The European Rugby League is an Associate Member of the International Rugby League and is the sport’s confederation for Europe and, currently, the northern hemisphere.
It was inaugurated on 9 January 2003 in Paris following a joint-initiative from England’s Rugby Football League and France’s Federation Française de Rugby a Treize. The federation was relocated to Leeds in 2004. It was incorporated in 2011 and officially moved its registered address to London in 2015.
In addition to England and France, the opening meeting was attended by delegates from Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Serbia and Wales. A decade later, the number of ERL affiliates had risen to 30 nations as the sport’s popularity continued to rise.
The ERL and its parent International Rugby League have collaborated with the EU on a number of projects, including the Technical Foundation Project (2011, Leonardo da Vinci programme), Governance Foundation Project (2012, Preparatory Action), and the Leadership Devolution Project (2014, Preparatory Action). These projects, including the current Training and Education Portal, are complementary and have collectively contributed to the sustainable and authentic growth of rugby league in Europe.