Rugby league can be the Gaelic Football of the M62 corridor say RL Commercial

It has often been suggested that Super League needs to expand beyond the M62 corridor with suggestions that IMG are keen to expand the sport to new areas.

However, an update from RL Commercial has rejected this:

“I think if we’ve got a top league of 10, 12, 14, 16 Grade A Star licenced clubs then that’s success. Where they are, does it matter?

“They’re being graded against criteria that we all believe in so it could be across the M62, could be Newcastle, could be York, Midlands, London etc.”

They even suggested that rugby league could become the Gaelic Football of the north of England:

“The one example that gets talked about in my circles is the GAA (Gaelic Football), they’re in Ireland and don’t look to go any further than Ireland. They’re very good and very strong in Ireland, why can’t we be the same as the GAA in the north of England for example. So it doesn’t matter where the clubs are, as long as they are A Star clubs.

“There was always a view that Sky liked a club in London but I’ve not seen that in the last five to ten years, so I think they just want to see a sport that is thriving, ambitious and has got a good product, not just on the field but around the field as well.”

That said, catchment is still key to the IMG grading for licencing:

“Catchment is the word and you can throw 10 different things that can make up the definition of catchment, so it will be part of the criteria.”