NRL expansion: Expansion consortiums flag interest after ARLC rubberstamps 20-team competition
Nearly a dozen expansion consortiums to flag their interest in joining the NRL premiership, just one day after the ARL Commission greenlit a 20-team competition.
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Nearly a dozen consortiums have contacted head office to flag their interest in joining the premiership as the ARL Commission declares its doors are open to expansion hopefuls over the next month.
The commission met on Wednesday only hours before the second State of Origin game in Melbourne, where they confirmed they were ready to kick-off their quest to expand to potentially 20 teams in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Interested parties have now been given a month to put their best foot forward, with tentative plans to introduce an 18th team as early as 2027 as the first instalment in a move that will eventually see three additional teams added to the competition.
The ARL commission has instructed NRL boss Andrew Abdo to preside over a business case for more teams in the most definitive sign yet fresh expansion is on the cards.
That is a preamble to the ARLC calling for formal submissions from prospective bid teams as part of the most ambitious growth project since the Super League war in 1995.
Perth and Papua New Guinea aside, it is understood there has been early interest from Fiji, a handful of teams in southeast Queensland and five consortiums in New Zealand, where rugby league is enjoying a boom period.
Abdo has been charged with studying the proposals and determining if and when expansion should take place.
“Rugby League has a commission that is visionary, bold and decisive,” Abdo said.
“The commission has endorsed a process to consider the potential expansion of the competition, but no decisions have been made on the timing, structure or size of the competition.
“The enormous interest in NRL expansion is driven by the health of the game. Rugby League is the most watched sport in Australia, and the fact there are so many parties eager for an NRL licence is a testament to the quality of the game on and off the field.
“Whether its record crowds, TV viewership, digital engagement or grassroots participation, the appetite for Rugby League in Australia and the Pacific is growing.
“The successful entry of The Dolphins in 2023 shows what happens when you get expansion right.
“Our task is to assess the information provided by bidders and carefully analyse the overall strategic case for expansion in what will be a rigorous, data driven and competitive process.”
Perth are the early favourites to win the 18th licence, potentially as soon as 2027. The Western Australian government have been in Sydney in recent days for meetings with key official in rugby league as they look to shore up support for their bid.
The North Sydney Bears and Newtown Jets have both been mooted as potential partners for the Perth bid, with the Bears in particular having the support of the RLC in a move that would reignite one of the game’s sleeping support bases.
PNG have been mooted as a potential 19th franchise in 2028, their cause aided by the $600 million backing of the federal government – more than half of that money would be dedicated to the football side with the rest used to strengthen ties with the Pacific nations as part of soft diplomacy to reduce the influence of China in the region.
New Zealand looms as the 20th franchise given the interest from across the Tasman, where the resurgence of the Warriors has given the code a shot in the arm.
V’landys confirmed the NRL is ready to kick-off another expansion bid process _ just two years after the Dolphins were added to the competition as the 17th team.
“The meeting went well. All is going to plan (with expansion),” V’landys said.
“We will now call for expressions of interest.
“Anyone can bid and each bid has to provide a business case as to why they should come into the NRL.”
NRL EXPANSION: ARLC RUBBER-STAMPS 20-TEAM COMPETITION
It’s official. The expansion arms race will begin in the NRL’s master plan for a 20-team league.
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys says the NRL will call for expressions of interest following an Origin-day board meeting that will trigger an intense battle for up to three NRL licences.
This masthead can reveal the ARLC has instructed NRL boss Andrew Abdo to preside over a business case for more teams in the most definitive sign yet fresh expansion is on the cards.
That is a preamble to the ARLC calling for formal submissions from prospective bid teams as part of the most ambitious growth project since the Super League war in 1995.
At a marathon board meeting held just hours before Origin II in Melbourne on Wednesday night, the ARLC backed chair V’landys’ expansion strategic plan, with three new franchises set to be added before the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
V’landys confirmed the NRL is ready to kick-off another expansion bid process _ just two years after the Dolphins were added to the competition as the 17th team.
“The meeting went well. All is going to plan (with expansion),” V’landys said.
“We will now call for expressions of interest.
“Anyone can bid and each bid has to provide a business case as to why they should come into the NRL.”
The ARLC is injecting an estimated $80 million annually over a five-year period to invest in grassroots, pathways and development to produce more players for a 20-team premiership.
The bid consortia are set to be given until the end of July to lodge expressions of interest _ with the Bears on the cusp of a triumphant return to the big league after a 25-year hiatus.
Well-placed sources say Perth remains a frontline contender to win the NRL’s 18th licence, most likely for entry in 2027, with Papua New Guinea slated to join the big league 12 months later in 2028.
The NRL’s most recent expansion outfit, Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins, have been a revelation in just their second season and that has convinced the ARLC the code can benefit from fresh growth.
The NRL’s study will identify the best expansion zones, the bid process and a timetable for formal entry to the Telstra Premiership.
Speaking exclusively to this masthead a fortnight ago, V’landys revealed the NRL would begin due diligence on a 20-team league and the ARLC board gave the imprimatur for new expansion on Wednesday night.
“I am super confident there will be 20 teams, that’s the ambition,” he said.
