Abdo: The proudest moment from my tenure as NRL CEO

With his time in the NRL's top job, Andrew Abdo has reflected on his proudest moments as the competition's Chief Executive Officer.

On Wednesday, Abdo would officially see his six-year tenure as the NRL’s CEO come to an end.

It’s been an eventful few years for the NRL’s former CCO, who has overseen the competition’s expansion to 19 teams by 2028, the NRLW's expanding threefold, getting the competition back playing during the Covid-19 pandemic through Project Apollo, and its growth as a TV product.

In his final weeks in charge, Abdo has helped secure a monster $5.3 billion deal over seven years, which helps secure the game’s financial future for the next few decades as the NRL looks to expand beyond these shores.  

But while Abdo is proud of the achievement and congratulated all involved in the massive result, the new Tennis Australia CEO admitted it was seeing what the game of rugby league means to people which is his proudest.

“Everyone in the game has contributed to this moment, and I'm just so thrilled and proud that rugby league is getting the value that it deserves and those revenues will flow through all aspects of the game,” Abdo told SEN’s Kick Off.

“The players deserve it; they're incredible athletes, the clubs deserve it, they're well-run organisations and centres of excellence, and of course, our community.

“(The) sport deserves this more than anyone, because this is why we exist to bring people together, and so my proudest moment is not the broadcast rights deal or the things that you might think.

“My proudest moments are little things (like) walking around stadiums and seeing friends and family, loving being together, and the football is what brings them together, or a Saturday morning, freshly cut grass in the middle of winter with a bit of frost on it and the smell of sausage sizzles on the barbecue.

 “So, the proudest moments have been constantly throughout this period, just seeing what the game means to people.

“There's a lot going on in the world at the moment, not all of it's good.

“But the one thing we always look forward to (is) coming together to watch footy or play footy, and being part of that rugby league community is so special, and I've loved it.

“It's been 13 years, and it's been my life, and it's been the highlight of my life.”

Abdo’s first day as Tennis Australia CEO is August 3. Peter V’Landys will take on his new executive chairman role in an interim capacity.