Papua New Guinea will be granted NRL licence with historic expansion bid getting green light
Papua New Guinea is finally set to be granted an NRL licence, with their historic expansion bid given the green light after more than a decade of negotiations with the Pacific nation.
Brent Read
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2 min read
December 12, 2024 - 8:43AM
News Sport Network
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NRL: Papua New Guinea are reportedly set to be granted a NRL license, with the Australian government set to sign off on $600M in funding in order to get the franchise up and running.
Papua New Guinea will be granted an NRL licence on Thursday as their historic expansion bid gets the green light after more than a decade of negotiations with the Pacific nation.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape is due to visit Sydney and barring any 11th hour breakdown in negotiations, he and Anthony Albanese will front the official announcement.
It is understood the NRL was still locked in delicate talks late on Wednesday over the expansion bid, raising fears the announcement may need to be postponed.
However, officials told this masthead they were confident they would be able to resolve the outstanding issues and the announcement would go ahead as planned, ending the nation’s concerted bid for their own team.
“There is no country on earth that is more passionate, including Australia, than PNG when it comes to rugby league,” Prime Minister Albanese said in September.
Papua New Guinea’s historic NRL expansion bid is expected to be given the green light, with an official announcement set for Thursday. Picture: Getty Images
PNG, which is the only nation to claim rugby league as its national sport, would be the second overseas country to be included in the competition following the addition of New Zealand’s Warriors franchise in 1995.
The PNG government recently allocated more than $150m for a “bid support program” to back the introduction of a new NRL club by 2028, with the funds to be spent on infrastructure, elite sports development and increasing participation in the code over the next four years.
The Australian government has already committed $600m over 10 years toward the expansion venture, which is seen as an important deepening of diplomatic ties with PNG given China’s increased attempts to influence the Pacific region.
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape is due to visit Sydney for an official announcement. Picture: AFP
It is not yet known whether PNG will be the NRL’s 18th or 19th team, given the possibility of another side – possibly from Perth – being added to the competition as early as 2027.
The concept was initially broached with the NRL more than a decade ago but has gathered steam over the past two years as the federal government uses rugby league to strengthen its ties in the Pacific.
The game’s existing 17 clubs are set to benefit financially from expansion as they prepare to share in a large chunk of the $600 million commitment from the federal government.
Over $60 million is set to be shared among the 17 clubs with the payments to be staggered over three years. They will receive an initial payment of close to $2 million with the remainder to be staggered over a two-year period.
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