A Champions League concept for top Super League sides is being talked about as a possibility under IMG, according to leading rugby league agent Craig Harrison.
Harrison, whose agency Show Me The Money UK is one of the leading companies in the sport, was talking about the potential new format on his podcast, The Full Eighty Minutes.
The Champions League, of course, is a format associated with football where the best teams across Europe’s top leagues meet in a competition.
Harrison believes the same could happen in rugby league where Super League’s top teams meet those in the NRL in a similar format to the World Club Challenge.
“I am hearing that there will be a Champions League rugby league concept,” Harrison said on Show Me The Money Rugby League TV podcast.
“When football first got mentioned having a Champions League, I remember watching football on a Saturday and the furore behind it was horrendous.
“People were saying ‘it won’t work, playing AC Milan on a Wednesday and then playing Portsmouth on a Sunday it just won’t work.’ It’s now one of the most sought after competitions in the world.
“I’m telling you now get the comments 25 years ago, they said it was impossible but they made it work.”
Harrison believes that those clubs that are determined to grow should be able to take part in such a concept.
“For the clubs that are putting it on and developing themselves they probably need such a competition to expand (their clubs) more.
“Imagine the Champions League in Dubai against Penrith. It would be like the World Club Challenge but in a Champions League format.
“Top five clubs in this country get £1.7 million for a Super League season, but could play the Champions League over a month or six weeks and earn the same money, playing in a stadium in Dubai or wherever. Would you say that shouldn’t be allowed to happen?”
Under the 12-year agreement with new shareholders IMG, there are definitely still a lot of questions about the future of the sport.
