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| Full name | Gary Hetherington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1954-06-24)24 June 1954 (age 70) Castleford, West Riding of Yorkshire,England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Hooker, Second-row | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 9 December 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gary Hetherington (born 1954) is an English professionalrugby league executive and former professionalrugby league footballer andcoach. He is the chief executive officer of theLeeds Rhinos in theSuper League.[3]
As a player, Hetherington played as ahooker orsecond-row forward forWakefield Trinity,York,Leeds,Hunslet (loan),Kent Invicta andHuddersfield. He finished his playing career atSheffield Eagles, a club which he founded in 1984.
After several years in roles as coach and general manager, he sold his shares at Sheffield Eagles in 1996 to become chief executive atLeeds Rhinos.
Hetherington made his début forWakefield Trinity in January 1973. In 1978, he joinedLeeds fromYork.[4] In September 1981, he was signed byHuddersfield for a fee of around £5,000.[5] He left the club in February 1983 after paying Huddersfield £1,000 to be released from his own contract.[6]
During his playing days, Hetherington played a key role in setting up the first rugby league players' trade union.[7]
After being turned down for a coaching role atYork, Hetherington became interested in forming his ownrugby league club,[8] and foundedSheffield Eagles in 1984.
After retiring as a player, Hetherington remained with Sheffield Eagles as coach. He stepped down as coach in April 1993,[9] but took charge again eight months later.[10]
He joinedLeeds in 1996,[11] and rebranded the club in 1997, adding the Rhinos nickname.[3] In his time at Leeds, the club has won eight Super League Grand Finals, three Challenge Cups and three World Club Challenges.[citation needed]
In 1997, he andPaul Caddick boughtLeeds Rhinos rugby league team, and they co-foundedLeeds Rugby Limited.[citation needed]
He was President of the Rugby Football League in 2004.[3] His wife Kath was President of the Rugby Football League in 1995.[3]
