Will the Expansion of the National Rugby League Continue?
By
Will Brown
Contributor Updated: 14 August 2024
Will Brown Contributor
William Brown is a Content Writer with strong expertise in US and global gambling industry trends. Having covered the local sports betting market since the repeal of PASPA in 2018, William approaches his gambling guides with passion and diligence. He is a keen player of online slots, blackjack, and a regular sports bettor.
Expansion of the National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is the top major professional rugby league in Australia, with 17 teams currently playing in the lineup. As the sport’s popularity grows, the question of where an expansion of the National Rugby League (NRL) should be continues to be debated. While some look to greater representation in Australia’s remote areas, others are bidding for representation in nearby Pacific nations such as New Zealand and Fiji. We’ve discussed these potential new teams in this guide.
Why Launch a New NRL Team?
The NRL is extremely popular in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales, and retains a passionate fanbase. To kick off this guide, we’ve provided a background into the current iteration of the NRL, including details about its newest teams and why an expansion is viable.
From there, we’ve discussed the challenges new teams face to launch. We’ve moved on to discuss the potential locations for a new NRL team based in Australian states or nearby nations. This information can be especially helpful when placing team and player prop bets at rugby betting sites.
- Background to the NRL Expansion
- Challenges for New Teams
- Potential South Australian Team
- A New Queensland Team
- New South Wales Bid
- 18th Team in Western Australia?
- Foreign Nation Teams
Background for the Proposition of the Next NRL Team
The NRL was formed in 1998 after two major leagues, the Australian Rugby League and the Super League, merged to bring the best rugby teams together. In addition to Australian teams that hail from the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, there is also a team that represents New Zealand.
Over the past two decades, the league has undergone a continuous expansion, with the largest fanbases in Queensland and New South Wales. The latest figures indicate that as of 2023, 7.2 million Australians support an NRL team, which represents roughly one-third of the nation’s population. This is a growth of more than 11% from the previous year.
Therefore, the expansion of the National Rugby League is a very viable proposal. Since 2000, two teams have joined the league. These include the Gold Coast Titans in 2007 and the Redcliffe Dolphins in 2023. Interestingly, both teams hail from the state of Queensland, and both have already developed strong fanbases.
Challenges and Considerations
As the league looks to create its next NRL team, several challenges and considerations must first be addressed. In many instances, these relate to the financial viability of launching a new franchise. Additionally, new teams are faced with the task of building a new fan base.
When bidding for a team, a city or region must prove that they have the population size, economic stability, and sporting infrastructure to support teams. If there is no infrastructure, they must prove that they have the means to build quality stadiums that meet NRL standards, with comfortable experiences for fans and players.
If a team is to be established, it must have considerable financial backing, which can ensure that it can develop and procure talent and be sustainable. This could include securing sponsorship or merchandising agreements. Talent is an essential ingredient to a team’s success, so programs should exist to nurture up-and-coming stars.
Of course, no sports team can be successful without a passionate community of fans before them. Creating teams in cities where a team already plays can be risky, as it may require the siphoning of fans of other established teams. Alternatively, if a city does not have a strong rugby league culture, it risks being ignored by the community.
Potential Teams by Australian Region
For logistical reasons, there remains a strong likelihood that the 18th NRL team will be based in Australia. Not only is this more economically viable for the league and teams, but it has also proven successful in the past. In this section, we’ve looked at the potential new teams based in Aussie states.
South Australia
South Australia is currently not represented in the National Rugby League, making it a great option for a new NRL team. The state’s capital, Adelaide, once was home to the Rams, which played for only one season in 1998. This was the inaugural season of the revamped NRL, and due to their lack of success, the team dropped out.
If Adelaide were to launch a team, it would open up a whole new market to the sport with plenty of growth potential. It would also legitimize the league further as a national contest. The city is already home to high-quality stadiums and infrastructure to support a budding team.
However, South Australia is known to be a heartland for the competing Australian Football League (AFL), so there may be challenges in developing a fan base. A new team would require strategic planning and a marketing blitz to drum up excitement.
Queensland
With four teams already calling the state home, the NRL is essentially considered to be the state sport of Queensland. Despite its saturation, there is a push to launch a new team in the state’s capital of Brisbane. With the city undergoing major development in preparation for the upcoming 2032 Olympic Games, it certainly will have the infrastructure.
In 2021, the Brisbane Tigers, a minor league team, bid for inclusion into the NRL. While it was defeated by the Dolphins, a team located just north of the city, the Tigers announced another bid in May 2023. It would require changing its name, as the Wests Tigers are a Sydney-based team already competing in the NRL.
New South Wales
A very safe suggestion as a location for the expansion of the National Rugby League is the state of New South Wales (NSW). The state capital of Sydney is already home to nine teams, which represents more than half of the current league lineup. With one in the coastal city of Newcastle and another in the nearby capital territory, NSW is the heartland of the NRL.
In 2021, a minor league team called the North Sydney Bears stated plans to rejoin the NRL, having left the league as the Northern Eagles in the early 2000s. The bid would see the team represent several regional towns in the area north of Sydney such as the Central Coast, a populated area with no representation in the NRL yet.
Western Australia
There is a strong argument to be made about seeing the next NRL team launch in Western Australia. Like South Australia, it is a populated region that does not have a team in the league. Its capital of Perth is also the largest Australian city without a team.
Over the past decade, numerous bids have been made to bring the sport to Perth, with a sizable population and strong economy available to support an expansion. This has seen several former New South Wales teams express an interest in relaunching in Perth. The biggest challenges remain building a stadium and developing community awareness.
Foreign Nation Teams
Despite not conquering every state and region in Australia, there has been a growing push to see the NRL expansion 18th team launched in a nearby Pacific nation. These include New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. We’ve looked at each prospect below.
New Zealand
One of the most logical propositions for the expansion of the National Rugby League is in New Zealand. Currently, the country is only represented by the New Zealand Warriors, which is based in the major city of Auckland.
As Auckland is situated in NZ’s North Island, there are calls to launch a South Island Team. This could include a team in the city of Christchurch or Dunedin. Alternatively, a team in the North Island city of Wellington, which is the nation’s capital, has been suggested under the name of the Wellington Orcas.
Fiji
In early 2024, the government of Fiji approved a bid to secure an NRL license. Rugby is the most popular sport in Fiji, making the nation a logical decision. With a population of roughly one million people and a developed rugby infrastructure, a new team would be a local sensation.
Papua New Guinea
Like Fiji, rugby is Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) most popular sport. The nation already has a team playing in a minor rugby league and Australia’s federal government is working on plans to provide $600 million in funding for a new team The PNG’s Prime Minister expects a decision by 2025, so this could very well be the 18th NRL team.
