We are pleased to announce the appointment of current Director and Company Secretary, Stuart Murphy as Chairman of Widnes Vikings. Stuart joined the Vikings Board as a member of the consortium that formed back in 2019. Since then he has been instrumental in the operational management and financial planning of the Club.
Stuart has had a keen interest in Rugby League since his primary school years and is also a season ticket holder at Wigan Warriors. Away from sport, the 37-year-old businessman from Wigan is the Managing Director of a demolition company which operates across England and Wales as well as holding a number of other business interests including a Geo-environmental Consultancy, business management and property rentals.
Stuart likes to have a hands-on full understanding of the operations of the businesses he is involved in. He is a qualified Accountant, IT Systems Engineer & Administrator and Health & Safety Auditor, as well as holding other qualifications within Construction and Contracting Operations.
The new chair said “Being around through the days of administration I quickly learnt how much this club means to each and every one the fans. Over these last 4 years I have got to know a number of you, worked alongside some of you, even had disagreements with you, but much more importantly – I’ve been able to stand, sing, shout and cheer alongside you! I can’t deny it – I am now a Widnes fan too!
“From day one we set out with the short to medium term goal of ensuring that we kept the club stable; ensuring that you had a club here to support. I and the other directors have done this thus far and we will continue to do so. It’s not easy, we’ve had many hard decisions to make along the way!
“We are all sad to see Chris Price step down as Chair of this club – what a man he is! I give you my assurances though that this board will continue with the same honesty and integrity that it has since the day we became custodians. “Since the announcement of Chris Price’s resignation on Monday a number of people have approached him regarding investment in the club. As with any professional sports club we welcome this and ask you to contact me directly, stuart@widnesvikings.co.uk. I look forward to the challenges we face in the dawn of the new IMG partnership. These are exciting times for us and we need to embrace it.”
