AFTER announcing on Friday that the club had been taken over by Austria Holdings, Keighley Cougars are making further off-field progress, having confirmed the appointment of former Castleford Tigers chief executive Steve Gill.

Cougars director Simon Harrison says that Gill will take over the day-to-day running of the club as general manager, in what is a real coup for the Betfred League One side.

The former Tigers man spent five years at the Super League club and oversaw some of their finest moments. They were named Club of the Year in 2017 after winning the League Leaders Shield and playing in the Grand Final.

Gill is a boyhood Castleford fan, and despite stepping down as chief executive at the start of this season, he had stayed on as club director.

Therefore, this deal will come as a surprise to many, but it shows the ambition of new owners Austria Holdings. The off-field turmoil of the last couple of months already looks to be a thing of the past.

Harrison also confirmed that there will be a meeting this Thursday at 7:30pm where fans can ask any questions they have about the takeover.

Representatives from Austria Holdings and Keighley Cougars will be in attendance and doors will open at 7pm.