RLEF
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; 21 years ago (2003-01-01) |
| Type | Sports Confederation |
| Headquarters | Manchester, England |
Region served | Europe (primary) North America, Africa, Middle East (via sub-branches) |
Membership | 11 Full, 16 Affiliate, 20 Observer |
Official language | English, French |
Chairman | Maurice Watkins CBE |
General Manager | David Butler |
Parent organization | International Rugby League |
| Website | www |
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 | 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 |
| Balkans Cup | Serbia (2017) |
2nd |
| Nordic Cup |  Norway(2017) |
3rd |
| Americas Championship |  Jamaica(2018) |
1st |
| MEA Championship |  Nigeria(2022) |
2nd |
Current board
| Member | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Graeme Thompson | Interim Chairperson |  Scotland |
| Paul Nicholson | Independent Director |  Wales |
| Mahdi Choudhury | Independent Director |  England |
| Brian Juliff | Member-Elected Director | Wales |
| Gurol Yildiz | Member-Elected Director |  Turkey |
| Alison O'Brien | RFL-Appointed Director | England |
| Luc Lacoste | FFRXIII-Appointed Director | France |
Former members: Chairperson: Maurice Watkins England, Board Member: Blagoje Stoiljkovic Serbia
Currently eleven nations are full members of the federation; there are also fifteen affiliate members and nineteen 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 team | Founded | IRL affiliation | ERL affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby Football League | England |
1895 | 1948 | 2003 |
| Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII | France |
1934 | 1948 | 2003 |
| Jamaica Rugby League Association | Jamaica |
2004 | 2013 | 2004 |
| Serbian Rugby League | 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 |
2005 | 2010 | 2010 |
Affiliate members
| Association | National team | Founded | IRL affiliation | ERL affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon Rugby League 13 |  Cameroon |
2017 | ||
| Canada Rugby League |  Canada |
2010 | ||
| Czech Rugby League Association |  Czech Republic |
2005 | ||
| Nationaler Rugby League Deutschland |  Germany |
2014 | ||
| Ghana Rugby League |  Ghana |
2014 | ||
| Greek Rugby League Association | Greece |
2017 | ||
| Rugby League Ireland |  Ireland |
1988 | 2000 | 2003 |
| Federazione Italiana Rugby League |  Italy |
2008 | 2010 | 2010 |
| Kenya Rugby League |  Kenya |
2023 | ||
| Lebanese Rugby League Federation |  Lebanon |
2003 | 2012 | 2003 |
| Maltese Rugby League Association |  Malta |
2008 | ||
| Fédération Marocaine de Rugby League |  Morocco |
2011 | ||
| Netherlandse Rugby League Bond | Netherlands |
2009 | ||
| Nigeria Rugby League | Nigeria |
2018 | ||
| Norway Rugby League | Norway |
2009 | ||
| Russian Rugby League |  Russia |
2010 | 2013 | 2013 |
| Scotland Rugby League | Scotland |
1994 | 2011 | 2003 |
| Asociación Española de Rugby League |  Spain |
2013 | ||
| Turkish Rugby League Association | Turkey |
2016 | ||
| USA Rugby League |  United States |
2011 |
Official observers
Albanian Rugby League
Belgium Rugby League Association
Bosnia and Herzegovina Rugby League Association
Bulgarian Rugby League Federation
Burundi Rugby League
DR Congo Rugby League XIII
Dansk Rugby League
El Salvador Rugby League
Ethiopia Rugby League
Hungarian Rugby League Federation
Latvia Rugby League
Libya Rugby League Association
Macedonian Rugby League[9]
Montenegro Rugby League
Palestinian Rugby League
Polska Rugby XIII
Saudi Arabian Rugby League Association
Sierra Leone Rugby League
Slovakia Rugby League[9]
Sweden Rugby League
Former observer members
Rugby League Association of Catalonia
Federația Româna de Rugby XIII
Trinidad & Tobago Rugby League Association
Emirates Rugby League[10]
| Team | 1954 | 1957 | 1960 | 1968 | 1970 | 1972 | 1975 | 1977 | 1985-88 | 1989-92 | 1995 | 2000 | 2008 | 2013 | 2017 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Canada | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | — | — | DNQ | DNQ |
| Czech Republic | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ |
 Denmark | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| England | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2nd | — | — | — | 2nd | SF | SF | SF | 2nd | Q |
| France | 2nd | Group Stage | Group Stage | 2nd | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | QF | Group Stage | QF | Group Stage | Q |
| Germany | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ |
| Ghana | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Great Britain | 1st | 2nd | 1st | Group Stage | 2nd | 1st | — | 2nd | Group Stage | 2nd | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Greece | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | Q |
 Hungary | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ireland | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | QF | QF | Group Stage | Group Stage | Q |
| Italy | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | — | Group Stage | Group Stage | Q |
| Jamaica | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | DNQ | Q |
 Latvia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | - |
| Lebanon | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Group Stage | DNQ | DNQ | QF | Q |
| Malta | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | DNQ |
| Morocco | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | — | — | — | — |
| Netherlands | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | — | — | — |
| Nigeria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Norway | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ |
 Palestine | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Russia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Group Stage | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | Expelled |
 Saudi Arabia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scotland | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Group Stage | Group Stage | QF | Group Stage | Q |
| Serbia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
 Sierra Leone | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Africa | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Group Stage | Group Stage | Withdrew | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
| Spain | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | DNQ |
 Sweden | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ukraine | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | DNQ |
| United States | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNQ | DNQ | QF | Group Stage | DNQ |
| Wales | — | — | — | — | — | — | Group Stage | — | — | — | SF | SF | DNQ | Group Stage | Group Stage | Q |
- RLEF. "Overview". Rugby League European Federation. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- Michael Fisher (2 January 2009). "RFL chief executive Nigel Wood backs Super League to flourish". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
- rugbyleague.com (18 December 2009). "Euro development boss to step down". rugbyleague.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- rugbyleague.com (21 May 2010). "RLEF appoint new development exec". rugbyleague.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- "Rugby League European Federation undergoes rebranding". ERL. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- "Russia banned from international rugby league competitions". Halifaxcourier.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- "North Macedonia and Slovakia are the latest nations to be awarded International Rugby League observer status". intrl.sport. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- "Sol Mokdad issues public apology to UAE Rugby Federation to end criminal proceedings against him". The National. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.