NRL’S $1M PRIZE MONEY EXTRAVAGANZA
THE NRL will move to implement massive prize money increases with the club that claims the minor premiership-premiership double poised to pocket an unprecedented $1 million.
The expected pay surge comes as NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo fired off a jab at Panthers Group CEO Brian Fletcher, who described the $200,000 prize money for winning this year’s grand final as “just ridiculous.”
All 16 clubs will also receive a combined total of $2.5m in additional funding this week.
Abdo will recommend to the ARL Commission that all prize money be increased fourfold for next season, meaning the grand final winning club will stand to collect $800,000. Winning the minor premiership was worth $100,000 but that figure may now double to $200,000 – a whopping $1m extravaganza for the side that can claim the dual titles. Fletcher expressed frustration that his premiershipwinning Panthers received just $200,000 for claiming the grand final with runners-up Parramatta given just $100,000. Abdo hit back by claiming clubs agreed during Covid that prize money would be reduced to allow the governing body to issue all 16 teams with additional funding to remain financially viable.
“Of course, it’s a premier competition and we want prizemoney to be where it needs to be. Next year, it will be up by four times the current levels, subject to commission approval,” Abdo said.
“We halved it during Covid so it will go back to pre-covid levels and then I’m putting a proposal forward to double those original levels. It would be the same principle for all prize money.”
Asked whether he was disappointed at Fletcher’s comment, Abdo said: “Yes.
Brian’s argument is we have done better than we thought we would do and that is true but we need to rebuild the balance sheet and think about what the distributions are in the new world.”
With Covid now seemingly over, the NRL plans to shell out significant money in prize money and player payments and Abdo will advocate a whopping hike for all teams contesting the finals.