UKRAINE AND NETHERLANDS RUGBY LEAGUE LAUNCH ‘GROWING TOGETHER’ DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

Netherlands vs Ukraine

New long-term collaboration will bring two European rugby league nations together to share knowledge, create opportunities and develop the game on and off the field.

The Nederlandse Rugby League Bond (NRLB) and Ukraine Rugby League are delighted to announce the launch of Growing Together, a new long-term development partnership designed to strengthen rugby league in both nations and create a collaborative model for the growth of the sport in Europe.

The partnership is being announced on a particularly significant date in rugby league history.

At 6.30pm on 29 August 1895, representatives of the northern rugby clubs gathered at the George Hotel in Huddersfield for the historic meeting that led to the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union and the birth of rugby league.

Exactly 131 years later, the Netherlands and Ukraine are marking that anniversary by looking firmly towards the future — committing to work together to create new opportunities, strengthen the game and help rugby league continue to grow across Europe.

Presently ranked 9th and 10th in the World Rankings respectively, the Netherlands and Ukraine are both ambitious rugby league nations striving to advance the sport domestically and compete with emerging nations around the world.

Growing Together will bring the two organisations together across a wide range of development areas, with a focus on creating genuine opportunities for players, coaches, match officials, volunteers and emerging rugby league communities.

Rather than being based solely around international fixtures, the partnership will establish an ongoing programme through which the Netherlands and Ukraine can share knowledge, resources, expertise and opportunities.

The project is intended to include coach and referee development, player exchanges and development opportunities, shared training and educational resources, community and grassroots initiatives, and regular opportunities for the two nations to come together through rugby league.

A major feature of the partnership will be the development of an annual European summer competition in the Netherlands, planned for the final weekend of August each year from 2027.

By staging the event around the anniversary of rugby league's foundation, the two organisations hope to create a regular celebration of the sport's history while providing a platform for its future growth.

The event will provide another focal point within the European rugby league calendar and is intended to develop over time into a wider international festival bringing together players, coaches, match officials, volunteers and supporters.

NRLB CEO Daan van Rossum said:

“Growing Together describes exactly what we want this partnership to be. This isn't about one organisation believing it has all the answers and helping another. It is about two ambitious rugby league nations learning from one another, sharing ideas and creating opportunities that make both of us stronger.

“Ukraine Rugby League has demonstrated extraordinary resilience, commitment and passion for the sport. There is a huge amount that we can learn from them, just as there are areas in which the Netherlands can contribute knowledge, contacts and development opportunities.

“We want players to meet players, coaches to work with coaches, referees to learn alongside referees, and administrators and volunteers to share their experiences. If we can build those relationships throughout our organisations, the partnership becomes much bigger than a fixture between two national teams.

“There is something particularly special about launching Growing Together on 29 August. Rugby league exists because people came together on this date 131 years ago and had the courage and ambition to create something different.

“We are obviously operating in a very different world today, but that same spirit of collaboration and belief in the future of the sport is something we want Growing Together to represent. Our ambition is to build something that lasts for many years and ultimately demonstrates what can be achieved when European rugby league nations actively work together rather than trying to grow in isolation.”

Ukraine Rugby League President Artur Martyrosian said:

“We are extremely pleased to begin the Growing Together project with our friends in the Netherlands.

“Rugby league has always been about community, friendship and supporting one another. This partnership will give people within Ukrainian Rugby League opportunities to develop, gain new experiences and build relationships with their counterparts in the Netherlands.

“At the same time, we want to share the knowledge and experience that Ukraine Rugby League has developed over many years. We believe both nations can become stronger through this cooperation and that together we can make a positive contribution to the future of rugby league in Europe.”

The Netherlands and Ukraine have already developed a growing relationship through international rugby league, but Growing Together will extend that relationship far beyond the senior men's national teams.

The programme will seek to establish sustainable links between the people responsible for delivering the sport at every level, while identifying practical projects capable of increasing participation and strengthening rugby league infrastructure.

NRLB development partner Run IT Straight, led by Daan van Rossum, will also support elements of the programme, particularly in relation to grassroots development, community engagement, education and the creation of new participation opportunities.

Among the areas that Growing Together will explore are:

• player and coach development exchanges;

• referee and match-official development;

• shared coaching and educational resources;

• grassroots and community rugby league programmes;

• club-to-club relationships;

• international camps and training opportunities;

• volunteer and administrator knowledge-sharing;

• youth development opportunities;

• women's rugby league development;

• opportunities to broaden participation across the game; and

• the annual Netherlands-based European summer competition from August 2027.
  

The two organisations will now work together to establish the first programme of activity under the Growing Together banner, with further announcements to follow as individual projects are confirmed.

131 years after rugby league was born, the Netherlands and Ukraine are Growing Together to help shape its future.