Overview

In March 1996, 100 years after its formation, Rugby League – traditionally pigeonholed as a northern English, industrial, working-class game – undertook the biggest re-branding exercise seen in modern sport, with a switch to a summer season and the formation of a twelve-team Super League, including the introduction of a European element. Ten seasons later, a third consecutive sell-out crowd at Old Trafford acclaimed Bradford Bulls as Grand Final winners, bringing a decade of unprecedented change and wholesale transformation to a successful close. In an extensive, unique analysis, the roots behind this radical conversion are explored, looking at the historical context and the business imperatives that govern top-level sport in the modern era. The authors – who have written and broadcast extensively about the code – plot the key elements from both on and off the field in what is a remarkable and controversial story. With extensive contributions from Rugby League Executive Chairman Richard Lewis, Sky Sports Managing Director Vic Wakeling, Super League Board member Gary Hetherington and top player Brian McDermott, this is a fascinating, in-depth look at the re-birth of a game with arguably the proudest professional heritage in the world.

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