Rugby League Splits from Rugby Union

It was on 29 August 1895 that 22 clubs in the north of England decided to break away from the Rugby Union. They wanted to compensate their players with money lost by taking time off work to play Rugby Football. The Rugby Union body refused to allow them to do so. The clubs met at the George Hotel in Huddersfield. The organized what they called the Northern Football Union, which was renamed the Rugby League in 1922.

The Rugby League set about finding ways to attract people to their games. By the three year mark the game was professional and a new set of laws were formed with a reduction to 13 players.

The New South Wales Rugby League of Australia was founded on 8th August, 1907 at Bateman’s Hotel in George Street, Sydney. Rugby Union players were paid to turn professional and join the League.

There was tension between the codes until recently with the Rugby Union considering themselves to be the ‘clean and pure, amateur code’ and Rugby League looked upon as the lower professional alternative.