| Australian Rugby League (ARL)[1] | |
|---|---|
Logo ARL |
|
| Founded | 1924 |
| RLIF affiliation | 1948 |
| Responsibility | Australia |
| Key people | Colin Love (1999–) (Chair) Geoff Carr (Chief Executive) |
| Website | www.AustralianRugbyLeague.com.au |
|
As of 30 June 2009
|
|
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and the Queensland Rugby League (QRL). The ARL Board comprises three members from the NSWRL, three members from the QRL and a chairman who holds the casting vote.
Since its inception the ARL has administered the Australian national team and represented Australia in international rugby league matters. During the Super League war of the mid-1990s the ARL also administered Australia's club premiership until the National Rugby League was formed.
It is anticipated that, from 2012, the newly restructured Australian Rugby League will resume full control of administering the code of Rugby League in Australia. As part of the process for the formation of an independent commission to run the game, the Board of the Australian Rugby League and News Limited, will hand control to the restructured body. As at July 2011, negotiations to this effect are nearing completion.
Contents |
The Australian Rugby League Board of Control (later the Australian Rugby League) was formed in December 1924 to administer the running of the national team. George Ball was the first secretary of the Board and John La Maro the first chairman. Prior to this time, international rugby league was organised by both the NSWRL and the QRL. It was only after this time that the Australian team began to wear the now familiar sporting colours of Green and Gold. During this period it as known as the ARFL, (Australian Rugby Football League).
Until 1984 the ARL was run by the NSWRL, and many Queensland players and administrators throughout this period believed that the NSWRL used this power to the detriment of Queenslanders, especially with respect to national team selection. The ARL was duly incorporated, as a separate entity, and Ken Arthurson was the first executive chairman of the new body.
The premier first-grade rugby league competition in Australia had been run by the New South Wales Rugby League from the first season in 1908 until the end of 1994. With further expansion of the competition nationwide implemented for the 1995 season the NSWRL passed, to the ARL, control of the Winfield Cup competition, following the inclusion of teams from Perth, Townsville and Auckland.
Following Kerry Packer's announcement that his Optus Vision company owned both free-to-air and pay television broadcasting rights for the sport in Australia, News Corporation, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, undertook a bold bid to create a rival competition, Super League (Australia). Super League successfully attracted eight of the ARL clubs.[2]
In the State of Origin series of 1995, the ARL forbade the players of those eight clubs from participating in the interstate competition. However, those clubs were allowed to participate in the premiership seasons of 1995 and 1996, while the ARL fought in the courtroom to stop the Super League competition from eventuating. However, Super League conducted a rival competition in 1997.
Both the ARL and Super League competitions ran parallel to each other that year. At the close of the season, despite having the financial backing of Optus, the ARL decided that it was not in the best interests of the game to run two competitions and undertook moves to approach News Corporation and invite the traditional clubs back into the main competition. As a consequence of the negotiations that followed, the National Rugby League was formed before the 1998 season from the ARL and Super League competitions.
| Season | Grand Final Information | Minor Premiers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiers | Score | Runners-Up | ||
| 1995 | Sydney Bulldogs | 17–4 | Manly-Warringah | Manly-Warringah |
| 1996 | Manly-Warringah | 20–8 | St. George | Manly-Warringah |
| 1997 | Newcastle Knights | 22–16 | Manly-Warringah | Manly-Warringah |
The ARL remains responsible for administering all aspects of the game of rugby league in Australia and conducting representative rugby league matches including, State of Origin competition, the New South Wales City-Country competition and the national team, the Kangaroos.
The Australian Rugby League's major elite competition in Australia, the National Rugby League (NRL), is conducted as a partnership with News Limited as a result of the events following the Super League war of 1995–1997.
The National Rugby League, as of 2011, is administered under a partnership agreement between the Australian Rugby League and News Limited. While final negotiations are underway, it is expected that from before the start of the 2012 Rugby League season, this partnership will be dissolved.
Under the plan agreed in principle by both current partners of the National Rugby League competition, the Australian Rugby League will not be wound up. Rather, the same body will undergo a corporate restructure, and the same legal entity will become the independent commission - thus maintaining continuity and tradition in terms of the game's administration, since 1924.
All clubs in the current NRL premiership will become voting members of the ARL Commission, along with the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League. Eight independent Commissioners have been selected and publicly announced. They are:
John Grant, who was a member of Australia's 1972 World Cup team squad and heads the IT company Data#3;
Harris Farm Markets chairwoman and founder Catherine Harris;
Brand strategist Ian Elliot;
Leighton Holdings executive director and chief financial officer Peter Gregg;
Former Qantas Airways and SOCOG chairman Gary Pemberton;
CSR chairman Jeremy Sutcliffe;
League great and management consultant Wayne Pearce, and;
Indigenous education leader Dr Chris Sarra.
As at July 2011, it is believed that the only remaining legal obstacle to the ARL Commission being officially declared, is the request by the NRL clubs that News Limited agrees that it will not establish a rival, Super League style premiership to the new independent premiership.
It has yet to be decided if, in line with the restructure, the premiership competition itself will be rebranded as the Australian Rugby League, or will retain the current title, the National Rugby League.
ARL Development is a non-profit company formed by the ARL to develop the sport from an introductory level to the age of 18 years. In achieving this, ARL Development has developed new modified codes that gradually introduce children to rugby league. This is done by restricting the rules and then gradually releasing these restrictions.
The two introductory modified codes currently in use are mini footy and mod league. On completion of mod league, players make a move to full international rugby league laws.
The Affiliated States Championship is an annual competition run by the Australian Rugby League involving the four affiliated states (Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia) plus the Australian Police and Australian Defence Force.
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||