The NRL has recently received written submissions from each of the 16 NRL clubs on their views for the game and the direction that the game needs to take in order to move forward.

It is with this in mind that I would like to put before you my ideal strategy of where I would like to see the game move to in the medium term, covering the following key areas:

1. Leadership
2. Competition structure
3. Rules and regulations

1. Leadership

This is the single biggest issue that is inhibiting the game’s growth at both a grassroots and a professional level. Rugby League is governed by to many factions with self-interest driving each and every decision. The fragmented structure has also made it difficult to implement any clear strategy to:

a. Grow the game – i.e. national and international footprint (regional areas)
b. Improve participation levels
c. Effectively breakdown cultural barriers
d. Streamline operations removing inefficiencies (i.e. duplicate layers of management such as NSWRL, CRL, QLDRL, ARL)

When we look at the NRL, this issue is even more apparent with the marriage of the ARL and News Ltd. The role of David Gallop as CEO is in effect stymied by the warring factions, which continually undermine his leadership.

For the NRL and rugby league to grow in Australia we need one leadership team with a clear and unified business plan that has bye-in from all vested interests. The only way this can happen is with the implementation of an “independent commission”.

This needs to happen as soon as possible and with it the removal of the decision-making capacity of all the existing administrative bodies.

The Commission needs to have an executive lead team responsible for five core business areas:

– Sponsorship and Government Relations;
– Membership;
– Media and Public Relations;
– Finance;
– Football (ARL Development / Expansion / Rules & Regulations)

The key benefits of such a structure would enable the Commission to:

a. Focus efforts on improving sponsorship revenue at all levels within the game whilst also having dedicated and specialist resources available to lobby government for additional funding for grass roots, community and stadia programs.

b. Standardise membership programs, which will improve their marketability and allow the Commission to more effectively use the NRL’s brand and market reach to sell club memberships.

c. Centralise media communications to better manage NRL press content and public relations.

d. Improve cost management by having negotiated contracts covering insurance, merchandise and kit requirements at all levels of rugby league (preferred supplier agreements).

e. Improve participation levels across Australia through better-targeted programs and initiatives.

f. Free-up resources to focus on value adding programs

2. Competition Structure

The next TV rights deal for rugby league is critical to the long-term viability of the sport in Australia. It is with this in mind that I have a number of proposals, which I deem essential in ensuring that we gain the best deal possible from our next TV rights agreement. This would include:

– 22 round 18-team NRL competition with Perth and CC included from 2013 (moving to a 24 round 20 team competition in 2017 with CQ and either a team from NZ or PNG the most viable option to explore). Everyone plays each other once with the remaining games leading into the finals to be labeled ‘derby month’. A chance for the NRL to showcase its big games and improve publicity leading into the finals.

– Challenge Cup (new competition – refer below)

– State of Origin

– International mid season Super Series (new competition – refer below)

– City vs. Country

– Four Nations

In my opinion, the best way to improve the value of our game is to improve the quality of the games on offer (not the quantity). The way that I would achieve this is by reducing the NRL to 22 rounds from 2013 and introducing a Challenge Cup Competition and an International Super Series. The key benefits associated with this process are:

1. Additional high quality fixtures with increased importance.

2. Reduced impact / workload on our current stars through better game scheduling (refer below for detail).

3. Two key club competitions with potential for improved TV rights deals and spectator attendance levels.

4. Strong international calendar

5. Better connection with grass roots through the Challenge Cup.

These structural changes can all be introduced without extending our competition by any considerable length or jeopardising any of the key existing games (State of Origin, Four Nations and City vs. Country). I will talk through each of these in more detail.

NRL Competition format:

First and foremost any talk of increasing the rounds in the NRL in my opinion will dilute the quality of the product on offer. Every team playing each other once creates intense rivalry and importance and ensures maximum exposure and publicity leading into the ‘derby games’ in the final month of regular competition.

The ‘derby’ month will also give each club big games and profile to ensure that publicity is high leading into the finals. Finally and most importantly reducing the rounds played allows the NRL to explore other potentially higher earning revenue options, as I will detail further.

Challenge Cup:

The Challenge Cup (knockout competition) is where I see rugby league in Australia considerably improving its revenue earning potential. The strengths of this competition would be in the following key areas:

– Better relationship with grass roots rugby league. Would open up many opportunities to better promote the game at a grass roots level in regional and traditionally non-league states.

– Bigger games with more importance meaning that game scheduling would occur in larger venues with the capacity to earn more revenue through gate receipts and TV rights.

– Additional Qtr finals, semi finals and grand final to promote (similar to Wembley experience in UK). Australia could have its road to Suncorp, which would give Brisbane a major league game that would hopefully rival that of the NRL grand final in time.

– An additional 31 games televised from round four of the competition with the option to televise an additional 224 games from earlier rounds if interest is there (based on a 256 team knockout tournament played over eight rounds)

– More rest periods for elite players with spare weekends built into the NRL for when Challenge Cup rounds are being played.

In terms of structure my preference would be for a Northern Conference (QLD, NT and WA) and a Southern Conference (NSW, ACT, VIC, SA and NZ). The top 4 teams out of each conference would contest the Qtr finals based on a ranking format with top playing bottom in the other group (i.e.1vs.4, 2vs.3 etc). This approach would ensure big challenge Cup games in NSW and QLD with greater likelihood of local derbies. The competition would start in February in the following format:

– Top two first grade equivalent teams from each regional and metropolitan area (Grand Final opponents from previous years comp) excluding NSW and QLD Cup (come in at a later stage) are invited to participate in the competition.

