St Helens chief executive Abi Ekoku to step down for family reasons

St Helens chief executive Abi Ekoku is stepping down from his role at the Super League club, the top flight of rugby league, for family reasons. The club confirmed the news on 4 November, and said he will return to London.

Ekoku only took the job in April. He was appointed after Mike Rush left the club in February. Rush had spent 27 years at St Helens, the last 13 of them as chief executive, the person who runs the business side of the club.

The timing is hard for the club. This season St Helens missed out on the Super League play-offs, the end-of-season stage that decides the title, for the first time. Ekoku joined after that season had already begun.

The club has moved quickly to fill the gap at the top. Saints said Joe Nicholl, a club director, has been appointed chief operating officer. That role oversees the day-to-day running of the club, so it is a senior job even though it is not the chief executive post.

Eamonn McManus, the St Helens chairman, thanked Ekoku for his work at the club. He also acknowledged the personal sacrifices Ekoku has made, because his family lives in London. BBC Sport reported the change on the same day.

Ekoku's career has straddled the game on and off the pitch. He played as a winger, the fast outside player who scores many of the team's tries, for London Broncos, Halifax and Bradford. Since October 2025 he had also been interim chief executive of the Rugby Football League, the sport's governing body. That job has since passed to Ian Nolan, who takes over on 1 October.

For St Helens, the next task is steadying a club that has changed a lot in a short time. Ekoku's exit is one more change to absorb, and the club's new structure will now be tested over the coming months.