Five clubs play this season. There's room for more. Get 10 verbally committed players and the minimum leadership in place — URLA helps you build out the rest.
Adding a new team to the season locks the schedule for every other club. After June 19 we don't reopen that — late teams have to merge into one of the existing five.
Joining an existing club instead has real costs:
Bottom line: if you're even thinking about a new club for 2026, get the intent form in now. Worst case you withdraw — there's no penalty for submitting and pulling back. Best case you get a full season runway.
Submit team intentComing from another sport — or starting from scratch with no rugby background at all — is the most common path into a new URLA club. You don't need to know the rules going in. URLA pairs every new team with one of our existing five clubs as a mentor. They run rules walkthroughs, share training drills, host scrimmages, and help your leadership group get game-day-ready before round one.
Most URLA clubs started this way. The five teams currently playing all came up the same way — committed group, no rugby league experience between them, learned the code with another club's help. The mentor relationship usually carries through your first full season.
Want a head start? Read the league-vs-union explainer — covers the rules, the differences, and what to expect at your first practice.
Seven things every URLA club locks before round one. Not all of them have to be ready before you reach out — most new clubs build them with the league's help.
Submit a list of 10 player names who have verbally committed to your club. This is the threshold to apply — without 10 names, URLA can't hold a slot for you in the season. URLA can backfill from the interested-player pipeline (see below) if you're close but short.
Once 5 players are fully registered and paid, URLA places your jersey order. Below 5 paid we hold off — kit production is the most expensive single line item and we don't front it on uncommitted rosters.
New URLA clubs use a current NRL team name or a clear variation of one (e.g. Broncos, Roosters, Raiders direct; Rabbitahz from Rabbitohs, Seagulls from Sea Eagles). This avoids any conflict with rugby union and keeps the league cohesive. See the naming rule below for our policy on union.
At minimum: President, Coach, and either Vice President or Team Manager. Full presidency strongly recommended — Sponsor Liaison, Social Media, and Treasurer round out a sustainable club.
Access to a regulation field for weekly practice. Most URLA clubs use city parks, school fields, or partner venues. URLA can advise on field rental and permits.
Player registration is $210 per player ($310 with off-field kit). Sponsorships fund the rest. URLA helps every new club build out its sponsor menu and reserve form.
Regular-season matches, finals, and league events. New clubs are scheduled lighter in their first season to ease the operational load — the goal is a sustainable club for year two, not a record-breaking debut.
The interested-player pipeline currently sits at 169+ unregistered players — people who've reached out, attended an open practice, or asked about playing but haven't been placed on a team yet. New clubs get first access.
If you've got 7, 8, or 9 verbally committed players and need to hit the 10 threshold, URLA matches your geography against the pipeline and routes interested players your way. Most new clubs hit full match-day strength inside their first season.
Tap the pipelineIf your group already plays rugby union, you cannot use your union name in URLA. Your URLA club has to launch under a new name — pull from a current NRL team or use a clear variation of one. This avoids any conflict with union and keeps the URLA brand cohesive.
The reverse is fine — you can play in union under your URLA league name if you want. We just don't allow union-branded sides on URLA pitches.
Direct NRL names or clear variations both work. URLA helps every new club pick a name that's not already taken by another current URLA team — talk to us before you commit.
URLA clubs are run by a small leadership group. There's a hard minimum to apply — and a recommended full presidency that, in our experience, makes the difference between a club that survives one season and a club that thrives for five.
This is the floor — URLA won't hold a season slot without these three confirmed.
Sustainable clubs distribute work. Sponsorship, social, and finance each need an owner so the President and Coach can focus on running the team.
Sponsorship is URLA's only revenue model. There are two ways money flows into a new club — and they fund different things. Full breakdown lives on the funding page; the headlines are below.
Player-acquired team sponsorships split three ways. The player who brought the sponsor gets 75% — covers their $310 (registration + kit), with anything above as training-and-travel funding straight to them. New clubs lean on this model heavily in season one.
If the team president, coach, or treasurer secures a sponsor directly (not tied to a specific player), the team can apply that fully to operations — coaches, gear, field rental, social, content. This is how new clubs cover their first-season floor when player-acquired sponsorships haven't kicked in yet.
$310 covers one player fully · $210 base registration + $100 off-field kit · 5 paid players triggers your jersey order. URLA helps every new club build the sponsor menu, set pricing, and reserve inbound leads.
Email URLA or come to the next monthly sponsor lunch. We'll talk through where you are, what you need, and whether the timing works for the upcoming season.
Send URLA a list of 10 verbally committed players. This is the threshold to apply — once it's in, we hold a slot for your club in the upcoming season.
Confirm President, Coach, and VP/Manager. Pick your NRL-convention team name (URLA will help if you're torn between options). Branding, colors, and kit lock at this stage.
URLA sets up your registration funnel and sponsorship menu. Once 5 players are paid + registered, we trigger the jersey order. Recruiting + sponsor outreach runs in parallel — URLA supports both.
Open practices, recruitment posts, sponsor activations, kit production. New clubs are introduced to the existing five team presidents who share what's worked.
Lighter schedule for your first season. Goal is a sustainable club for year two, not a record-breaking debut. Most new clubs hit full-squad strength by their second season.
The monthly URLA lunch is the fastest way to meet every existing team president and get the real picture of what running a club looks like. Free, hour-long, all five clubs in one room.
This is the actual URLA team intent form — submit your leadership, your committed roster, and your season commitment in one go. Returning teams use the same form. URLA confirms within 48 hours. Submit before June 19 to lock a season slot for 2026.
Prefer to talk first? Email [email protected] — same intent form follows after the call.
