With the season about to get underway in the NRL next week, I was interested to read in The Australian newspaper that the NRL generated revenues of $575 million in 2021 and finished the year with more than $160 million in the bank.
And the NRL has announced a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal with crypto dealer Swyftx to start this season and they are expected to finalise an extension with naming rights partner Telstra before the season kicks off.
When Covid struck, there was some fear down under that the game might struggle to survive.
But not only has it survived; it has prospered.
Out of that $575 million, more than $240 million was distributed to the 16 NRL clubs. Money from broadcasting and gambling skyrocketed by more than $70 million last season while sponsorship, game receipts and government revenue was up close to $100 million.
The NRL annual report notes that more than $11 million was due to players because the game had out-performed on its financial targets.
It’s hardly surprising that the NRL is a growing attraction for our players over here.
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