The National Rugby League (NRL) is today celebrating a significant milestone in the game's history with national community club rugby league player registrations reaching 200,000 in a season for the first time.
The record number of player registrations in community clubs comes on the back of a strong start to the NRL Telstra Premiership season with club memberships, match viewership and attendances on record pace past the midway point of the season.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the game is enjoying unprecedented growth at grassroots level thanks to the quality and variety of formats available to participants and the surging popularity of the NRL and NRLW competitions.
"The quality of the NRL and NRLW competitions has never been higher, and this is translating to record interest and engagement in the game in fan support and participation at community level," said Mr Abdo.
"200,000 club rugby league registrations in a season is testament to the incredible dedication and passion of the teams of players, volunteers, coaches and referees that are out there delivering the game in communities each week.
"It is a proud moment for the game and reflects the work the Commission has done to create compelling Rugby League experiences for all ages and abilities."
Mr Abdo said changes implemented nationally in junior competitions this season had made an immediate impact on registration numbers.
"The Commission identified the fact that we focus on customer experience and make the game safe and fun for kids and families.
"We've conducted extensive research in the community and gradually implemented a new player development framework which progressively introduces the skills of the game at the entry level age groups.
"We've seen very strong growth in playing numbers across major and emerging junior rugby league nurseries across the country. There is more work to do and investing in grassroots participation is a major priority for the Commission."
