Community Board statement on the season structureThe Rugby League Community Board has unanimously accepted the findings of a formal consultation and report on a possible change to the community game season structure.
The Community Board has agreed that it indicated a clear desire to work towards a March-November season and structure for the bulk of the community game.
Richard Lewis, Community Board Chairman said: “This is a significant step forward for the sport.
“The Community Board has reviewed the findings of the formal consultation which indicated strong preference for a March-November season in particular from the players involved in the winter game.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Rugby League and we will now move forward to the next stage of a fully integrated playing structure within our sport.”
The consultation involved both a telephone survey of players currently playing in the winter months and an online survey across the whole community game. The surveys were conducted by Vision Twentyone, a leading independent research company using recognised industry standards.
The Community Board accepts that some leagues will continue to play during the winter months and also that there are a number of detailed issues to work through.
These issues will be addressed as part of an ongoing consultation process and there will be a series of formal presentations to leagues and associations on the proposed structures over the next few months.
The Community Board will reconvene on July 16 to approve a timetable and action plan on how a March-November competition structure and framework could be implemented by 2012 at the earliest.
