Super League clubs agree hand over in excess of £5m to RFL

Top-flight clubs took on television negotiations when they broke away from the RFL in 2018 but interim Super League chairman Ken Davy, who took over from executive chairman Robert Elstone in March, is keen to forge closer ties with the governing body.

Davy told a media briefing on Tuesday that talks which began in July are taking longer than anticipated but that he hopes for a conclusion by the end of the year.

“The process is causing a little bit of angst on my part,” he said. “But we are making progress and I’m pleased with the progress we’re making.”

In the meantime, Davy revealed that clubs have agreed to give around a fifth of its television income to the RFL, which will decide how much of the £5m-plus to hand on to the Championship and League 1 clubs.

“It’s important to appreciate that Super League is by no means the only source of income for the RFL,” he said.

“However, we have reached an agreement on a number in excess of £5m, which I believe is fair in every respect to both Super League and the RFL.

“Like most sports, TV income is down and so it is clearly less than previously but it is not an insignificant amount.

“That is for next year and provisionally for the year after subject to the re-alignment.”

Catalans Dragons will have a chance to clinch the League Leaders Shield in Newcastle when they take on St Helens in the second game on Saturday, but Super League’s chief commercial officer Rhodri Jones says the trophy is more likely to be presented in Perpignan on Saturday week, when the French club are due to host Huddersfield in their final home game.

That, according to Jones, would be seen as a reward for the extra lengths the French club have gone to during the pandemic and he also confirmed the game is likely to be made available for live television.