UK Athletics (UKA) has appointed Niels de Vos, the current chief executive of Sale RFC, to take charge in May as its new chief executive.

De Vos, the frontrunner for the position to replace David Moorcroft, who announced his retirement last year, will take up his place after serving a shortened four-month notice period at Sale.

The appointment will raise a few eyebrows in athletics circles, as neither of the two senior men in the governing body – De Vos and Edmond Warner, who joined as chair last month – have any experience of the sport at the highest level.

Their business credentials however, are impressive. De Vos was the commerical director of the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, before moving to Sale.

The 39-year old has transformed the Premiership rugby union side, boosting attendances three-fold and turning a £2m annual loss into a £350,000 profit.

De Vos said: “I knew far less about rugby than I do about athletics when I took over at Sale. I had never played the game and, frankly, had little interest in it. I had an interest in the vision of the Sale Sharks.”

Hopes are high that his fresh perspective and ability to implement change will lift the currently gloomy British track and field scene.