“The analysis will show us what the best options are and what the bid teams have to prove to us is they will bring in a new audience.
“If we don’t expand, we will never reach our full potential.
“If we do it, we do it as a masterplan and we will present the masterplan to our members (the NRL clubs).”
V’landys is in the advanced stage of talks with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese as the Federal government closes in on a $600 million funding package for a historic PNG franchise.
PNG was originally a raging favourite to be the NRL’s next team but the Federal government is content with the Pacific bid receiving the 19th licence to buy extra time for setting up infrastructure.
That opens the door for Perth, backed by millions in funding from the West Australian government, to return to the NRL by 2027, most likely in union with the North Sydney Bears.
Influential Perth figures are in Sydney this week meeting with key stakeholders including potential bid partners Newtown Jets and North Sydney Bears.
It is understood Bears and Perth bosses are meeting on Thursday, aware of ARLC boss V’landys’ desire for the two parties to form a strike force in what has been termed a “perfect marriage”.
The Bears maintain support from the NRL’s top brass but there is a reluctance from the West Australian government to partner with the Bears.
The Jets are continuing to mount a strong push to align with Western Australia, with John Singleton’s representatives meeting with Perth officials on Wednesday.
Singleton has continued to give a multimillion-dollar commitment if Western Australia aligns with Newtown.
However, V’landys is a huge fan of North Sydney and believes the Bears’ heritage will give Perth instant gravitas, heritage and a latent supporter base that will attend NRL games in Sydney.
Norths chairman Daniel Dickson said recently the Bears could hit the ground running in the NRL with Perth.
“Perth has a great flavour and we’d be only too happy to march in that direction,” Dickson said.
“Our job is to be a ‘de-risk’ option for the NRL’s growth plan and by using our history and heritage, we will be a great inclusion to the game without having to start a new franchise with no identity.
“We could be up and running by 2027, no problems.”
Multiple bids are expected from New Zealand. There are three bids alone emanating from Christchurch, including the South Island Kea, led by former NRL boss David Moffett, and the South Island NRL bid which has the support of former Warriors coach Frank Endacott.
Another secret consortium of millionaire businessmen have also reached out to the NRL from the same region.
Other prospective bidders will include the Brisbane Tigers, who lost out to the Dolphins for the NRL’s 17th licence two years ago, and a surprise application from Fiji to broaden the code in the Pacific.
The parties will have a month to finalise their submission before the ARL Commission deliberates. That is expected to last up to two months with a final decision expected by October.
SINGO JOINS JETS’ EXPANSION PUSH
Millionaire adman John Singleton has sent a letter to the ARL Commission doubling down on his heavyweight financial support for the return of the Jets on the eve of a crucial meeting where the doors of Rugby League Central are expected to be thrown open to expansion bids.
Singleton told News Corp at the weekend that he was prepared to do “whatever it takes” to see the Jets moniker to top-flight rugby league and he has reiterated his backing of the foundation club as a minority partner in a consortium which would see a team based in Perth.
The Perth consortium, which has the backing of the WA government and potential investor Peter Cumins – the man behind Cash Converters – is at the front of the queue to join the NRL as the 18th team, potentially in 2027.
WA government officials have been in Sydney in recent days, where they have held meetings with Singleton as the iconic adman pitches for the Jets to be part of a partnership with WA that would see the foundation club revived.
WA officials have also held talks with North Sydney Bears, the preferred partner for the NRL and their broadcast partners given their return would ignite a supporter base that has laid dormant since they were kicked out of the competition.
The WA government’s priority is to go alone but there has been a strong push from the corridors of power at Rugby League Central for the Bears to be brought back as the game eyes off expansion.
WA officials have also met former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur in recent days, having previously held talks with Bulldogs head of football Phil Gould as they look to pick as many brains as possible in the lead to their potential return.
Those meetings have been held as the ARL Commission prepares to meet in Melbourne only hours before the second State of Origin game to discuss their expansion plans and begin outlining a road map to 20 teams.
They are expected to emerge from that meeting to call for expressions of interest from consortiums interested in being part of expansion – it is understood as many as 11 parties are waiting in the wings.
The return of a team in Perth and the addition of a side in Port Moresby are considered formalities, although they will need to go through the process and meet the criteria that the NRL will finalise on Wednesday.
That criteria is expected to call for consortiums to show how their addition to the competition will strengthen pathways, grow the game and appeal to broadcasters.
A final decision is expected to be made in September in the lead-up to the grand final, once the NRL and the ARL Commission have had time to digest the bid proposals and consult with clubs, players and broadcasters.
The NRL is intent on bringing the clubs on the expansion journey – they are expected to receive a financial sweetener in return for diluting their share in the ARL Commission by adding as many as three teams over the next decade.
Bid teams will also need to show they have the financial muscle to back a successful team, which makes Singleton’s last-ditch plea potentially decisive given he has deep pockets and a longstanding desire to see the Jets revived in some form.
Money won’t be an issue for the PNG bid either given they will be armed with a $600 million commitment from the federal government, the bulk of which will be spent on pathways in the Pacific and ensuring a team based out of Port Moresby is able to flourish.
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