New York team aiming to emulate Toronto move into League 1 ranks

An application has been formally lodged to the Rugby Football League for a team based in New York to join the British game’s professional leagues in 2019 – with potential for a Super League game to be taken to the US next year should it be approved.

A consortium, backed by two unnamed investors who will provide an initial $10m (£7.5m) of funding, have applied to the RFL about a second transatlantic team joining, following the success of Toronto Wolfpack, who were introduced to the third tier, League 1, this season. They were promoted as champions with crowds of more than 7,000.

The New York side, like the Wolfpack, intend starting in League 1, as opposed to automatic entry into a higher division such as the Super League or the Championship. Like Toronto, they would pay for all visiting teams’ costs, including flights, accommodation and travel.

The consortium, co-founded by the Yorkshire-based entrepreneur Ricky Wilby, have confirmed they have held discussions with some Super League clubs about taking a top-flight game to America in 2018 to whet New York’s appetite for rugby league.

“Should we be accepted, we’d like to take a Super League game there,” Wilby said. “We’ve spoken to one or two about it.”

A representative for the investors, Tom Scott, said: “To make it a reality the initial investment will be significant and we’re willing to cover it fully. After that we intend to be self-sufficient.”

The team would play home games at the New York Red Bulls’ stadium, with the consortium confident they would be able to attract crowds in the region of 10,000. The project also has the support of the city’s tourist board, New York City Go.

The concept will be put to clubs in the coming weeks and, if approved, will be forwarded to the RFL’s board for ratification. The United States captain, Mark Offerdahl, who will lead the Tomahawks in this autumn’s World Cup, has worked closely with the consortium throughout the process.

Offerdahl played for London but also spent time in the amateur game in America, which he believes is thriving to such an extent that a professional team in the country is the next logical step. “The amateur game in areas like New York shows there’s an appetite,” he said.

The consortium intend for a significant portion of their inaugural squad to be US‑born.

“If we go in at League 1, which is the plan, we’d want a squad of around 30 with a minimum of five players from the US,” Wilby said. “We’ve got a responsibility to ourselves and the public to perform on the field but we’ve got a responsibility to the amateur game in New York and the United States.”Eric Perez, the man behind rugby league’s spread into North America and the formation of the Wolfpack, is not involved in the creation of a New York team, members of the consortium said.