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Former NRL boss Todd Greenberg will take over as the new chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, ready for his history to help him.
Todd Greenberg expects his drama-filled four years in charge of the NRL to help when he confronts the first major test as new boss of the Australian Cricketers Association.
Greenberg on Monday accepted his first big job since quitting the NRL last year, taking on the CEO role and joining a players' union for the first time.
COVID-19 remains cricket's biggest challenge and while tensions between players and officials cooled last year, there remains a significant broadcaster issue.
That will make Greenberg's first two years crucial amid pay talks, with the current Memorandum of Understanding to expire in 2022.
Greenberg endured 16-month Collective Bargaining Agreement talks as NRL boss in 2017, as part of a battle for a fair partnership in the game that at times threatened to lead to strike action.
But with the shoe now on the other foot in cricket, Greenberg expected his history would be advantageous while in the role as ACA chief executive.
"I've had some deep experience having done broadcast deals and understanding the cost structures of other sports so it will clearly be an advantage," Greenberg said.
"The best way to negotiate with people is to understand their position.
"I understand where they're coming from so I'll have some empathy for Cricket Australia and some of the things they're trying to achieve ... and looking to invest.
"That will be an important part of any MOU we do.
"But what's much deeper and much more important than all of that is the relationship and the trust between the players and the governing body."
Greenberg's appointment is arguably the union's biggest catch given his history, with the experienced administrator having already spoken to Cricket Australia on Monday.
It marks his official return to the sport where he played first grade for Randwick Petersham in Sydney.
Greenberg was the Canterbury Bulldogs' CEO from 2008-13, before becoming the NRL's head of football in 2013 and chief executive in 2016.
However he fell on his sword as NRL boss during the game's COVID-19 shutdown, amid battles with clubs and free-to-air broadcaster the Nine Network.
The 50-year-old had been mooted as a possible option for the Cricket Australia top job, but Nick Hockley is now looking increasingly likely to maintain that role.
