NRL announce 62.9m profit on 593m revenue for 2022

The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has advised its members that the game will report a record operating surplus of $62.9 million for the 2022 season.

This compares to a $43 million surplus in 2021, an increase of $19.9 million. Further, the net asset position now exceeds $200 million, up by 45% compared to 2021.

Total revenue increased by $18.7 million to a rugby league record revenue of $593.8 million. Operating expenditure dropped $17.1 million which is nine per cent lower than in 2021.

This includes running two NRLW competitions during the 2022 calendar year along with an expanded international calendar.

The reduction in operating expenses has put the game in a strong position which will allow distributions as a percentage of revenue to be increased further in the next five-year cycle.

Distributions to players, Clubs, States and game development were also up by $17.3 million which is a 4.9 per cent increase on the prior year.

The acquisition of Gambaro Hotel represented the first step in the plan to strengthen the ARLC balance sheet by acquiring income-producing assets. The asset is performing well and ahead of expectations. The net asset position now exceeds $200 million, up by 45% compared to 2021.

NRL players also received approximately $40 million in outperformance payments enabling players to receive almost all of the salary related reductions during COVID-19.

The financial performance was a result of a strong season of football:

• Cumulative Telstra Premiership TV, streaming and linear audiences of 132.5 million (up 5%);
• 17% growth in digital audience, including 6.6 million social media followers;
• 3.5 million fans attending games which is the highest in a decade;
• A record crowd of 42,921 at the NRLW Grand Final.

At the end of 2022, NRL and NRLW naming rights partner Telstra extended its long association with Rugby League to 2027. The new five-year partnership is the largest in the game’s history and marks a 26-year involvement in the game by Telstra, one of the longest-running partnerships in Australian sport.

The 2022 Concise NRL Annual Report can be found herehttps://t.co/hpdVJEgnGZ

— sportsindustry (@footyindustryAU) February 28, 2023