FORMER NRLNT club and competitions co-ordinator Nigel Roy has officially been promoted to NRLNT general manger.

The National Rugby League announced Roy as Territory league’s new boss yesterday, and Roy begins the role on Monday.

Roy has eyed off boosting participation and working with government to ensure a new rectangular-stadium facility is built as his major goals.

Roy was the NRLNT club and competitions co-ordinator and has taken on the general manger role vacated by John Mitchell late last year.

“I have always had an underlying drive to give back to the game,” Roy told NT News yesterday.

“I’ve been lucky enough to, after playing, have a role in the administration side of the game.”

Roy said his old role, club and competitions co-ordinator, would become available.

Rugby league in the Top End is currently homeless, after the $20 million refurbishment of Richardson Park was canned by the Giles government in December.

“It’s encouraging that all sides of parliament have committed to finding a solution for an NRL-standard rectangular facility in Darwin,” Roy said.

“We obviously want a home for our game and a top-quality place to host rugby league events.”

Roy said his first goal and main priority is, and always will be, boosting participation numbers.

“There are many ways to go about it, but it will always be what we aim at — growing our game,” he said.

Roy has been the interim boss since John Mitchell’s departure in December, and said he would be able to hit the ground running from Monday.

“It was a lengthy process (to appoint new GM) but the NRL had a process to follow,” he said.

A former first-grade player with more than 260 top flight matches in Australia and the UK, Roy is already established in the Territory rugby league community having moved to the Top End nearly 12 months ago.

After retiring from the competitive ranks, Roy worked in financial services which he said would serve him well in his new role.

NRLNT chairwoman Belinda Howie said Roy was a passionate supporter and advocate of Territory rugby league and was the right person for the role.

“He will be working closely with all stakeholders including NT clubs, sponsors, media,

the NT government, Parramatta Eels and the team at NRL Head Office to strategically

grow the game across the Territory,” Howie said.

The NRLNT 2016 calendar began last weekend with the Parramatta Eels preseason trial against Gold Coast Titans in Alice Springs.