Australian Rugby League

The Australian Rugby Football League, more commonly known as the Australian Rugby League (ARL), was the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in Australia. The ARL, as a corporate entity, was handed over to the new Australian Rugby League Commission. at 9:30am on 9 February 2012. Since its inception the ARL administered the Australian national team and represented Australia in international rugby league matters. During the mid-1990s' Super League war the ARL administered the country's first-grade premiership until the National Rugby League was formed. The legal hand-over from ARL to ARL Commission ensured that the game has effectively had the same governing body across Australia, since 1924.

Competitions

The ARL controls high profile club competitions like the National Rugby League and National Youth Competition as well as annual representative competitions such as the State of Origin series, the Indigenous All Stars Match, City vs Country Origin and the Affiliated States Championship.

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, or simply league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 as a split from the Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to players. Its rules gradually changed with the purpose of producing a faster, more entertaining game for spectators. It has been cited as the toughest, most physically demanding of team sports.

In rugby league, points are scored by carrying the ball and touching it to the ground beyond the opposing team's goal line; this is called a try, and is the primary method of scoring. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling the player carrying the ball. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals. After each try, the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion for further points. Kicks at goal may also be awarded for penalties, and field goals can be attempted at any time.

Wheelchair rugby

Wheelchair rugby, (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States), is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is practised in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic sport.

The US name is based on the requirement that all wheelchair rugby players need to have disabilities that include at least some loss of function in at least three limbs. Although most have spinal cord injuries, players may also qualify through multiple amputations, neurological disorders or other medical conditions. Players are assigned a functional level in points, and each team is limited to fielding a team with a total of eight points.

Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hardwood court, and physical contact between wheelchairs is an integral part of the game - with the rules including elements from wheelchair basketball, ice hockey, handball and rugby union.

The sport is governed by the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) which was established in 1993.

Australian Rugby Union

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of World Rugby (WR), the sport's international governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory. It organises the Australia national rugby union team, known as the Wallabies.

History

In 1874 the Southern Rugby Union was established, administered from Twickenham in England. The administration was handed over to New South Wales in 1881 and in 1892 the Southern Rugby Union of New South Wales and the Northern Rugby Union of Queensland (formed in 1883) became New South Wales and Queensland Rugby Unions respectively.

New South Wales, as the senior union, was responsible for the administration of all tours and for representing Australia on the International Rugby Board. However, in 1947 the various State Unions agreed that the future of rugby union in Australia would be better served by forming one administrative body. In 1948, the International Rugby Board invited Australia specifically (rather than a New South Wales representative), to take a seat on the Board.

Australian Rugby League Commission

The Australian Rugby League Commission is the official governing body of rugby league football within Australia. It was founded, as the Australian Rugby League 'Board of Control', in 1924, jointly by the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League. Since 1924, all other state and territory Rugby League governing bodies have become affiliated to the League.

The completely restructured ARL Commission was formally established on 10 February 2012 and took control of all aspects of the game in Australia. From 1998-2012, the National Rugby League Partnership, a power-sharing arrangement between News Corporation and the Australian Rugby League (ARL) ran the National Rugby League competition, as a consequence of the Super League war. Other teams and competitions were run by the Australian Rugby League or state Leagues. Prior to 1998, the code in Australia had been administered largely by individual state leagues on a domestic basis, and the ARL on a national and international basis.