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Peter V’landys has confirmed that Aussie rugby league chiefs held positive meetings with Super League bosses in London on Tuesday, amid speculation that the NRL is interested in purchasing a stake in the English league.
V’landys, the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), was unable to comment to this masthead on the intracacies of the discussions, as well as whether the NRL is interested in purchasing a stake in the Super League, but told Daily Mail that ‘all options were on the table.’
‘There is a pathway forward, which naturally we’ve got to keep confidential because it’s commercially sensitive,’ V’landys said, reflecting on the meeting.
‘Not all of the Super League clubs were there. But they will go back to their stakeholders to feed back on the discussion. We’ve got to go back to ours.
'So it’s early days.’
The Sydney Morning Herald has previously reported that talks over a potential partnership between both organisations had begun earlier this year during the NRL’s season opener in Las Vegas.
The outlet adds that the NRL had previously opened up discussions to purchase a 33 per cent stake in the Super League, on the basis that it would take administrative control of the league
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys (right) has confirmed that positive talks were held on Tuesday between NRL representatives and some Super League clubs (NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, pictured left)
V’landys confirmed that league bosses, who met in London ahead of this weekend’s second Rugby League Ashes Test between England and Australia at Everton’s brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium, spoke on ways in which both leagues could grow and market the game better.
He added that the NRL and English clubs are hoping to help protect the future of the Super League to ‘ensure that it thrives in England’, that it is financially viable and attracts new fans.
The meetings come at a time when the Super League has been struggling financially, with multiple clubs around the league alarmingly reporting operating losses for the year ending in October 2024. Powerhouses St Helens recorded a whopping £1,921,533 worth of losses, while Leeds Rhinos posted another huge figure of £1,443,433.
However, there are hopes that plans to expand the league in 2026 from a 12-club competition to a 14-club franchise, will help to grow the sport, with French side Toulouse Olympique XIII and York RLFC set to enter the league.
The ARLC chairman believes that the NRL can help to improve the growth of the Super League, noting the uplift in viewing figures the Australian rugby league has seen in recent years.
‘I believe in rugby league, and rugby league might be the greatest game for all,’ he added. ‘We’ve just got to market our sides better and market it in England to a greater audience and that’s what the NRL can bring.
‘We’ve increased our audience from 137million to 230million because we believe in our game and we think we can add some value here and there in that regard.’
During this year’s NRL finals, Australian TV networks reported that the football league had amassed some incredible viewing figures, with an average of 4.46m people in Australia tuning in to watch Reece Walsh’s Brisbane Broncos epic Grand Final comeback against Cameron Munster’s Melbourne Storm.
It also comes as the NRL are currently negotiating a brand new television rights deal with US streaming giants, including Netflix, DAZN and Amazon, which could be implemented following the 2027 season.
But the footy boss added that for the game to grow on a global scale, the NRL needs to have the English league moving forward too.
‘The NRL wants to make rugby league a global game. In order to make it a global game you need England to be striving.
‘It’s a global strategy for selling rugby league. For us it’s not about making money. It’s about growing the game. We believe in the game.
‘So whatever we do here it’s not going to be at our financial advantage but it is for the betterment of the game.’
More to follow...
