15 Dec 2010

Aussie league to shed bureaucracy

6:17 am on 15 December 2010

Australian Rugby League is entering a new era after ratifying a long-awaited independent commission's report which will sweep away the bureaucracy which has dragged the game down.

Fifteen years after News Limited did their best deliver a new era for the sport, the media giant will now complete the job with its exit from the game, and one body will run rugby league, free of "jobs for the boys" and conflicts of interest.

The new controlling body will consist of eight commissioners, to be elected by News Ltd. and the Australian Rugby League, who won't have had any involvement with either News Ltd or rugby league in the last three years.

The National Rugby League's chief executive David Gallop will maintain his position as the boss of the game, and will be answerable to the eight commissioners.

Gallop's first priority will be to negotiate a television package which should pour unprecedented amounts of money into the game, with reports of a $1 billion deal being in the offing.