European Rugby League
Rugby league governing body
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The European Rugby League (ERL) (previously Rugby League European Federation (RLEF)) is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe.[1] In the absence of other continental federations, ERL also controls rugby league in North America the Middle East and Africa through its sub-branches Americas Rugby League and Middle East-Africa Rugby League.[2]
| |
| Abbreviation | ERL |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1 January 2003 |
| Type | Sports Confederation |
| Headquarters | Manchester, England |
Region served | Europe (primary) North America, Africa, Middle East (via sub-branches) |
| Membership | 7 Full, 19 Affiliate, 16 Observer |
Official language | English, French |
Chairman | Dean Andrew OBE |
General Manager | David Butler |
Parent organization | International Rugby League |
| Website | www |
History
The federation was founded January 2003 following an initiative between Richard Lewis, Executive Chairman of Great Britain's Rugby Football League (RFL) and his French counterpart Jean Paul Ferre of the French Rugby League Federation (FFR).[3] The RLEF's first constitution was approved in January 2004 and the federation's first Board of Directors was elected.[3] This first Board of Directors consisted of Jean Paul Ferre as Chairman and Richard Lewis as Deputy Chairman, with Nigel Wood and Nicolas Larrat being the other Board members.[3] Representatives for Morocco, Italy, Serbia, Russia, Lebanon, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales attended.[3] Russia became a full member of the RLEF, joining Britain and France, and the RLIF soon after.[3]
At the time of its foundation, the RLEF placed a "particular emphasis on generating development funding within each country".[3] Historically, much of the development work conducted in Europe had been funded by the RFL.[4] Following the profitable 2008 World Cup, the RFL and RLEF prepared to bid for funds to enhance their activities.[4]
2004 saw the revival of the Rugby League European Championship, now ran by the RLEF.
In December 2009, Kevin Rudd, a former Scotland rugby league international, stepped down as Executive Officer of the RLEF after more than five years in the post.[5] RLEF Chairman Richard Lewis stated that Rudd "has done an outstanding job and created a platform, structure and competitions framework that can take us into the future".[5] Rudd was succeeded by Danny Kazandjian.[6] Kazandjian had previously been a key figure in the establishment of rugby league in Lebanon and had led the RLEF's development drive in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions as Director of Development for the Euro-Med region.[6]
In 2011, the RLEF introduced two sub-branches – Americas Rugby League and Middle East-Africa Rugby League – to further develop rugby league in those regions.[2]
In 2021, The RLEF was renamed to the European Rugby League in line with the RLIF's renaming to the International Rugby League.[7]
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Rugby League banned Russia from all international rugby league competitions.[8]
Competitions
| Competitions | Champion | Title |
|---|---|---|
| European Championship |  France(2018) |
8th |
| European Championship B |  Serbia(2021) |
4th |
| European Championship C |  Greece(2019) |
2nd |
| European Championship D |  Netherlands(2021) |
1st |
| Under-19 European Championship |  England(2024) |
2nd |
| Balkans Cup | Serbia (2017) |
2nd |
| Nordic Cup |  Norway(2017) |
3rd |
| Americas Championship |  Jamaica(2018) |
1st |
| MEA Championship |  Nigeria(2022) |
2nd |
ERL board
- As of 6 January 2025[9]
| Member | Representation | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Dean Andrew (Chairman) | Independent Directors | England |
| Tatiana Doncaster | England | |
| Brian Juliff | Member Elected Director |  Wales |
| Jim Reynolds |  Ireland | |
| Ileana Iacopetti |  Italy | |
| Alison O'Brien | RFL Appointed Director | England |
| Gilles Dumas | FFRXIII Appointed Director | France |
Membership
Currently seven nations are full members of the federation; there are also nineteen affiliate members and sixteen official observers. Full members are entitled to a greater proportion of voting rights and to become members of the Rugby League International Federation.
In order to become an associate member, a nation must meet the following criteria:
- Implementation of a constitution and rules that commit the governing body to acting in the best interest of rugby league, throughout the whole of their country.[3]
- Production of an annual financial report.[3]
- Running a league competition with at least four teams.[3]
- Implementation of a junior development programme.[3]
- The production of a Business Development Plan outlining an organisation's future aims, including aims to find part funding for staff positions.[3]
- A communications strategy.[3]
- An administrators, match officials and coach education strategy.[3]
The ERL stipulates that continued associate and full membership of the federation is subject to a check every two years to ensure that the minimum criteria are still being met.[3]
Full members
| Association | National teams | Founded | Affiliation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Wheelchair | IRL | ERL | ||
| Rugby Football League |
England | England | England | 1895 | 1948 | 2003 |
| Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII |
France | France | France | 1934 | 1948 | 2003 |
| Jamaica Rugby League Association |
Jamaica | Jamaica | – | 2004 | 2013 | 2004 |
| Serbian Rugby League |
Serbia | Serbia | – | 2004 | 2012 | 2004 |
 South African Rugby League |
South Africa | – | – | 1998 | 1998 | 2012 |
 Ukrainian Federation of Rugby League |
Ukraine | – | – | 2008 | 2013 | 2013 |
| Wales Rugby League |
Wales | Wales | Wales | 2005 | 2010 | 2010 |
Affiliate members
Official observers
Albanian Rugby League
Bosnia and Herzegovina Rugby League Association
Bulgarian Rugby League Federation
Burundi Rugby League
Cote D'Ivoire Rugby League XIII
DR Congo Rugby League XIII
El Salvador Rugby League
Hungarian Rugby League Federation
Libya Rugby League Association
Montenegro Rugby League
Palestinian Rugby League
Polska Rugby XIII
Sierra Leone Rugby League
Asociación Española de Rugby League
Sweden Rugby League
Rugby League Uganda
Former members / observers
- Affliate
- Observers
Austria Rugby League[12]
Belgium Rugby League Association[10]
Rugby League Association of Catalonia[13]
Dansk Rugby League[10]
Estonia Rugby League Federation[14]
Ethiopia Rugby League[10]
Georgia Rugby League[15]
Federația Româna de Rugby XIII
Portuguese Rugby League Association[12]
Saudi Arabian Rugby League Association[16]
Trinidad & Tobago Rugby League Association[11]
Emirates Rugby League[17]
