No.1 sport in Australia & the Pacific: 'A lot to be proud of'

Rugby League has reaffirmed its standing as the No.1 sporting code in Australia and the Pacific after the ARLC announced record breaking attendances, TV audiences, participation numbers, revenue and assets.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the stunning figures detailed in the 2024 annual report ensured the game was in a strong position to continue to grow at all levels from grassroots to global expansion.

Turbo-boosted by the NRL’s bold Vegas venture to kick-off the season, the game set records across every key metric, including:

• Revenue up $43.7m to $744.9m;
• Viewership increasing by 200.5m in Australia and New Zealand;
• Crowds totalling 4.79m;
• More than 1 million participants (1.03m) for the first time;
• Assets valued at $322.4m.

After distributions to clubs, players, states and other affiliated bodies, development costs, operating expenses and increasing the game’s asset portfolio to include five hotels, the ARLC announced a $62.3m operating surplus.  

“As we review the performance in season 2024, there's a lot to be proud of and certainly some phenomenal results across the rugby league ecosystem,” Abdo said.

We had record attendances, record viewership and record registrations at a participation level. All of this translated into a very healthy financial performance.

“More revenue means more funds available for distribution, which means more reinvestment back into the game - whether it's to the elite players and clubs or whether, importantly, it goes into the long-term investment we make for participation and pathways.

“All of these are key priorities of the Commission. So too is making sure that the game is financially healthy and sustainable long term, so that reinvestment back into revenue generating assets is important to understand and to appreciate.

“That's what's going to make the game future proof, that's what's going to allow the game to have revenues that get reinvested back into the future.

“That means even more things that we can do across the rugby league ecosystem - more investment in infrastructure, more investment in grassroots, more investment in competitions, age group opportunities for men and women, boys and girls across Australia.”

In addition, the game is growing internationally, with rugby league now able to lay claim to being the sport of the Pacific and the United States becoming a key market for the ARLC.

The Pacific Championships, played at the end of last season, attracted total audiences of 6.3m – a 42.5% increase on the 2023 tournament, while the entry of a Papua New Guinea team into the NRL in 2028 was confirmed.

A once in a generation $600m investment by the Australian Government will also benefit the growth of the game in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, as well as PNG.

The ARLC’s Pacific Strategy builds on a decade of work the NRL has undertaken across the Pacific in partnership with the Australian Government, with investment across social change programs, community engagement, participation and pathways programs, and elite content.

“Obviously the Commission is really focused on growth, making sure that the game is the strongest possible, and we're taking this wonderful game that we love to new markets and the globalisation of our sport is key to that priority,” Abdo said.

“We're very excited about the Pacific Strategy because, in partnership with both the Australian Government and the Papua New Guinea Government, we get the opportunity to make rugby league the sport of the Pacific, and from a grassroots level, we're going to use rugby league to change people's lives for the better.

We already are the biggest sport in the Pacific, but this is an opportunity to really use rugby league as a way of improving people's lives.

The 2025 season will again kick-off at Allegiant Stadium, with a quadruple header featuring a Super League clash between Wigan and Warrington, an historic Australia-England women’s Test and two NRL matches – Raiders v Warriors and Panthers v Sharks.

The ARLC’s decision to take the game to Las Vegas in 2024, with the Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs, Roosters v Broncos double-header, resulted in record breaking viewing figures that kick-started the most successful season in the game’s history. 

“We're excited about taking the game to America,” Abdo said.

Las Vegas is incredibly important for us because it symbolises the opportunity to engage with US sports fans and show them what the NRL is all about.

“The focus is on growing the game and taking the game to new markets, and of course, making sure that we don't lose touch with the grassroots of the game in our core markets across Australia and New Zealand.

“Expansion is important for us, but not just expansion at a franchise level; expansion of the game at a grassroots level, and at a participation and a pathways level too.”

“These are exciting times as we look ahead, and all of this is possible because of the hard work of everyone; whether it's volunteers out in the field across Australia at grassroots clubs, or the hardworking administrators and players at the clubs and the state leagues, all the way through to the Commission, who are united and extremely motivated in making sure that rugby league continues to grow and prosper.

“Everyone has played their part, so thank you for being part of a very special community and everyone should celebrate in the healthy success of season 2024.”

• View the 2024 Annual Report here