Golden Years: Thirty years on from the Super League Revolution

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Looking back from 2025 on the announcement of summer rugby on 8 April 1995, it is remarkable to think how far the sport has come. Back then, few people believed that the £87m from Sky Sports would actually transform a sport that was known but certainly not understood outside of the M62 corridor.

It is easy to imagine things turning out very differently to the way that they did. The decisive factor was that in those formative days the game's leadership was strong and strategic. Instead of allowing the new money to simply inflate player wages, they had a clear plan as to what they intended to do. It means that the last thirty years of rugby league in the UK have perhaps been a golden era to equal or better anything that preceded it, as it has become the clear rival to Premier League football in the UK.

Commercial Transformation

The £87 million Murdoch deal that kickstarted Super League in 1996 was just the beginning. By 2005, broadcast revenues had tripled as Sky Sports viewership figures consistently outperformed expectations. The revolutionary summer schedule created a clear window for rugby league to thrive without competing directly with football's winter dominance.

Corporate sponsorship flooded into the game at unprecedented levels. The Super League title sponsorship, initially valued at £1million annually, commanded £15million per season by 2015 as global brands recognised the sport's growing commercial appeal. Stadium naming rights and jersey sponsorships similarly exploded in value, creating sustainable revenue streams that clubs reinvested into facilities, development, and community programs. Let's have a look at some of the reasons why it has grown the way it has.

The Emergence of Wales

In the men's professional game, the core concept was to go beyond the petty domestic concerns and to meet the challenge of professional rugby union, by putting Wales, France, and London at the core of the strategy for professional rugby league. The success of the Welsh 1995 Rugby League World Cup team was capitalised on to the full. A large amount of the Murdoch money was ring-fenced to allow that squad to form the basis of the new Welsh Super League team.

With union converts such as Jonathan Davies, Scott Quinnell and Alan Bateman remaining within rugby league rather than taking offers to return to union, and with up-and-coming heritage players like Keiron Cunningham and Iestyn Harris, the Welsh Super League franchise became one of the flagship clubs of the new summer era.

The highlight for Wales was the 2013 World Cup, where Shaun Edwards, having turned down an offer to coach the union side in the early 00s, led them to their first World Cup final appearance, narrowly losing to Australia at a packed Old Trafford. The final broke viewing records in Wales, with 2.8 million viewers tuning in — the largest audience for any sporting event in Welsh broadcasting history outside of football and rugby union internationals.

Stars of the Welsh national rugby league side of the 2010s such as Sam Warburton, George North, Regan Grace and Gareth Bale remarked that it had been a close-run thing as to which of their childhood sports they had pursued as a career, but that they had never regretted their decision to choose 13 a side over 15 and 11.

The Rise of France

In France, the temptation to go for glamour in Paris was resisted and instead, in 1996, the Catalans Dragons joined Super League. Shortly afterwards, their success facilitated Toulouse joining the competition. And with two clubs playing on alternative weekends, a television deal in France was soon secured. The French domestic competition flourished, providing players and supporters for Toulouse and Catalans, and the French national team, alongside the Welsh national team, became the competition that England so desperately needed. By 2010, the TV audience for Super League matches in France regularly exceeded 1.5 million viewers, with Canal+ dedicating unprecedented resources to coverage.

Rugby league participation rates in southern France increased by 320% between 1995 and 2015, establishing a talent pipeline that ensured sustainable French representation at the highest level. The success of Wales and France led to even greater efforts in Scotland and Ireland to drive the development of the game forwards.

And so the Great Britain Lions concept survived the potentially fatal blow of the professionalisation of rugby union. Irish superstar Brian Carney commented that had things been different, he could have been the lone non-English member of the British Lions. Instead, Welshmen supported by Scots and Irishmen made it a distinctly different side to the England team that lined up in the European Tri-Nations.

London Calling

The London Broncos benefited enormously from the strategic approach. Rather than the boom and bust approach that could have befallen them, they were given time and space to develop, particularly at academy level. Strict quotas meant that by 2005, half of their squad was British born and many of those were London born. The conveyor belt of talent from the colleges and schools programmes has continued uninterrupted for the last thirty years. 

The Broncos' move to Millwall's rebuilt New Den in 2022 marked a watershed moment, regularly filling the venue and creating a southern stronghold that dramatically altered rugby league's national footprint, right in the heart of the capital. It has since become one of the 'bucket list' days out in rugby league, with the Bermondsey beer mile filled with rugby league shirts from across the world every other weekend.

Participation figures in Greater London rose from just 2,500 registered players in 1995 to over 45,000 by 2020, with outreach programmes reaching 70% of London's primary and secondary schools. Louder and louder are the calls for an Origin series to pit the best of the traditional heartlands of English rugby league against those from the new heartlands of the south.

The Rise of the Colliers

The issue of mergers was particularly controversial, but the sensitive handling meant that the initial fears of a loss of identity were overcome. Castleford, Featherstone and Wakefield could have been particularly problematic, but by approaching club legends like Alan Hardisty, Neil Fox and John Newlove, and by seeking community buy-in, the new Super League team 'the Colliers' attracted cautious support.

This was further secured when a sweetheart deal was reached to appease the remaining sceptics: the Colliers would have first call on the services of players from the Wakefield, Castleford and Featherstone region. This resulted in Paul Newlove being the star of the inaugural Colliers team and youngsters like Rob Burrow being the future foundation of their success. Coach John Kear led them to Challenge Cup glory in 1998 against Wigan (their semi-final opponent, Sheffield, would have to wait until the following year for their first ever major trophy).

