AUSTRALIA has announced a new $250 million (K760m), 10-year Pacific Rugby League Partnership, aimed at strengthening rugby league across the Pacific while creating opportunities in education, leadership and employment.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and the leaders of Samoa and Tonga in Brisbane today to launch the partnership, alongside Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’landys and representatives of Pacific rugby league federations.
The partnership forms part of Australia’s broader $600 million investment in rugby league across the Pacific, which also includes support for the Papua New Guinea Chiefs’ entry into the National Rugby League (NRL) in 2028.
The Pacific Rugby League Partnership will focus on three key pillars: community and grassroots development, pathways and academies, and elite and international rugby league.
Initial programs will expand youth engagement and violence prevention initiatives, establish primary and secondary school rugby league competitions in Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, support girls’ competitions, strengthen men’s and women’s national competitions across age groups, and continue the Pacific Championships while exploring opportunities to stage NRL and NRLW matches in Pacific nations.
The initiative will be delivered by the Australian Rugby League Commission in partnership with the national rugby league federations of Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the partnership represented an investment in both people and sport.
“The Pacific Rugby League Partnership is about far more than a game – it’s an investment in people as much as it is sport.
“Through one of Australia’s favourite sporting codes, we are bringing our Pacific family closer together.
“In communities across Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, this will help create pathways – not just into sport but also education, leadership and employment.”
Australia’s Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, Pat Conroy, said sport had the power to unite communities while delivering broader social benefits.
“Sport has a unique power to connect people in a way that few other things can.
“For decades we have watched talented players from the Pacific star in the NRL, and in more recent years the NRLW.
“The Pacific Rugby League Partnership will support player development at the same time as increasing school attendance and promoting healthy lifestyles and respectful relationships.”