Wednesday 15th May 2024
Highlights of a record-breaking 2023 season were celebrated at the second Annual General Meeting of Heritage Rugby League (HRL), the largest multicultural rugby league association in the world.
HRL’s charter aims to ‘increase multicultural Rugby League participation in NSW, encouraging harmony and stronger community understanding across Cultural and Linguistically Diverse groups’, and to celebrate culture and heritage.’
A series of milestones were announced, setting new records for the 25-year history of heritage games in NSW including:
- 1,950 male and female players registered to play, up from 1,250 in 2013.
- In 13-a-side HRL, 79 games (including 7 tests) were staged, the most in a single year, surpassing the 2017 season.
- This culminated in the NSW Harmony Nines tournament, which expanded to 2 days in Albion Park, bringing together 24 nations fielding 84 teams and 1,150 players. This set several records including the highest number of players and teams (Open men, women and juniors) for a single multicultural or international nines or sevens RL event going back to the 1992 ARL World Sevens.
- New clubs Ukraine and Syria added to diversity of clubs.
Three new faces were elected to the Heritage Rugby League (HRL) Board. Turkish Rugby League President Gurol Yildiz, Thailand Naga President James Utai-Cairns, alongside long-serving Mediterranean RL President Fred Albassit. Albassit, Utai-Cairns, Yildiz, join existing members Javed Hamidi, Reynaldo Nery, Kim Ilolahia, Patrick Skene, and Perry Johnstone on the HRL Board for season 2024.
The committee paid tribute and bade farewell to David Axisa, Gareth Holmes, Robert Burgin and Maherau Arona as outgoing directors who did not seek re-election in 2024.
HRL President Javed Hamidi spoke at a workshop following the AGM, about a draft calendar of matches aiming to provide exciting participation opportunities for players and communities, and compelling opportunities to celebrate culture. HRL are now working with member clubs to finalize and release the 2024 HRL calendar.
For more information, go to https://heritagerugbyleague.com/
