NRL History & Structure
The National Rugby League was formed in 1998 under a partnership arrangement between the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd to administer the National Competition.
A Partnership Executive Committee, consisting of three representatives from News Ltd and three of the ARL, administers the agreement between the ARL and News Ltd and decides major financial issues.
The Partnership Executive Committee in turn commissions the National Rugby League Board to administer the competition. The NRL Board also consists of six members, three appointed by News Ltd and three by the ARL. One of the delegates from the NRL Board and one from the Partnership is nominated as Chairman of those bodies each year.
Each Chairman serves a term of only 12 months and the NRL partners rotate the right to appoint the incoming chairman at the end of that term. For instance, in a year where the ARL appoints the Chairman of the Partnership Committee then News Ltd will have appointed the Chairman of the Board. These roles reverse each year.
Approximately 35 staff members are employed at our headquarters in Sydney in seven different departments; CEO’s office, Football operations, Strategy & Special projects, Salary Cap & Registration, as well as Media, Marketing, and Finance.
The NRL markets the Telstra Premiership and Toyota Cup on behalf of the clubs, and organises the competition draw, finals matches and Grand Final. In association with the ARL, NRL staff also promote the Country v City Origin, State of Origin, the Centenary Bundaberg Test and the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.
The NRL provides referees for the matches and ensures judiciary procedures are in place.
Referees: Referees are hired directly by the NRL under the supervision of the Referees’ Coach who determines which referee is most suited to each game, both on the basis of form, experience and his opinion regarding which referee he believes is best suited to a particular match. < /p>
Affiliated bodies
The Clubs: Once the draw is finalized by the NRL and match days and times are allocated, the individual NRL clubs control all aspects of their individual home games. All game day revenue from these matches is controlled by the individual NRL club. The 15 clubs in the Telstra Premiership each have their own CEOs and organisational structure. They are bound to the NRL by club agreements and a common set of rules.
Judiciary: The Judiciary is an independent body. Each week all matches are reviewed by a Match Review Committee whose members have the task of deciding whether a player should be charged with an offence and, if so, the grading for that offence. The three-person Match Review Committee have the responsibility for reviewing incidents and laying charges. Bearing in mind that the referees have already picked up most incidents on the field, the match review system is designed as a safety-net. Once a charge has been set down for hearing, responsibility will be passed to the Judiciary Counsel who will independently present the case at the hearing.
Affiliated organisations
Australian Rugby League:
Responsible for the administration and management of the Kangaroos, State of Origin, other representative matches. The ARL also help co-ordinate all international competitions played in Australia plus junior development programmes and competitions including but not limited to the Australian Institute of Sport Rugby League Programme and Arrive Alive Cup.
ARL Development:
Charged with administering a co-ordinated national development and participation programme including Telstra Kids to Kangaroos. It maintains an online network for all junior organisations called LeagueNet and runs a team of 64 field officers engaged in ful ltime development through schools and coaching clinics around the co untry.
New South Wales Rugby League:
Responsible for the administration and management of the NSW State of Origin team, NSWRL State Cup, Jim Beam Cup, Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions, the NSWRL also oversees the running of junior and senior district league competitions within the state.
Queensland Rugby League:
Responsible for the administration and management of the Queensland Origin Team, Wizard State Cup competition and the various regional club and district competitions run within the state. The QRL also oversees all Queensland based development work.
Country Rugby League of NSW:
Administers and oversees the various country and regional competitions within NSW. The CRL also help co-ordinate the Jim Beam Cup and the newly formed Toyota Centenary Trophy.
Northern Territory Rugby League:
The NTRL is the governing body for the development of Rugby League in Northern Territory. The NTRL oversees the Darwin, Katherine and Central Australian club competition, as well as various school competitions around the state.
South Australian Rugby League:
The SARL is the governing body for the development of Rugby League in South Australia. The SARL oversees and co-ordinates the Adelaide based club competition, as well as various school competitions around the state.
Victorian Rugby League:
The VRL is the governing body for the development of Rugby League in Victoria. The VRL oversees the club competitions in Melbourne, Central Highlands and Goulburn Murray regions, as well as various school competitions around the state.
Western Australian Rugby League:
The WARL is the governing body for the development of Rugby League in Western Australia. The WARL oversees the competitions in Perth, Goldfields and Pilbarra regions, as well as various school competitions around the state.
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