![\"NRL](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_OH9_0371.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAndrew Abdo is in west Hull this evening<\/p>\n
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo talks to Sky Sports amid ongoing talks about a Super League-NRL Deal<\/p>\n
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo insists steps forward have been taken as they look to strike a deal with the RFL and Super League, but there are still things to iron out.<\/p>\n
Abdo is in England to meet with stakeholders and officials of the Northern Hemisphere game in order to accelerate the NRL’s push to secure a partnership and strengthen the game on a global scale.<\/p>\n
There has been growing optimism that a deal can be reached, with promises from leading figures in the game down under being made to stop club owners losing money and to cover the salary cap.<\/p>\n
Meetings have been held this week between the relevant parties and Abdo is at the MKM Stadium this evening to watch as Hull FC take on St Helens in round eight of Super League.<\/p>\n
And, speaking to Sky Sports, the chief executive gave an update on how talks between the Northern Hemisphere representatives and the NRL are progressing.<\/p>\n
“This trip has been about listening and learning and being cognisant of the fact that this is a complex stakeholder landscape, it’s different to Australia and we’re very respectful of that,” Abdo said while pitchside in west Hull. “It’s also understanding the different dynamics, the grassroots, the relationship with broadcasters, the relationship with government and how it all fits together.<\/p>\n
“We did take a few steps forward because there’s a common understanding of what our objectives are. In terms of the mechanics of the deal and that will fit together, there are a few things still to work through and I think that’s what we’re going to focus on in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
“It’s not about an offer, this about a partnership where we can collaborate on how we can grow the game and grow revenues and how can those revenues be pumped back into the game. That’s pretty nuanced and that’s something we have to develop together.”<\/p>\n
He added; “In any successful sport, you want to have a salary cap that allows you to attract the best athletes possible and you want clubs that are strong and sustainable.<\/p>\n
“It’s not sustainable to have private owners putting money in and it’s not sustainable to have an uneven competition so clearly there needs to be a strong investment back into the clubs to make sure they are sustainable. That is a key element of this and how much and how it fits together, we’re still working through that.”<\/p>\n
A key part of the partnership appears to be the introduction of an independent commission in the Northern Hemisphere, which would see stakeholders relinquish at least some control.<\/p>\n
“Like with any successful business, not just sport, you need good ideas, you need access to capital and you need the ability to execute,” Abdo added. “The ability to execute is really what we’re talking about in terms of governance, decision making.<\/p>\n
“The Australian Rugby League Commission is eight independent directors, those independent directors led by Peter V’landys, who is the chairman, are custodians for the game overall, the long-term strength of the game, not just the elite level but the grassroots and pathways and making sure the game is thriving.<\/p>\n
“That independent decision making is really what we are hopeful for here. You can get capital and invest but have you got the ability to make decisions that are important for the game long-term.”<\/p>\n
Abdo went on to outline the strategic importance of London and France in his thinking labelling the English capital as an ‘obvious’ place to look.<\/p>\n
However, he then went on to paint a picture of how the NRL sees the Super League in five years’ time, before underlining the need to strike a deal sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
“More showcasing of the game into new markets, that’s really important, the best possible athletes, more major events and a focus on the customer,” he said while explaining his vision. “Ultimately, it’s about fans. How do we win more fans and how do we keep growing the game? For that you have to have a sense of humility and you have to understand what the fans want.”<\/p>\n
Asked when we can expect a deal, he added: “I can give you the assurance that we are looking at his very carefully. It’s exciting and I’m optimistic about what this can do for the sport of rugby league. It has our attention and it has our focus. There are a few things that need to align on both sides. We’ll give it a red hot go but this is something that if it’s going to happen, it needs to happen over the next few weeks and months, not years.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrew Abdo is in west Hull this evening NRL CEO Andrew Abdo talks to Sky Sports amid ongoing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-535288","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","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}