Rugby league football is one of the two major codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union. Although the two codes are very similar, union is played internationally while league is only played professionally in England, Australia, New Zealand and France.
The National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia is a driving force in the world of rugby league and up until recently the expert management of the game has seen this minor sport grow rapidly in strength.
It appears that the Australian Rugby League Commission (who ever the hell they are) has forced New Zealander David Gallop to resign from his position as the CEO of the NRL. This is a dark day for rugby league and only stupidity can be blamed for this brainless act.
David Gallop took over a game which was struggling with diminishing crowds and a lopsided competition. His work over the years has led to a solid increase in attendance and might secure the NRL a large television contract in the near future.
What Gallop has achieved in the NRL is the envy of nearly every professional sporting organization in the world. In the NRL, all sixteen teams which compete have a chance to make the finals at the start of the year. Other leagues are not so evenly matched. The English Premier League, for example, only has four or five teams out of twenty which have a chance of winning the title every year. David Gallop has given every fan real optimism that their team could win at the start of each season. He has made the game more competitive, and every fan should feel cheated by his dismissal.
In true Australian tradition, Gallop will probably be replaced by some unqualified former player who will use an approach that is simplistic at best when it comes to running a multi-million dollar professional sporting organization.
I am not a religious man but I will pray that rugby league will continue to grow as a sport. Thank you, David Gallop, for the work that you have put into the NRL in Australia.
I’m James Potter and I will never apologize for telling it how it is.
Good luck and good punting.
