Australian clubs will consider purchasing or partnering with Super League franchises if the NRL takes over the running of the game in England.
The Australian Rugby League Commission tabled a $57 million offer to Rugby League Commercial [RLC] to purchase a 50 per cent stake in the Super League earlier this month. The proposal equates to $11.47 million a year for five years, which will increase the distributions to the clubs, many of which are in the red.
However, it has been reported in the UK that RLC is instead seeking a £50 million [$94 million] loan arrangement after the English clubs baulked at the original offer. Sources not authorised to speak publicly said the ARLC had provided the RFL with a detailed response to questions about the NRL’s plans for the game in the northern hemisphere, but that information hadn’t yet been circulated to the English clubs.
NRL clubs are watching with interest, with several believing an English club could be an astute investment if the NRL and the Super League can agree terms. Some Australian clubs may consider purchasing a partial stake or outright ownership of an English club, in the belief the value will increase once Super League is governed by the ARLC. Others could look at partnerships that would allow talent and expertise to be more easily spread between the hemispheres.
The Roosters have previously contemplated taking over Salford and rebranding the club the “Manchester Roosters”, while other Australian outfits are watching the English situation with interest should ownership opportunities arise.
“It’s a really interesting idea, but we’re not going to burn any energy on it until the NRL confirm they have management control of the league,” said South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly.
The majority owners of the Wests Tigers, the Holman Barnes Group [HBG], recently took over the running of the Central Coast Mariners women’s football team. Asked about a potential Super League acquisition, HBG chief executive Daniel Paton said: “We’re very open to exploring opportunities that could strengthen the Wests Tigers and Holman Barnes Group, but naturally anything we considered would need to stack up strategically and commercially.”
Canberra Raiders chief executive Don Furner ruled out his club making a “holus-bolus” purchase of an English franchise. However, he was open to the prospect of any arrangement that would be mutually beneficial for both parties if the NRL ran the Super League.
“You could say partnering and having a relationship would probably work better for us than [outright] ownership,” Furner said.
“We would be prepared to look at some type of partnership that could go both ways. We could potentially have some of our players loaned out over there or maybe some of their juniors could benefit from playing in our systems. It’s certainly worth exploring.”
The Melbourne Storm has been valued at $150 million after Swedish private equity firm EQT became a majority shareholder. Asked about the prospect of purchasing an English club, Storm chairman and co-owner Matt Tripp said: “We haven’t actually contemplated it, but under this new structure we have at the moment, never say never.”
Some of the English clubs are propped up by wealthy owners who would have no interest in selling out. However, others are likely to welcome a capital injection to stop their financial bleeding.
Even many of the more successful Super League clubs are in the red. Reigning premiers and World Club Challenge champions Hull KR reportedly posted an increase of net liabilities to ÂŁ8.1 million ($15.37 million) in their published financial accounts for 2025.
Some NRL and English clubs already have formal or informal relationships. For instance, the North Queensland Cowboys and Hull KR announced last year a partnership to develop “on and off-field pathways and working groups”. When both teams travelled to Vegas this year, they were involved in opposed training sessions in preparation for their respective matches at Allegiant Stadium.
An NRL club chief executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the NRL-Super League negotiations are ongoing, said: “There’s an opportunity to support, resource and partner in some shape. Whether that’s an acquisition or not is something to be explored when things happen with the NRL.”
Another NRL club chief executive added: “You would want to know that there’s a long-term future for the league over there, so the NRL managing or owning it would be a great outcome for the game.
“You would have to ask what ownership would get you that a partnership couldn’t. And how would it work if you were dealing with multiple clubs?”
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