SENIOR sports lawyer Rod Findlay has been appointed to the new post of director of planning and governance at England Golf.

Currently a relationship manager at Sport England, working with six national sports governing bodies and responsible for managing a total investment of over £60 million, he will take up his new role on September 15.

Mr Findlay is also a legal and management consultant for a range of sports clients and has worked at two national sports governing bodies and in two professional sport clubs. He is a senior lecturer in sport management/law at Northumbria University.

He qualified as a solicitor in 1995 and specialised in medical law for a decade, before taking a post-graduate certificate in sports law and joining the Rugby Football League (RFL) as head of legal.

He went on to become chief executive officer of Gateshead Thunder rugby league club and then of Crusaders rugby league club, before consulting full time for the RFL. He has been a non-executive director at Badminton England and continues to advise it on the forthcoming National Badminton League. He joined Sport England in April, 2013.

Mr Findlay enjoys cycling, running and hiking and has completed 14 Great North Runs and the eight-day Cape Epic mountain bike race.

In his new role with England Golf, he will be responsible for the production and monitoring of the strategic and annual plans. His role includes ensuring that the highest standards of governance and self-assurance are achieved and maintained and that all compliance and disciplinary matters are managed appropriately.

He said: “I'm delighted to be taking up the role of director of planning and governance at England Golf. These roles are very rare in sport and to be offered the position in as prestigious a governing body as England Golf is a true honour.

"Golf is a huge sport, both commercially and also in terms of the number of people playing the game. I have worked in a variety of sports and I look forward to using my experience to help develop England Golf at an exciting time for the sport."

David Joy, chief executive of England Golf, said: “We are delighted that Rod will be joining England Golf at this very exciting time for the sport.

"His experience in legal, planning and governance matters within sport will be invaluable as we begin to drive the delivery of our new strategic plan and our work to increase participation and membership, to further strengthen the talent pathway and become recognised as a modern and successful organisation.”