– QLD and NSW Cup teams enter the Challenge Cup in round four (March).

– NRL teams enter competition in round five (April)

– Grand Final one month before completion of NRL regular season.

– Highlights packages provided for competition up until round three with live coverage of the competition available from round three (some games) and four onwards. Opportunity for regional networks to purchase rights to show early rounds from their region if interest is there.

International Super Series:

This is a definite and has the potential to rival the State of Origin in Australia. My proposal is for a three Tests mid-season series involving Australia and NZ with separate two test series occurring between Tonga and Samoa and PNG and Fiji. The test series would run over three consecutive weeks with no NRL being played during this time. There would however be round three and four Challenge Cup competition games being played over these weeks so that supporters and TV networks can get their fix of league. The schedule would be:
– Wednesday: Aus vs. NZ
– Friday: Tonga vs. Samoa
– Saturday: Fiji vs. PNG
– Saturday and Sunday: Challenge Cup

This competition would gain significant ratings and ensure that international rugby league generates the international profile it deserves. It would also mean that our top players in the NRL would earn additional revenue through playing more representative games increasing the likelihood of them staying in the game.

In appendix A, I have outlined what a proposed draw would look like involving all of these competitions. As can be seen this proposed format would benefit our elite as they would be playing less games back to back with a number of breaks allocated for representative and Challenge Cup games. This would ensure that our best players do not burn out; we get more quality rugby league and quantity ensuring more revenue and an improved competition. A win win in my opinion.

3. Rules and Regulations

Key things that I would like to see introduced in rugby league are:

– Stoppages when ball is out of play. This ensures that time wasting is eliminated from the game. Also an opportunity for increased commercial activity (i.e. ads) provided that it maintains the flow of the game and is not excessive.

– All contracts signed by NRL registered players contain a clause that prohibits them from signing with a rival code mid season. If there is any announcement of a signing by a rival code during regular season then the players contract can be terminated by the NRL without compensation. This will ensure that rival codes have to wait until the off-season to announce signings of any rugby league players and therefore reducing the impact of any publicity gained from signing players mid season (i.e. Folau).

– Mandatory showing of live rugby league in all states. If the networks do not adhere to this then the NRL has the right to adopt a use-it or lose it policy.

Appendix A: Proposed NRL draw assuming this competition format

Date Wks NRL Round
29-Jan 0 0 * Round 1 of Challenge Cup (no impact on NRL – Semi professional leagues)
5-Feb 1 1
12-Feb 2 2 * Round 2 of Challenge Cup (no impact on NRL – Semi professional leagues)
19-Feb 3 3
26-Feb 4 4 * Round 3 of Challenge Cup (no impact on NRL – Semi professional leagues)
5-Mar 5 5
12-Mar 6 SW Challenge Cup Round 4 (no NRL teams included – NSW & QLD Cup enter) + 1st round of 3 Test Super Series
19-Mar 7 SW Challenge Cup Round 4 (no NRL teams included – NSW & QLD Cup enter) + 2nd round of 3 Test Super Series
26-Mar 8 6 Split round 6 of NRL (4 games) + 3rd round of 3 Test Super Series
2-Apr 9 6 Split round 6 of NRL (5 games)
9-Apr 10 7
16-Apr 11 8
23-Apr 12 9 * City v Country (Thursday night) – Origin selection trial
30-Apr 13 SW Challenge Cup Round 5 (Over three weekends: Wk1 8 games – NRL teams enter)
7-May 14 10 1st State of Origin (Wed), Split round 10 of NRL (4 games), Challenge Cup Round 5 (Over three weekends: Wk2 4 games – NRL enter)
14-May 15 10 Split round 10 of NRL (5 games), Challenge Cup Round 5 (Over three weekends: Wk3 4 games – NRL enter)
21-May 16 11
28-May 17 SW Challenge Cup Round 6
4-Jun 18 12 2nd State of Origin (Wed)
11-Jun 19 13
18-Jun 20 14 Split round 14 of NRL, 3rd State of Origin (Wed)
25-Jun 21 14 Split round 14 of NRL, + Challenge Cup QF’s
2-Jul 22 15
9-Jul 23 16
16-Jul 24 SW Challenge Cup SF’s
23-Jul 25 17
30-Jul 26 18
6-Aug 27 SW Challenge Cup GF
13-Aug 28 19 (NRL Derby Month)
20-Aug 29 20 (NRL Derby Month)
27-Aug 30 21 (NRL Derby Month)
3-Sep 31 22 (NRL Derby Month)
10-Sep 32 QF’s NRL
17-Sep 33 SF’s NRL
24-Sep 34 PF NRL
3-Oct 35 GF NRL
36
37
38 1 4 Nations
39 2 4 Nations
40 3 4 Nations
41 4 4 Nations

Challenge Cup
Televised Round Teams
Highlights package 1 512 February (Top 2 from each regional grade 1 competition invited to attend)
Highlights package 2 256
Highlights package 3 128
Top games televised + highlights package 4 64 NSW and QLD Cup enter competition
Games televised 5 32 NRL Clubs enter competition
Televised 6 16
Televised QF’s 8
Televised SF’s 4
Televised GF 2

Three Test Super Series Tests
Wednesday nights 3 Aus v NZ
Friday Night 2 Samoa v Tonga
Saturday Night 2 Fiji v PNG

SW Spare Weekend