Women and wheelchair players to receive equal pay to men at 2021 World Cup

Drew Darbyshire 21 Oct 2019 10:34 AM

Female and wheelchair players will receive the same participation fees as their male counterparts at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

It will be the first time in the tournament’s history that the participation fees are equal across all three competitions.

Prize money will also be awarded to women’s and wheelchair nations for the first time, while participation fees for men’s nations will increase by 125% compared to 2017.

RLWC2021 chief executive, Jon Dutton, said: “Our board have worked hard with colleagues at the IRL and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) to secure this positive and groundbreaking decision and we’re delighted with the outcome.

“One of our core values as a tournament is inclusivity and we believe that our revised agreements showcase our determination to ensure we celebrate this in 2021.”

International Rugby League chief executive, Nigel Wood, added: “Once again international rugby league has shown itself to be progressive and relentless is its aspiration to embrace true inclusivity.

“These announcements are a tribute to the journey the women’s and wheelchair games have made over the past decade.

“Both of these disciplines of our sport have the chance to establish rugby league as market leaders in their particular fields.”