The Colliers also attracted investment from a desperate Conservative Government trying to redeem themselves following public backlash over the closure of the mines in 1992. The investment helped to create the new Colliers Stadium, but did little for the Tories' electoral chances. However, once the Conservatives had committed funds, the new Labour Government were duty bound to follow. Many observers credited this with a new approach to revitalising the West Yorkshire economy.

With the Colliers Stadium came a refreshed approach to transport in West Yorkshire, resulting in improved rail services to the area, the much-delayed Leeds Supertram being built and Headingley being repurposed as the entertainment centre of the north of England. It was no surprise when Leeds United decided to build a super stadium there, in part financed by the sale of Elland Road.

The success of the Colliers also led to similar efforts in Cumbria, bankrolled by the nuclear industry. And the real genius was to present Super League not as a replacement of the Stones Bitter Championship, but instead as a distinct competition. Castleford, Featherstone and Wakefield were able to continue as stand-alone, semi-pro entities with many of their supporters attending Colliers matches on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and then supporting their traditional teams in the classic Sunday 3pm slot. Clubs such as Dewsbury, Hunslet, Swinton and Barrow all saw great success in this new competition. Super League and the Championship ran alongside as complementary — the best parts of the new and the old.

The Ashes

When Jason Robinson announced his commitment to rugby league in August 2000, declining an offer to switch to rugby union, few realised how profoundly this decision would alter the sporting landscape of both codes. "I want to beat the Aussies in an Ashes series," Robinson told the stunned press conference. "That's the one achievement missing from my career, and I won't leave until it's done."

As Great Britain and Australia prepared for the second Test at Bolton's Reebok Stadium during the 2003 series, the rugby world was already being reshaped. In Australia, the Rugby Union World Cup was underway, with England missing that X-factor that Robinson would have provided. They ultimately lost in agonising fashion in the final, with former league international Lote Tuiqiri providing the game's only try for the triumphant home side.

The burgeoning British game resulted in the much longed-for Ashes victory for the Lions in 2003. Every match went down to the wire, with each being won by the home side. Things might have been very different had Adrian Morley's high tackle in the first seven seconds of the first test not missed Robbie Kearns's head by a matter of millimetres. As it was, Great Britain won that game and the subsequent second and third Tests. And this was symbolic of the challenge laid down to the Australian game by their old rivals, now rejuvenated.

In his autobiography, Clive Woodward later wrote: 'Losing Jason Robinson was the single most significant factor in our World Cup failure. Without him, we lacked that match-winning spark.' Robinson's decision created a ripple effect throughout both codes.

Australia, Advance

Many Australian observers credit the aftershock of their 2003 Ashes defeat with accelerating their own development. The NRL expanded quicker than anyone dreamed, resulting in a conference system resembling that of the NFL with teams in Perth, Adelaide, a second team in New Zealand, a remarkable franchise in Papua New Guinea decades before anyone thought possible, and teams entering from Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. This established rugby league as the dominant code in the Pacific.

By 2008, World Cups were incredibly competitive. Australia, who had dominated the competition, now faced challenges from not just England and New Zealand, but Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Wales, France, and remarkably, Indigenous Australia — a bold new approach to international sport that broke out of the culturally dominant western mindset of nation and recognised one of the most ancient identities on the planet.

Australian crowds became rabid for the visit of the all-conquering British Rugby League Lions, savouring rare victories, barracking the seemingly invincible second generation half-back pairing of Owen Farrell and George Ford, and vocally questioning the eligibility of the rangy New Zealand-born centre Ben Stokes.

Global Expansion

With the success of rugby league evident everywhere, it was no surprise when the Toronto Wolfpack franchise was bought by a Hollywood consortium, headed by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. It had been brought to his attention by his rugby league playing cousin Taioalo 'Junior' Vaivai. And so the dream of North American involvement became a reality. When President Michelle Obama met the new British Prime Minister Kevin Sinfield, they were able to attend the World Club Challenge between London Broncos and the PNG Hunters, the centrepiece of the Vegas weekend. Sir Kevin remarked that as remarkable as his and his American counterpart's path to power had been, it paled beside that of the growth of rugby league in the first three decades of its second century.

The next chapter was clear — a greater than ever embrace of the possibilities offered by women's rugby league, wheelchair rugby league, physical and learning difficulties rugby league. The sport established for the working man was now finally doing justice to its claim to be a sport for all. Nothing less would do.

Looking Forward, Looking Back

Thirty years on, it can be difficult to imagine that rugby league in the UK could have gone down any other path. A 2024 economic impact study estimated rugby league's contribution to the UK economy at £2.8billion annually, supporting over 30,000 jobs directly and indirectly. The sport's transformation from regional curiosity to global phenomenon stands as one of the great success stories in modern sports business.

As we reflect on thirty years of Super League it is important to recall that in 1995, many thought the game was at death's door and that too many opportunities had been missed, too many wrong turns made. Many believed that a sport played in the North of England was too parochial and riven by vested interests to compete in a highly competitive market. If that seismic year proved anything, it is that it is never too late.

In 1995 it was not just the money that proved to be the turning point but the boldness of the action and the decision to invest in the long term.

Perhaps then the lesson to be learned for other sports is that whatever the situation, be it 1895, 1995, or 2025, it is never too late nor too early for vision to become reality, for potential to be unleashed, and for a sport's greatest chapters to begin with a single decision to choose ambition over acquiescence. ⬧

If you enjoyed this article, please consider donating in memory of Andrew Foster's son Rycroft — find out more about Rycroft's story and support SDS UK here.

Anthony Broxton is the author of 'Hope & Glory: Rugby League in Thatcher’s Britain'. Get one of the last remaining copies here.