NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has said progress has been made in talks to invest in the southern hemisphere outfit Super League, but insists he is interested in a “partnership” rather than an “acquisition”.
Abdo flew to the UK for face-to-face talks as speculation continues over the NRL’s investment in Super League, with the aim of bringing more funding to the sport in the northern hemisphere while maximizing its global presence.
Ahead of Thursday night’s Super League clash between Hull FC and St Helens, Abdo gave a wide-ranging interview to Sky Sports and spoke about a number of factors that could influence the situation, including whether club owners would need to relinquish control to facilitate investment in the NRL.
Below is the full transcript of how Abdo answered Sky Sports’ questions.
Why is the NRL interested in investing in Super League?
We truly believe in the globalization of rugby league. This is a great game and we want as many people as possible to enjoy it. We want to gain as many fans as possible. So while the game is growing very well in the Southern Hemisphere, we want to make sure it’s also strong here in the Northern Hemisphere. This game is very tribal. The Ashes tour was pretty special, but seeing British fans and Australian fans in Las Vegas together was incredible. It was a sign of synergy, a metaphor for the synergy of two sports coming together.
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Thousands of fans gathered on Fremont Street in Las Vegas for Hull KR vs. Leeds Rhinos
How does the NRL’s independent board leadership model work?
Success in business, not just sports, requires great ideas, access to capital, and the ability to execute. From a governance perspective, it is precisely the ability to execute that matters. Australia has the Australian Rugby League Board, which is made up of eight independent directors. These independent directors, led by Chairman Peter V’Landys, are the stewards of the game and strive to ensure that the game thrives at all levels. What we need is the ability to make decisions that are important to the long-term growth of the game, so that independent decision-making is expected here.
Should Super League adopt an independent commission?
We are still exploring. This trip was aimed at listening, learning and recognizing the fact that this is a complex stakeholder situation. It’s different in Australia and we respect that very much. We also understand the different dynamics at play here in terms of the grassroots, the relationship with broadcasters, the relationship with government, and how it all fits together. We have taken several steps forward because we have a common understanding of what the goal is. There’s still some work to be ironed out in terms of how the deal actually works and how it works together, but obviously that’s going to be our focus in the coming weeks.
Have you received any formal offers yet?
It’s not about the offer. This is about partnerships where we can work together on how we can grow the game, expand our revenue, and how we can put that revenue back into the game. It’s quite subtle and it’s something we need to develop together. Successful sports want vibrant, strong and sustainable clubs with salary caps that can attract the best possible athletes. It’s not sustainable for private owners to invest money, and it’s also not sustainable for unequal competition to continue. It is therefore clear that strong investment in clubs is needed to ensure they are strong and sustainable. That’s the key element here. How much and how everything fits together is still being worked out.
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Wakefield Trinity owner Matt Ellis has given his thoughts on a potential NRL-Super League partnership on The Bench podcast.
Will the NRL come to carry on and disrespect the history of Super League?
Absolutely not. This is not a takeover. This is a partnership. Rugby league is coming together. This is about the NRL and Super League coming together to strengthen the sport, not just here in England, France, Australia and New Zealand, but globally.
What do you think will happen to Super League in five years?
Introduce more games to new markets. That’s really important. We put the best athletes possible into the game, we host bigger events, and we focus on our customers. You can distill this all down to different objectives to satisfy many stakeholders, but ultimately it’s about the fans. How can we get more fans and continue to grow our game? We need to be humble and really listen to our fans to understand what they want.
When do offers come on the table?
I assure you that we are considering this matter very carefully. It’s very exciting. I’m optimistic about what this can do for the sport of rugby league in many ways. Therefore, it has our attention and focus. There are some things that need to be adjusted on both sides and we are committed to doing so, but if this is to happen, it needs to happen over the next few weeks and months, not years.
What does the RL commercial say? NRL wants ‘natural fit’, ‘significant influence’ on fees
Rhodri Jones, RL Commercial Managing Director…
“Andrew (Abdo) is here today and the meeting we had this afternoon shows their determination to make this happen.
“We were very positive about it and had a very positive afternoon. We have not received a formal offer.
“Right now, we don’t even have rough numbers. You talked to him about red lines. There are some red lines that we need to work on.
“They want to have a lot of influence over the committee and who is on that committee.
“What they probably don’t fully understand is how the governance structure of this country is structured.
“We have multiple organizations in the RFL, Super League and RL Commercial. When you get to a big topic like recapitalization it gets complicated.
“However, with hard work and more detailed work, some of these challenges can be overcome and the sport can get the right results it wants.
“The NRL one is a natural fit, they’re in the same sport but in a different hemisphere and they’re probably a little ahead of the other conversations we’re having and the close connections we’ve built over the last 12 months in particular, and that puts them in the driver’s seat.
“We have to make sure this is the best deal for the sport. The obvious one is the NRL deal, but we have other interests so we have to look at that.”
2026 Super League – Important dates and highlights
Paris Super League: Saturday 6 June: Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30pm UK (Sky Sports) Magic Weekend: 4 July – 5 July Rivals Round Reversal: 23 July – 26 July Elimination Play-offs: 19 September – 20 September Play-off Semi-Finals: 26 September – 27 September Grand Final: October 3rd, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will continue to broadcast every Super League match live this season. Exclusively live, including two matches from each round, the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
