Red Star Belgrade confirm their intention to enter League 1

Drew Darbyshire 10 Jan 2020 9:57 AM

Photo belongs to Red Star Belgrade Rugby League Club

Red Star Belgrade have confirmed that they will seek investment to enter League 1 in 2020.

The Serbian club have held general discussions and believe there is strong potential for their bid to enter the Rugby Football League pyramid once it has formally been submitted.

In a statement released by the club, it read: “As part of our charter, we will outline the following to our fans and members:

“We will only submit an application once we have what we believe is sufficient investment and membership to show that we are a club with a long-term future.

“Upon the submission, the RFL will then review our submission, conduct all relevant due diligence and seek a vote of the existing clubs in the RFL structure.

“Why are we making this information public? If you want rugby league to expand, we are a club who seek to grow the game by investing in player and infrastructure in Serbia.

“We love the game of rugby league and want to see it rise in popularity. We hope to be a model of future expansion across Europe.”

Official Statement – League 1 entry. pic.twitter.com/IshGA6B4CB

— Red Star Belgrade Rugby League Club (@RedStarRL) January 10, 2020

Red Star have also confirmed that there will be a certain minimum number of Serbian players in their squad and game day team lists as they bid to grow the game organically.