The Sydney Business Chamber says the NSW Rugby League's pathway to restarting the competition on May 28, following strict health guidelines, will be a great boost to the nation's struggling economy and provide a much-needed morale boost for many thousands of Australians, starved of TV sport on their enforced weekends at home.
'It's only fitting that Sydney, the engine room of the nation's economy and the traditional home of rugby league, will play host to a revised version of the national competition that regularly adds more than $4.1 billion to the Australian economy each year,' said Katherine O'Regan, Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber.
"While details are still being ironed out with the Queensland, Victorian and Australian Governments over interstate teams and the Auckland Warriors relocating and travelling to NSW, the NRL's Project Apollo boss and former Tigers and Australian legend Wayne Pearce, is supremely confident these issues will be resolved in a matter of days."
"It's such great news for the more than 4,000 players, coaching and club staff and associated workers and businesses, who would otherwise be out of work for the year, that the NRL is pushing ahead with to get the game back on TV, sooner than thought possible.'
"There is no major team sport happening in the US or Europe, and the NRL hopes this move will help attract new viewers to the game from these countries and existing league nations like the UK and France."
"It's going to be great for the many hundreds of thousands of league fans around Australia, including the many youngsters, who want to see their heroes playing footy again."
"This would be a double winner for both the economy and a big section of society who'll relish the return of one of Australia's favourite sports to their TV screens."
"Broadcasters, including Channel 9 and Foxtel and their broadcast workers, will also benefit from the re-start and advertising revenue generated through televising one of their winter and spring ratings winners once again."
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