Rugby League International Federation
 |
|
| Abbreviation | RLIF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1927 (as the Rugby League Imperial Board) |
| Type | Federation of national associations |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
|
Region served
|
Worldwide |
|
Membership
|
45 national associations |
|
Official languages
|
 English French |
|
Chairman
|
Nigel Wood |
|
Vice Chairman
|
David Smith |
|
CEO
|
David Collier |
| Affiliations |
European Federation Asia-Pacific Confederation |
| Website | www |
The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. The RLIF is responsible for the Laws of the Game, the development, organization, and governance of rugby leagues internationally, and for the sport's major international tournaments; most notably the Rugby League World Cup and the Four Nations.
There are two regional associations affiliated to the RLIF; the Rugby League European Federation (RLEF) and the Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation (APRLC).
Rugby league, which had started in England in 1895 and spread to Wales in 1907 and Australia and New Zealand in 1908, was introduced into France in 1934 after their rugby union side was banned from the International Rugby Board for both breaching amateur regulations and for constant foul play on the field.
The Imperial Rugby League Board was formed in 1927. The Rugby Football League's authority in the sport was supported by having a majority of the representatives on the Board. The RFL had three representatives while Australia and New Zealand each had one. According to Collins (2000), the imbalanced voting rights were a result of the RFL being the representative for the "mother country" and the other members being keen to demonstrate their loyalty to the Crown.
In 1935 the French Rugby League proposed the constitution of an international board for rugby league but the Australians weren’t favourable and the idea was abandoned for a while.
The Board was formed on 25 January 1948 in Bordeaux, France at the impetus of the French, led by Paul Barrière. The Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII, New Zealand Rugby League and Britain's Rugby Football League met during the 1947-48 Kiwi tour of Europe and these three governing bodies agreed to form the International Rugby League Board (IRLB). At the meeting, it was decided that initially the RFL would oversee the sport's rules while the IRLB developed. The Australian Rugby League joined the IRLB some months later.
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