Knights legend Marc Glanville appointed general manager of Newcastle Rugby League

The 55-year-old, who played 188 matches for the Knights between 1988 and 1997, was appointed by the board this week to replace interim boss Charlie Haggett.

Chair John Crooks said there had been about 30 applicants but Glanville was offered the job because of his "broad range of skills" and "genuine love for the game".

"One priority for this role is you've got to have a love for the game, and Marc has certainly got that through his playing career, his coaching achievements with South Newcastle, his commentary job with Triple M - that's all football related which we rated highly," Crooks said.

"He has also got great business acumen as well.

"He has got the broad range of skills we were looking for and a genuine love for the game and genuine interest in growing the game.

"With the women's part of the game coming into vogue now, we're sure Marc can help drive that through."

Glanville said he would draw on his 51-year involvement in the game "at all levels as a player, coach, administrator and commentator" .

"I wanted to get into sports administration, and trying to continue making Newcastle the number-one rugby league competition outside of Sydney is a really attractive thing - to continue that success that it has been for over 100 years now," he said.

Glanville won't start in the role until late February but said there was already plenty on his to-do list.

Chasing sponsors is a priority but he also hopes to improve the league's links with the Newcastle Knights.

"We need to improve that. The Knights have signed Garth Brennan and I'm keen to work with Garth quite a bit on making those pathways really genuine so it's not just the Knights getting an advantage from it, but also the district clubs," he said.

"Getting back to where we were, I suppose when I was playing, you had a lot of players who played for the Knights in juniors, under-23s and reserve grade, and then when they finished or they couldn't get a contract, they came back and played in the local comp," Glanville said.

"And likewise, young players coming up, saw the Knights - they could sleep in their own bed and still play with a team in the NRL."

Glanville has been tasked in the short term with negotiating sponsorships and building relationships. He will also work on developing a strategic plan for the league.

He said the season should have some normality this year after being called off last year and disrupted the year prior due to COVID-19.

"Hopefully everyone is just about vaccinated, we're not going to have any stoppages and it's going to get back to normal," he said.

"Hopefully we can bring the crowds back as well, and the sponsors."

Glanville has previously coached South Newcastle's women's sides, and his two sons and daughter continue to play in Newcastle Rugby League competitions. He said he would manage any perceived conflict but did not believe there would any.

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