Today the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys announced the appointment of Micheal Luck, the club’s current Chief Operating Officer, to the role of Head of Football. After a short period of transition between roles, Luck will assume full-time responsibilities for the club’s football department from the end of the year.
In announcing Luck’s new role, CEO Jeff Reibel said the club had looked to one of their own, whose relentlessness, tenacity and counsel had been so vital in such a challenging year, to lead the football department through this pivotal period of change.
“In his role as Head of Football, Micheal will bring continuity, stability and history as we embark upon a new era. It gives me great pleasure to appoint a highly respected and credentialled sports administrator to run our football operations who is also able to impart the knowledge of what it means to be a Cowboy and belong to a club that is so fundamentally interwoven with the North Queensland community,” he said.
Reibel also said that Luck’s experience, aptitude and approach in working on both sides of the business, both football and administration, would allow him to navigate the commercial and operational complexities in running the club’s football department seamlessly.
“Micheal’s early career at the Cowboys was in the football department as the Elite Pathways Manager and then he moved over to the administrative side when he took on the position of General Manager – HR. Following that, he was appointed the broader role of Chief Operating Officer with oversight of the club’s football, commercial, membership and brand departments.
“Having successfully overseen the migration of game day operations from 1300SMILES Stadium to Queensland Country Bank Stadium, and ensured the administrative performance of the club continues to achieve top four status amongst its NRL peers, Micheal has now been given the task of spearheading the re-generation of the club’s football department in conjunction with new Head Coach Todd Payten.”
Luck said it was a privilege to be asked to take direct responsibility for the club’s football department including management of the NRL, coaching, performance, medical and pathways teams, and he would rely on the 20 years of experience he had garnered both on and off the field in performing his new duties.
“I am excited for the opportunity to shape the club’s football program from the ground up, utilising the insights, understandings and skillset gained from playing NRL for 12 seasons and working in club-land for an additional eight,” he said.
“What I love about working in football is the clarity and accountability that comes from having to produce an outcome week-in, week-out. I’m excited to stretch my skills across every aspect of our football operations and build a sustainably-successful football program.
“I’m also looking forward to furthering our club’s foundational vision of being a beacon of hope for the North Queensland community and a place for home-grown talent to fulfill their professional rugby league aspirations. While we will continue to welcome players from across the country, I am committed to identifying, nurturing and supporting those who have grown up in North Queensland.”
