London Broncos part-owner Gary Hetherington has shared his thoughts on the possibility of the NRL investing in rugby league in the northern hemisphere.
Hetherington, alongside Paul Caddick, helped transform Leeds Rhinos into one of the powerhouses of English rugby league but the sport on the whole in the northern hemisphere is miles behind the NRL in terms of financial power.
Having left Headingley, Hetherington is now involved with London Broncos as a part-owner alongside Grant Wechsel and Darren Lockyer who both have strong links to the NRL with the CEO of the Australian competition set to fly to England this week to start proper negotiations about a deal.
Appearing on Sky Sports’ The Bench Podcast, Hetherington was asked for his thoughts on the prospect of NRL investment in Super League with the 70-year-old admitting that whilst it’s obvious the competitions should work together, the NRL need to back up their talk.
He said: “They’ve talked a good game but they’ve not actually produced an offer to be considered but there’s no doubt that we do need a strategic partnership with the NRL, and they need one with us as well.
“There are only two competitions in the world and we need to actually come together and have a strategic plan for the game, and one for international football which is in many ways the low-hanging fruit.
“They’ve done a good job with that in the southern hemisphere but we need a much more robust plan than we have at present.”
Gary Hetherington gives verdict on reported NRL investment
NRL investment would likely mean Super League club owners to cede some control, however, there is much more to rugby league in the UK than just Super League with the RFL also needing to be looped into discussions.
Agreeing that NRL investment can be of huge benefit, Hetherington called on those involved in any discussions to actually formulate a ‘strategic plan’ than can advance the sport at all levels.
He explained: “I think there are a load of opportunities but it needs the NRL, the Super League and the RFL to come together to actually create this strategic plan.
“The investment would be welcome because our game does need external investment to fuel growth. That’s where I see NRL investment could be quite significant.”
Hetherington added: “This is not something that you’re going to sort out over a 20-minute chat. We need to bring together the people who actually know about the subject.”
Self-interest is something that NRL powerhouse Peter V’landys has warned Super League club owners against and Hetherington outlined his belief that decisions would be made for the good of the game.
“The people who own clubs in many ways are the custodians of the game,” he explained, adding: “They’re custodians of their own club but also of the game so whatever decision we make, we make in the best interest of the game and not just for a select number of clubs.
“To be fair to Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo, they’ve done an outstanding job in the southern hemisphere, so we need to welcome their ingenuity, their professionalism and their expertise but we’ve got to be mindful of our needs as well.”
