THE NRL has been widely rumoured to be interested in acquiring a stake in the European Super League competition.
It’s been talked about for several months, but things seem to be moving slowly, especially after the recent announcement that a new club, the Perth Bears, will be entering the NRL competition from 2027 onwards.
Not surprisingly the main focus of the NRL in recent weeks has been on getting that decision over the line, with little time left over for thinking about our competition.
So will they make a bid to buy in to Super League?
Part of the issue seems to be that there is little agreement among the Super League clubs about how they would like such a move to be structured.
However, on the other hand, I’m hearing strong suggestions that the NRL isn’t the only organisation that has an interest in exploring the possibility of buying in to Super League.
In recent years it’s been hard not to notice that some major investors have been taking a strong interest in the sporting market, buying clubs and even sporting competitions, where it’s possible to do that.
I’m told that there are potentially three other major financial organisations that have made a provisional inquiry about investing in Super League, including at least one organisation whose financial resources appear to dwarf those of the NRL.
The interest in our competition stems apparently from the perception that Rugby League has the potential to be far more valuable than it currently is.
The analogy is buying shares in an under-valued company, which many investors spend their lives trying to identify and then acquire.
