
RUGBY LEAGUE legend Garry Schofield has called out of IMG for what he has deemed a lack of action from the marketing giants.
IMG, part of the Endeavour marketing group, signed a historic 12-year deal with the sport back in May 2022 in a bid to ‘re-imagine’ rugby league after a number of difficult years.
The company initially focused on competition re-structuring, content production and innovation, domestic and international distribution of media rights and digital transformation of the sport.
With a new structure coming into being with Grades A, B and C awarded to all 36 professional clubs, numerous deals being signed to expand rugby league into different realms and a groundbreaking new Super League streaming service, one could say that IMG has certainly been active more recently.
For rugby league legend, Schofield, however, that isn’t enough and he has called the marketing gurus to make their hefty yearly payment justified with more action.
“They have done the two years of consultation for nothing,” Schofield said on the League Express podcast.
“Now that the two years is over, they are getting £450,000 for the next season and the nine after that.
“Don’t you think it’s time they started doing something for £450,000? Come on IMG. Start doing something for the greatest game of all.
“Show us something.”
Of course, these comments were made on the back of more disappointing Challenge Cup attendance numbers, with only Leeds Rhinos’ home clash against St Helens bringing in more than 7,000 spectators.
The Challenge Cup Final itself has been moved to Saturday June 8 following August finals in recent years, but the competition has struggled to pull in the crowds such a prestigious cup deserves.
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