Former Rugby League media manager Peter Rowe has been appointed Keighley Cougars' new Managing Director.

The Cougars have moved to fill the role after Abi Ekoku quit Cougar Park to take a similar role at Bradford Bulls.

Ekoku had linked up with Keighley coach Karl Harrison as part of a new-look management team to take Cougars forward in the 21st Century.

Rowe, a former sports editor of the Telegraph & Argus, is keen to build on the foundations in place at Cougar Park.

He said: "I am very excited at the opportunity. There has been a lot of work off the field by the board of directors to get the club back on an even keel.

"The board and owner Hami Patel have some very exciting ideas. I would not be returning to the game unless Super League was a target but we have to do a lot of work.

"My main brief is to build the club as a business on and off the field. We want the club to become a seven day-a-week organisation."

Rowe, 43, joins Keighley on Tuesday and will work alongside Ekoku before the former Bradford winger moves to Odsal at the end of the week.

Rowe was with the RFL for 12 months before moving to London when he took charge of the Football League's publicity office. He was sports editor at the T&A for three years until joining the RFL as media manager in 1997.

Cougars chairman Bob Chapman said: "I am delighted to welcome Peter to the club. It was a difficult decision because of the number of quality applications. But we believe that in Peter we have someone with the ability to help the business grow and help us to achieve our ambitions."

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