GARY Hetherington wants rugby league to follow cricket’s lead by embracing a shorter format in a bid for new audiences and income streams.
It would not be a suprise if the outgoing Leeds Rhinos CEO has been glancing across to the other since at AMT Headlingley to keep an eye on Northern Superchargers matches during The Hundred and taking inspiration from those, as well as Yorkshire games in the T20 Vitality Blast.
In any case, though, Hetherington believes a renewed push for rugby league nines alongside the traditional 13-a-side format is needed as the Betfred Super League prepares to enter yet another new era.
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“We need to be looking at developing the nines game,” Hetherington, who has been one of the prime movers in the push for change over the past six months, told the Leeds Rhinos Podcast.
“I think there is a real opportunity, in the same way as the salvation for cricket has been how they’ve developed their one-day game – they’ve now got The Hundred and Twenty20.
“I think cricket is a credit for how they’ve created a new audience for effectively a new game but using the same players and facilities.
“We can do the same in rugby league: We’ve got the players, we’ve got the facilities, we’ve got the product and the nines game is very different to the 13s game.
“That’s something that could, and should, be developed and could provide an additional income stream and solution for our game.”
There have been several attempts to give rugby league’s smaller-sided format prominence, with the RFL Women’s Nines now an established part of the calendar following its launch in 2022.
However, the NRL Nines has not been held since 2020 and the Rugby League World Cup Nines has shown no sign of being revived since the 2023 edition was cancelled.
Headlingley previously hosted the Carnegie Floodlit Nines in 2008 and 2009 as well, feauring a mix of Super League and representative teams, which might point a way forward for Hetherington’s vision.
The 71-year-old gave his backing to Super League retaining Magic Weekend as well, with the event’s future in doubt following the decision to eliminate loop fixtures by expanding the competition to 14 teams from 2026.
This year’s Magic event at Newcastle’s St James’ park drew a record Sunday attendance of 32,862, although Hetherington wants to see more cities come forward as potential hosts.
“I think Magic is a terrific event and I love to go,” Hetherington said. “It’s a festival of rugby league which brings all of the fans together, like no other sport can do.
“Three games a day, all of the Super League clubs on show, all on television, in one great venue, and I think Newcastle is a fabulous venue.
“It’s a great place to go, a great place to host Super League, but we ought to have other cities and major venues to host Magic events so it becomes a must-see event in the sporting calendar.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of it and it was encouraging to see an increased attendance this year.”
