World Cup chief welcomes government support for rugby league

Drew Darbyshire 01 May 2020 9:51 AM

Rugby League World Cup 2021 chief executive Jon Dutton has welcomed the £16million emergency loan that the government has given to rugby league.

Rugby league in the UK has been hit hard financially at all levels since the coronavirus outbreak, with some clubs being at genuine threat of going bust.

But the government’s cash injection will ensure that rugby league will come out of the pandemic on the other side.

RLWC2021 chief executive Dutton commented: “We very much welcome the emergency support that government has given to rugby league in England at this time of significant challenge.

“The funding is undoubtedly recognition of the importance of the sport and next year’s Rugby League World Cup.

“Rugby league is a sport that unites communities, brings people together and has a demonstrable social impact particularly in the North of England where we will stage 85% of the tournament’s games.

NEWS: We are giving a £16 million cash injection to @TheRFL to safeguard the immediate future of Rugby League.

This emergency loan will help the sport deal with the financial impact of #coronavirus https://t.co/jFyAjcq0EN pic.twitter.com/Cg3Rq5uG0S

— DCMS (@DCMS) May 1, 2020

“We’ve worked on this project for five years and have already achieved a great deal. RLWC2021 will be a breakthrough moment for the sport with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournament’s being staged together for the first time.

“Our legacy programme has already provided much-needed support to local communities not least through the CreatedBy capital grants and that work is not finished. This provision from the government shows what rugby league means to our communities, which only adds to our motivation to make RLWC2021 the biggest, best and most inclusive celebration of rugby league on a global stage.”

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