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London: The NRL will decide whether to pursue an opportunity to buy a stake in the Super League or walk away altogether following a meeting with English clubs and competition bosses in London on Tuesday morning (Tuesday night, AEST).
The NRL opened talks with club owners from Warrington and Wigan during the Las Vegas season opener in February and has been debating the idea of partnering up with the Super League.
This masthead revealed in April that the NRL agreed to consider a proposal to buy a 33 per cent stake in the Super League on the proviso it gets complete administrative control of the struggling competition from 2028 as part of a bid to grow the sport internationally.
English clubs have been contemplating their next move and will present their views to NRL powerbrokers at a meeting in London on Tuesday (Tuesday night, AEDT). Rugby Football League, the governing body that runs the Super League, will also be represented at the meeting.
The meeting in Las Vegas at the start of the year was driven by Wigan owner Mike Danson and Warrington owner Simon Moran, who see the value in the NRL stamping its authority over the competition to help grow the sport in the United Kingdom and Europe.
However, the two clubs have been talking with their English counterparts, who aren’t all convinced that the Super League should roll over and allow the NRL to take control without a major financial investment.
NRL bosses Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo are looking at buying a stake in the Super League.Credit: Getty
While V’landys and Abdo have been happy to entertain the potential partnership deal out of respect to Danson and Moran, Tuesday’s meeting could spell the end of the NRL’s desire to join forces if major roadblocks emerge.
Danson and Moran have been consulting with clubs for six months; however, the NRL has made it clear they will not beg to be involved. The NRL is concerned that self-interest could derail any potential for a deal given that it requires the blessing of all clubs to strike an agreement.
The six powerful clubs – St Helens, Warrington Wolves, Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos, Hull Kingston Rovers, and Hull FC – have indicated a willingness to be part of the discussions.
However, some clubs are concerned that the NRL will reduce the competition from the recently expanded 14 teams to just 10 and don’t want to risk being cut from the top level of the competition.
The fans at the Super League grand final won by Hull KR.Credit: Getty
Kangaroos assistant coach Willie Peters, who led Hull KR to premiership glory earlier this month, encouraged the clubs to be open-minded to an NRL investment.
“Of course, yeah,” he said when asked about the NRL’s potential involvement.
“The game in Australia has evolved so much under their leadership, and I think it can only help. You’d be having conversations. You’d be wise to have conversations and go from there. There’s no doubt that if the NRL got involved, it would only add to the game over here.”
The NRL’s willingness to listen isn’t purely motivated by finances, but rather a desire to grow the game in both England and internationally on the back of a decade of growth in the Pacific region.
Willie Peters celebrates this month’s Super League premiership with Hull KR.Credit: Getty
The purchase of a stake in the Super League would allow the NRL to go to market in the upcoming broadcast negotiations with a truly international product to sell.
The NRL fears that the game in England will continue to lose relevance if left to its own devices.
The recent success of ticket sales for the Ashes Tour in England – selling out both the new Everton Stadium and Headingley and setting a new UK Ashes record at Wembley Stadium over the weekend – has heightened the NRL’s enthusiasm.
The meeting will also provide an opportunity for discussion around the NRL’s global round plans. A number of Super League clubs have already expressed interest in partnering with the NRL to be part of a double or triple-header in London or other major cities around the world.
Wigan Warriors fans outside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas earlier in the year.Credit: Getty
Super League clubs are aware that Abdo and V’landys met with IMG powerbrokers in London on Monday.
IMG has a partnership with the Super League that stems back to 2022 when a 12-year strategic partnership with was struck to help sell the sport and its competitions in the UK.
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IMG is owned by TKO Group Holdings, an American sports and sports entertainment company that owns UFC and WWE.
The NRL is in the process of mapping out its potential broadcast options and is believed to be meeting with IMG about how to work with them on a new television and streaming deal.
Abdo and V’landys also met with DAZN chief executive Shay Segev, who watched the opening game of the Ashes series at Wembley Stadium with the NRL bosses on Saturday.
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