Brian Canavan has been appointed as the NRL's new head of football.

The NRL announced on Tuesday that seasoned administrator Canavan will take over from Todd Greenberg who was promoted to CEO in March.

New Head of Football: Brian Canavan. Credit:Getty Images

Canavan will step down from his role as Gold Coast COO to take up the role.

Greenberg said on Tuesday he was delighted that Canavan had accepted the role, given his level of experience in the game.