Fiji formally joins landmark Pacific Rugby League Partnership
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Fiji has officially joined the Pacific Rugby League Partnership after Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Minister for Youth and Sports Jese Saukuru formally signed the Statement of Intent in Parliament.
The signing marks an important milestone in the development of stronger rugby league ties between Australia and Fiji, and reinforces Fiji’s role as a key partner in the future of Pacific rugby league.
Australian Rugby League Commission Commissioner Peter Beattie AC visited Fiji to meet with the Fijian Government and support the formalisation of Fiji’s participation in the partnership.
The visit provided an opportunity to engage directly with Prime Minister Rabuka and Minister Saukuru, discuss Fiji’s priorities and ensure Fiji’s interests are reflected in the delivery of the partnership.
Fiji now joins Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga as partners in the landmark Pacific Rugby League initiative.
The Pacific Rugby League Partnership is a historic initiative between the ARLC, the Australian Government, Pacific Governments and the rugby league federations of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
The partnership will deliver five key outcomes:
- stronger federations and clubs
- safe and accessible community and school competitions
- greater community cohesion, gender equality and inclusion
- Pacific-led talent pathways
- sustainable elite and international rugby league.
Supported by a $250m investment by the Australian Government - a key part of the broader $600m commitment, which includes support for the entry of the PNG Chiefs into the NRL in 2028 - the partnership will grow rugby league across the Pacific.
Key areas of investment will include pathways, academies, high-performance programs and community participation.
For Fiji, the partnership will help strengthen rugby league from grassroots through to the international level, working closely with the Fiji National Rugby League.
Commissioner Beattie said the partnership is about more than elite rugby league. It will use the sport to support community participation, inclusion, gender equality, wellbeing and stronger connections across communities.
A major focus will be schools and young people, creating opportunities for both boys and girls to participate in rugby league from an early age.
"We will work with the Fiji government, and we will work with local community and schools to deliver these programs," he told reporters in Fiji.
"This partnership is a commitment from the Australian Rugby League Commission that we are committed to actually delivering the programs here in Fiji. That's the significance of it.
"We are advancing the women's game, along with the men's game, and of course there will be hosting (of games) in the future. That has to be all worked out.
"But what's important is what we do in schools, what we do to encourage young people to get involved, because if you're involved in sport, you are doing some physical activity and you are healthier.
"Rugby league is not just about the sport, it's actually about advancing health and making sure that kids and children who are involved in sport are happy and healthy."
