HOLDING talks over uniting the two codes of wheelchair rugby to grow the sport should be considered, according to the RFL’s Club-Led Strategic Review.
The long-awaited report into the future direction of rugby league in the UK was released on Wednesday, but although big on ideas – 144 of them, to be precise – lacked specifics on how they will be achieved.
Wheelchair rugby league was covered in section F and featured six points, arguably the most eye-catching of which was the final one where it was suggested uniting with rugby union’s offering.
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Point 77 of the review stated: “Consideration should be given to improving dialogue with the RFU around the opportunity for a united wheelchair game and global expansion.”
The seven-person group which conducted the review included wheelchair rugby league pioneer Martin Coyd OBE, whose sons Tom and Joe coached and played for England respectively as the hosts secured a memorable World Cup triumph four years ago.
That home success and exposure of the wheelchair game to a brand-new audience arguably made it one of the biggest successes of the last global gathering.
A merger with rugby union’s wheelchair offering would potentially open doors for Paralympics participation as well, given it has been part of those Games since being introduced as a demonstration sport in 1996.
However, it is not without significant obstacles to overcome – starting with what would a unified code actually look like?
Whereas wheelchair rugby league was developed to be as close to the running game as possible, wheelchair rugby has its roots in the sport of murderball, which incorporated elements of wheelchair basketball, ice hockey and handball along with the 15-a-side code, and is played with a round rather than the traditional oval ball.
Then there is a matter of how the sport would be administered. The RFL serves as the governing body for wheelchair rugby league, while the RFU provides support to Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, which oversees both their domestic game and the British Paralympic team.
On an international level, would World Wheelchair Rugby maintain its place as the global governing body? Plus, how many other national federations have been consulted so far – not least of all France, where great pride is taken over their role in developing wheelchair rugby league?
Also tied into this is point 76, which states: “Work should be undertaken with other sports and governing body requests to produce a more rounded product.”
Sections of the Strategic Review related to the running might have grabbed more headlines, but it will be worth keeping an eye on what the future holds for the wheelchair game in both codes.
Other points suggested in the wheelchair section were forming an expert group to improve finances and the player pool, keeping the domestic competition structure open to clubs not affiliated to men’s professional teams, creating a development strategy to ensure the sport is accessible to all within a 90-minute journey, and creating a winter wheelchair premier league.