The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. It administers the Great Britain national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, the Rugby League National Leagues and Super League (Europe). The amateur/junior game is administered in association with the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA).
On 29 August 1895, 22 rugby clubs from across the north of England held a meeting in the George Hotel in Huddersfield, next to the railway station. They voted to secede from the Rugby Football Union and set up their own Northern Rugby Football Union, but was more usually termed simply the Northern Union (NU). (See History of rugby league for more detail on the formation of the NU). In 1922 this became the Rugby Football League. Huddersfield is still a focus for rugby league, being represented by the Huddersfield Giants in the Superleague, and the Huddersfield Underbank Rangers in National League 3, as well as many amateur teams.
The name Rugby Football League also referred to the main league competition run by the organisation. This has since been supplanted by Super League and the Rugby League National Leagues.
Competitions Super League | National League | Challenge Cup | National League Cup National Conference League | Rugby League Conference | Scotland Rugby League
National teams Great Britain | England | Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Federations RFL | BARLA | Rugby League Ireland | Wales Rugby League
Former competitions Championship | Premiership | Lancs/Yorks Cups | Lancs/Yorks League Regal Trophy | Charity Shield | BBC2 Floodlit Trophy