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orld Rugby CEO, Brett Gosper, has announced he will leave his role in January to become the head of the NFL in Europe and the United Kingdom.

Gosper spent almost nine years as the head of World Rugby and helped guide the return of Rugby Sevens’ competition to the Olympic Games.

Speaking in a statement announcing his decision, the Australian, Gosper said: “It has been an absolute privilege to have worked with so many talented and dedicated rugby people.”

“I’ve been supported by two excellent chairmen in Bill Beaumont and Bernard Lapasset along the way.

“It was a difficult decision to leave, but with a new ambitious strategic plan set to launch and strong foundations in place to drive the sport forward beyond the pandemic, the time is right for me to begin a new challenge.

“I am proud of what we have achieved together as a rugby family.

“While I will miss working in the sport, my passion and enthusiasm for what rugby and its values mean to so many will never diminish,” he said.

NFL chief strategy and growth officer, Christopher Halpin, said of Gosper’s appointment as head of NFL in Europe and the UK: “The UK has been a core market of investment and growth for the NFL over the last decade, and we believe broader Europe presents a number of similar attractive opportunities to expand the game and our fanbase.”

“Brett’s exceptional skills and experience make him the ideal leader to build on our momentum and grow the NFL,” Halpin said.

The current chief operations officer of World Rugby, Alan Gilpin, has stepped into the interim CEO role for World Rugby following Gosper’s departure.

Reports from the Daily Mail suggest Gilpin is the favourite to takeover the CEO role full-time and is favoured by both World Rugby chairman, Beaumont and vice-chairman, Laporte.