Behind Closed Doors: Lobbying Intensifies to Derail Super League Expansion

An intense lobbying campaign is being waged behind closed doors to derail the Super League’s expansion to 14 teams. While the public face of the league is one of progress, a powerful group of dissenting clubs is working tirelessly to halt a plan they believe is financially reckless and procedurally flawed.
This covert campaign has ramped up in the weeks following the July vote that approved the expansion. It’s understood that while an extraordinary general meeting to force a revote has been considered, the current strategy is focused on applying pressure through informal channels and building a coalition of the concerned.
The lobbyists’ main weapon is the financial argument. They are highlighting the opposition of broadcaster Sky Sports and the lack of a business plan from the Rugby Football League (RFL) to any club owner who will listen. Their message is simple: this expansion will make every club poorer and is being pushed through without due diligence.
Informal meetings, scheduled for this week between some clubs and the RFL, are a direct result of this lobbying pressure. These are not routine discussions; they are high-stakes negotiations where the dissenters will make their case directly to the league’s leadership, hoping to force a change of course.
The RFL has publicly maintained a united front, but the intensity of this behind-the-scenes activity tells a different story. The fate of the expansion now rests not on the public vote that has already passed, but on the outcome of this shadowy power struggle being waged in the boardrooms and back channels of the Super League.