbyleague.com Long Reads caught up with the 46-year-old earlier this year. He explained the journey Wigan has been on for the past 18 months since the appointment of Matty Peet as head coach, with increased engagement with the local community and with the media a focus.
“For many years, and it’s not just rugby league it’s sport, they do a very good job of building walls and blocking people,” Radlinksi said.
“But you’re looking at your customers at the end of the day. We did start off on a journey last year with Matt [Peet] and he’s fantastic with it because there are many coaches who wouldn’t.
“They would say I want to keep things to myself. But he dropped the barriers, he invited media in, he invited fans in, he expressed the importance to the players and they bought into it and believed it, and it’s worked.
“Apathy, there was a lot of apathy around the club for the last decade if I’m being honest.
“Even though we’d won a few trophies there was always potentially other things that people can do.
“The challenge is the challenge of society now. But certainly last year people started coming back.
“There was a renewed energy about the place. So letting people in has been terrific for us.”
Peet’s first year at the helm saw the Warriors finish second on the ladder, win the Challenge Cup but fail to reach Old Trafford. ‘The Pies’ caught the eye with the free-scoring and entertaining feats of Aussie speedsters Jai Field and Bevan French.
The campaign was a marked change from 2021, where the club finished fourth and were disappointingly eliminated in the first week of the playoffs.
Much has changed since, not only at the DW Stadium, but across the whole code. IMG has been given the mandate to reimagine and grow rugby league in the UK, in fact to save it.
It comes at time when the TV broadcasting deal has been cut and many clubs are in financial trouble.
“We [the sport] weren’t in a strong position pre-Covid,” Radlinksi admits.
“Then Covid came and it rocked us to the core, there’s no doubt about that. Without help from government we wouldn’t be here.
“Many clubs would have gone under. I don’t like to use the word critical, but it’s an important period in our existence.
“We’ve signed up to IMG now, who are what I believe are a level of executive that the sports never had before.
“They probably haven’t shared as much information as they would have liked at this stage, but what I would say is that when I speak to Matt Dwyer and Alistair I do get a sense that they’re just what the sport needs.
“We’ll wait and see. I think they’re starting on a really strong course but they’ve put it on the clubs and said ‘you need to come on this journey with us’.
“And I do believe, and from what I’ve seen with clubs… everyone’s probably raised the bar a little bit, which I think is important. For too long we’ve accepted mediocrity.
“There’s a phrase around here that I’ve banned which is ‘We’ve always done it this way’. That’s too easy.
“So whatever we’re doing, whether it’s a small event or a big event, it’s challenging people to think differently about how we do it, because we need to.”
Radlinksi believes the message is now sinking in across the entire sport that more needs to be done to attract fans, to secure publicity, gain attention and increase standards. Things have to change.
“For too long we’ve just ticked boxes. And now for the next 10 years people have to now start looking at themselves internally and realising they’ve all got a role to play and that’s fans, that’s players, that’s everything.
“We’ve educated players about their role in the media. It’s changing, as soon as someone puts a microphone in front of you it’s your moment to shine.
“It’s your moment to sell yourself. You might get another career on the back of your rugby career on the back of it.
“Players have to raise their game, they have to raise their game on social media, how they portray themselves – it’s everything.
“It’s the time when everybody has a part to play in our future. The media have a role to play too.
“I understand that sometimes they have to point out the things that are concerning and worrying as well. But sometimes there are some good things happening as well and we need to promote that.”
Thoughful and articulate, Radlinksi has experienced both the boom and bust times as supporter, player and now administrator. He can see a way forward, but is under no illusions about how difficult the task will be.
Building from last year’s World Cup, and on the international gains made, is also important.
“I loved the World Cup event, I loved the intensity of the games,” he said.
“I thought it was how we would want an international competition to be. For many years it’s been the top three of England, the Kiwis and Aussies, but that’s probably now a top six.
“Do I think England’s semi-final loss was a missed opportunity? 100%. I think it was a strong event. Many people from around the UK enjoyed the tournament, the BBC coverage was superb.
“The women’s game went to a different level, the wheelchair game – a few people within the game had known for a while just how good it is but to get the stage to express it was incredible.
“And there’s something in that for the future. Overall, I thought it was a really positive experience.”
“I’m under no illusions about the importance of the next decade for the sport. It’s roll your sleeves up time and get stuck in.”
