THE NRL has made an offer to invest in Super League, Rugby League Commercial has confirmed.
Since last November, administrators on both sides of the world have been in talks over some form of partnership, with the NRL’s Peter V’landys (pictured above) and the RFL’s Nigel Wood taking the lead roles.
Super League clubs were informed on Wednesday that a proposal has been received from the Australian Rugby League Commission, which runs the NRL.
RL Commercial said in a brief statement that “details of the offer remain confidential”.
But League Express understands that the investment will be A$60 million dollars (approximately £31 million) and that it will be utilised to ease the burden of owning Super League clubs.
The Super League clubs currently receive an annual distribution from RL Commercial of around £1.25 million each. That figure would rise to around £1.8 million per club if the ARLC offer were to be accepted.
But what is less clear is what the ARLC would receive in return for its investment. It is likely that it would take a significant stake in RL Commercial, which is currently owned on a 50/50 basis by the RFL and Super League (Europe) Ltd.
Some reports have suggested that the proportion of RL Commercial owned by the ARLC would rise annually but League Express understands that the attitude of the Super League clubs at today’s meeting was to listen to the ARLC’s offer and then to tell the RFL’s interim chief executive Rhodri Jones and Chairman Nigel Wood to get back to the ARLC to explore the details underlying the offer in order to both improve it and to extend the negotiations to completion.
Since kicking off formal discussions around last autumn’s Ashes series in England, officials in both hemispheres have made trips to the other in an effort to reach a deal between Super League and the NRL.
On a trip to the UK in February, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys told media: “The NRL clubs are very supportive because they can see the need to have rugby league as a global game and the need to have a vibrant Super League and English rugby league. They can see the big picture.”
V’landys warned that independent governance of the English game would be required, however after a trip to Australia with RFL chair Nigel Wood in May, RL Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones assured: “I think they’re in a relatively comfortable place that there is independence in the game here now.”
Jones, who is also currently interim chief executive of the RFL, has also previously described the NRL as the “natural fit” as partners.
The NRL are well positioned to invest after last month securing a record-breaking broadcast deal worth A$5.3 billion to run for seven years from 2028.
Super League, in contrast, has a deal with Sky Sports that is worth around £21.5 million per year and League Express understands that Sky will not increase that figure, although it will be paid for only three matches per week, as opposed to the seven that are broadcast currently.
That will leave RL Commercial with four games that can be sold elsewhere or used on its own streaming channel.
There had been a competing offer from TNT Sports, but it appears that the RFL will retain its longstanding relationship with Sky Sports, despite some clubs expressing their concern about the lack of movement in the broadcasting rights fee.