COMEDIAN and broadcaster Adam Hills MBE is to become the next president of the Rugby Football League.

The Australian is a Warrington Wolves fan and member of the club’s physical disability rugby league team.

His TV presenting roles have included hosting terrestrial coverage of Super League with Channel 4, and he will succeed Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, in the honorary position next year.

Hills, best known as one of the anchors of The Last Leg, was proposed at the annual general meeting of the Rugby League Council today, Wednesday.

He will be formally elected for a two-year term in December, becoming the 33rd RFL president and the first Australian to hold the honorary position.

As well as being a strong advocate for the game in general, Hills has also been a champion for physical disability rugby league as both an ambassador and player for Warrington and Australia.

Tony Sutton, the RFL’s chief executive, said: “I am delighted that Adam Hills MBE has accepted our invitation to succeed Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP as the 33rd president of the RFL.

“There has been no more enthusiastic or eloquent advocate for rugby league in the media than Adam in recent years, whether as host of Channel 4’s Super League coverage, or welcoming our England Wheelchair World Cup winners as guests on The Last Leg.

“He also has authenticity, having been a mainstay of physical disability rugby league since it was launched in 2018, playing for Warrington Wolves against Leeds Rhinos.

“We can even forgive him for choosing to represent Australia rather than England a couple of years ago in the PDRL World Cup.

“Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP has been an outstanding president for the last 18 months, and he would be the first to point out that his term still has several months to run before he passes the chains to Adam.

“We are lucky to have such passionate and persuasive ambassadors to champion our sport.”

Posting on social media, Hills added: "I am so honoured to be endorsed as the next president of the Rugby Football League.

"I will do my best to promote all aspects of the game – from community teams to the disability variants, women’s game and men’s.

"I love rugby league, me."