RUGBY LEAGUE in the northern hemisphere is at probably its most critical juncture since 1996.
The sport is in the process of being ‘re-imagined’ by new stakeholders IMG with grading criteria set to be revealed to clubs at the home of Huddersfield Giants tomorrow afternoon.
The actual new structure won’t be introduced until 2025, but clubs will spend the next few years preparing for that time.
In recent seasons, however, with the effect of the Covid pandemic, clubs have had to deal with a number of financial shortcomings and Giants’ managing director Richard Thewlis explained how everyone is still recovering from those hardships.
“The harsh reality is that we are all (as in every sport) still recovering from the massive losses in the pandemic, have had a huge reduction in broadcast revenues and face power bills trebling in some cases with all match day costs increasing with legal minimum wage rises imminent,” Thewlis told League Express.
“In any such instance you’d imagine business would cut costs drastically given the magnitude of the losses with every club’s biggest expenditure being on the Rugby departments.
“To date that’s not really happened to my knowledge which in the main I suspect is down to the increased level of support of clubs’ boards up and down every league and all are hoping that the next broadcast deal – which we all acknowledge is crucial – can be the one to address some of the losses we all face.
“If it doesn’t then everything – in every facet of the game from Super League to the Community game and the many industries that we support such as the media – will change.”
For Thewlis, all the above issues means that IMG gets his full support in trying to completely turn around the fortunes of rugby league – and that process begins tomorrow as clubs learn the criteria for the grading system.
“That is, in a nutshell, why we must – in my view – support IMG and place our trust in them to take the game forward as let’s face it the clubs, Super League, the RFL, the IRL or whoever you choose to identify have been unable to do so themselves in recent years.
“It really is a critical time.”
