The new RL Commercial Board have held their first formal meeting, heralding another significant step in a new era for Rugby League.
RL Commercial was formed in 2022 as part of the realignment between the Rugby Football League and Super League Europe, which also led to the unique 12-year partnership with IMG, who have been charged with working with RL Commercial on reimagining the sport.
The Board is chaired by Frank Slevin, with IMG Media represented by Ed Mallaburn, their Head of Sport.
They have been joined by Simon Johnson, the Chair of the RFL; Anna Chanduvi, the Sports and Entertainment Media Partnerships Lead at Meta; Peter Hutton, a vastly experienced sports media specialist who has held senior roles with Eurosport, Fox Sports and most recently Meta; and Jonathan Murphy, the CEO of the listed medical property specialists Assura who is also Chair of the North West Business Leadership Team.
The first Board meeting was held on Monday January 16 in Manchester, at the new headquarters for Rugby League which was opened on the Etihad Campus in 2022.
Frank Slevin said:
“We have assembled a high-calibre Board which offers a wide range of experience and expertise, and our first in-person meeting reflected a common desire to drive Rugby League to fulfil its commercial potential.
“It was important that we hit the ground running ahead of the February start to the 2023 season, and with memories still fresh of the Rugby League World Cup in the autumn of 2022.
“RL Commercial was born from the realignment of the sport which allows us to build on the successes of the World Cup, where we saw the value of the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair competitions running in parallel.
“We are determined to continue that momentum as we look forward to celebrating the inclusivity of our Super League and Challenge Cup competitions – in each case with Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair competitions, and not forgetting the Physical Disability and Learning Disability Super Leagues.
“That determination will be obvious when the 2023 competitions are formally launched over the coming weeks."
Clubs have today been informed of the next stages of IMG’s Reimagining of Rugby League.
Grading criteria will be presented at a Special General Meeting on March 9, with a number of consultation sessions scheduled for the next six weeks until another SGM, including a vote, on April 19.
