The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has announced a brand new domestic rugby competition to commence in 2014. The National Rugby Championship will be sponsored by Fox Sports and Foxtel with Fox Sports committing to televise one live match per round plus the Semi-Finals and Final.

ARU CEO Bill Pulver said the competition will be an exciting spectacle for fans and will enhance the pathway to develop elite players, coaches and match officials.

Mr Pulver also said in addition to providing additional broadcast content, the National Rugby Championship will generate extra revenue for Australian rugby.

“This is a major vote of confidence in Australian rugby. This competition, which will include 8-10 teams from major population centres from across Australia, will also offer the opportunity to introduce innovative rules to the game to improve the spectacle for our fans,” said Mr Pulver.

“The National Rugby Championship will run annually at the end of Super Rugby and club rugby seasons from August to October as a way of complementing existing competitions such as the important Premier Rugby competitions in Sydney and Queensland.

“It will also be self-funded thanks to the support of Fox Sports and Foxtel.

“This new competition will be a tremendous opportunity for rugby fans to support teams from across the country in a local competition that we hope will rival New Zealand’s ITM Cup and South Africa’s Currie Cup at a time of year when there is little local rugby being played.

“I’d like to acknowledge the support shown by stakeholders and club competitions across the country, particularly in Sydney and Queensland, where Premier Rugby competitions are working to schedule their seasons to avoid any scheduling clashes with the National Rugby Championship.

“We will continue to work with stakeholders at all levels of rugby, including at club level, to further improve the vital role they play to create elite players.”

Australian Rugby Union has set up the National Rugby Championship Commission to establish the competition.

The Commission includes representatives from Australian Rugby Union, the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA), Super Rugby, Fox Sports and Foxtel. It is chaired by independent sports consultant, John Boultbee AM, who has worked extensively in Australian and international sport including rowing, soccer and at the Australian Institute of Sport.