The NRL has not ruled out relocating the entire competition to Queensland
The NRL is still considering relocation the entire league to Queensland in an effort to restart the competition as quickly as possible.
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ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has not ruled out relocating the NRL to Queensland after revelations the English Premier League is exploring moving their entire league into a World Cup-style camp.
Wayne Bennett was the first figure in rugby league to suggest moving 480 NRL stars to one region to combat the coronavirus pandemic and now EPL authorities are investigating their own relocation plan.
The EPL is one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world and if the English footballing monolith is prepared to move, it could inspire the NRL to follow suit.
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Earlier this month, the NRL considered relocating all 16 clubs to Calliope near Gladstone in central Queensland to a private accommodation facility that boasts more than 1300 rooms in a compound-style living scenario.
V’landys has been made aware of the EPL’s plan to expedite their premiership restart by moving to a central location and it could trigger the NRL to do the same to achieve a kick-off date of July 1.
“We’re still considering the Gladstone option,” the ARLC chairman said.
“We might be optimistic with that date but the next two to three weeks will be crucial in the containment of the virus.
“If something happens and the illness spikes and gets out of control, we have to look at a later date.
“We will have a clearer picture in the next few weeks but I still think July 1 is possible.”
An Irish media outlet reported yesterday that the 20 English Premier League clubs were considering a move to a central location in a desperate bid to salvage their competition.
EPL hierarchy decided to suspend the glamour league until April 30 and that date is reportedly set to be extended when the 20 clubs meet again this Friday.
According to the Irish report, if no further EPL matches were played, it would cost the league a staggering $1.5 billion, more than triple the $470m blow the NRL is facing if rugby league fails to resume this season.
The EPL clubs have not discussed a specific location at this stage but have suggested playing before empty stadiums in June or July.