NRL Chairman V’landys Warns Super League Faces ‘Crash’ Without Revenue Growth
Peter V’landys, Chairman of the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia, has cautioned that Super League is at risk of failure without a clear plan to considerably increase revenue and viewership. V’landys voiced his concerns following AustraliaS 26-6 victory over England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, where a record crowd of 60,812 attended the Rugby League ashes Test.
V’landys emphasized the importance of self-reliant decision-making within the sport, stating, “You’ve got to have independent decision making, as the independent decision making always acts in the best interests of the game as a whole and not for individual interest groups.”
He criticized Super League’s recent expansion to 14 teams, questioning whether it will translate to increased broadcast revenue, viewership, or participation. “Are they going to get extra broadcast revenue? Are they going to get extra eyeballs? Are they going to get extra participation? That hasn’t been explained,” V’landys said. “There’s been no plan. They’ve got to have a road map and a plan moving forward for the next 10 years.As 10 years comes very quickly and unless you have that plan, you’re going in all directions with no purpose.”
V’landys specifically highlighted the missed prospect to include a London-based team in the expanded Super League, arguing, “London should have been the first one that they picked, as if you’re going to market something, you’ve got to market to a populous city.” He noted the potential for increased sponsorship and revenue with a London franchise. London Broncos, backed by Australian investment including Kangaroos legend Darren Lockyer, were overlooked in favor of Bradford Bulls, Toulouse, and York following a grading system review. The Broncos had already appointed Jason Demetriou as head coach on a three-year deal and secured signings of former Australia international Reagan Campbell-gillard and Tonga hooker Siliva Havili prior to the proclamation.
While acknowledging improvements in attendance and ratings,V’landys stressed the need for a ”very strong financial base,” which he believes is currently lacking. He added,”They haven’t got the structure right at the moment to be able to take the product forward.”
V’landys stated he and others were present ”out of loyalty to Mike Danson and Simon Moran to listen, and if there is a way we can help, we will help. But we’re not here to force ourselves on anyone or be part of anything. We’re here to listen and hopefully be able to assist.”
