Aviva Premiership Rugby Football Union club the Sale Sharks have appointed a new general manager for the team in Jeremy Butler.
The former chief executive of Tranmere Rovers will begin work at his new position in the Manchester club this week.
The 46 year old ran a sports media business for over 20 years before he took over at the League Two club and now, after successfully turning a corner for the Rovers, has moved on to the Rugby Football Union club.
He was part of the commercial team that oversaw an increase in season ticket sales at the Rovers as well as a significant rise in commercial revenue and the bosses at the Sharks hope that he will be able to do something very similar with the financially struggling club. Jonny Kennedy, the managing director of the Sale Sharks said that they have taken this strategic decision to bolster its off the field operations and he added that he hopes that Jeremy Butler will play a pivotal role in achieving the goals they have set for themselves.
Kennedy said that Butler has a good track record of engaging the fans, increasing commercial revenues as well as a successful marketing initiatives and he believes he will become a real asset for the team in the long run. Butler will be working alongside Andrew Lamb, the head of sponsorship as they build up to the new season.
According to Butler, the Sale Sharks have a fantastic reputation across the world as a rugby class of the highest quality that represents the true values of the sport both on the pitch and off it. He added that being in a World Cup year adds greater opportunities to engage a whole new bunch of fans of the sport and bring them to the club.