{"id":272639,"date":"2025-07-18T17:52:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/272639\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T17:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T17:52:12","slug":"nigel-wood-on-the-size-of-super-league-and-future-of-french-clubs-total-rugby-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/272639\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigel Wood on the size of Super League and future of French clubs \u2013 Total Rugby League"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NIGEL WOOD says there is no definitive answer to the ideal number of Super League teams and that the size of the top flight should be \u201cfluid\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The new RFL chair \u2013 appointed by RFL Council members on Tuesday \u2013 has a large in-tray including the financial state of the British game, its relationship with the NRL and the future shape of its top division.<\/p>\n

Those issues form part of the strategic review that Wood, who is also chair of Rugby League Commercial, began in March and will deliver by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

Speculation has been rife recently that Super League could expand from twelve teams, as soon as next year.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the League Express Podcast<\/a>, Wood said no decision on the matter has yet been made.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe discussion on the size of Super League is an ongoing one. Everyone has a view on that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a case of what the right size should be, it\u2019s also about when that could and should happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a decision that resides with the Super League clubs. There are a myriad of views \u2013 some believe it should be concentrated into fewer clubs, some people think there should be a growth agenda and new markets embraced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have to make sure that whatever decision the sport comes up with is evidence-based. There are complications with contraction, and if we want to make the sport an investable proposition it needs to be the best version it can be of itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the right size of Super League has to be fluid, based on the quality of the potential clubs capable of playing in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we don\u2019t want to do is predetermine a number, whether that\u2019s 14, 16, 18 or 20, and then just start populating them without an eye on what the quality of those clubs would be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is Super League has to be high-quality. That means proper facilities, proper stadia, playing in front of 10,000 people, and businesses that can generate sufficient revenue to spend at salary cap, produce talent and provide compelling entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t rush to go to 14 or 16 if to do so puts at risk the overall quality of the league, but at the same time most people accept twelve isn\u2019t the right number when you have loop fixtures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy own view is that if you are good enough for Super League, we should find room for you in Super League.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another much-debated topic is the future of French clubs within the RFL league structure, with some clubs known to harbour doubts about the value of Catalans Dragons \u2013 part of Super League since 2006 \u2013 and Toulouse Olympique.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a French club was admitted, the objectives were threefold,\u201d explained Wood.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne was to strengthen the French national team. The second was to unlock the European market in terms of broadcast and commercial revenues. And the third one was to give British supporters an away destination that wasn\u2019t between the Humber and Mersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is, 20 years on, have those objectives been delivered? I\u2019d probably argue the last one has \u2013 most supporters enjoy that trip and place a high value on that trip \u2013 but for the other two objectives I don\u2019t think they have been met yet, and that\u2019s disappointing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything, the French national team has gone backwards. It was ranked fifth or sixth in the 2000s, and two decades later it\u2019s only just in the top ten.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is a role for clubs in the elite British competition, but it has to be done on the right terms and we have to make sure that we all understand what we\u2019re trying to get out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe principal paymaster of the British game is broadcast, together with the owners who are picking up the tab. We have to recognise that at the moment there isn\u2019t a broadcast deal coming out of France which we all have to work to deliver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in supporting international rugby league and I believe in supporting French rugby league specifically. I think there\u2019s a role for French rugby league in the British pyramid. We just have to make sure the terms are right for both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the full podcast with Nigel Wood here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NIGEL WOOD says there is no definitive answer to the ideal number of Super League teams and that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4102],"tags":[4151,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-272639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114875514558102692","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}