ERIC Perez has told any rugby league clubs moaning about the prospect of heading to Toronto for a game that it shows more about their problems and attitudes.

He also believes the introduction of the Wolfpack can bring in a new era of professionalism into the game.

And if any players and clubs are whingeing about having to take time off work to play, they need to take a long, hard look at themselves.

7 Legendary prop Fuifui Moimoi is Toronto Wolfpack's highest profile signing

Toronto Wolfpack enter the British game’s third tier, League One, next year and teams face a 7,000 mile round trip across the Atlantic Ocean for matches.

However, the man behind the new club insists any whinges about part-time players having to take a day off work to play is not a worry.

The Wolfpack will pay for teams to fly out on a Thursday and back on a Sunday, rendering that argument pointless in Perez’s eyes.

7 Toronto Wolfpack's badge has already caused quite a stir through rugby league

He said: “This is a professional sport and we need to start moving into professionalism, so players taking a day off work is literally the last thing that enters my mind.

“If you can’t take a day off work to come to Canada and play for your club, you have to look at are these clubs really sustainable?

“And how are we ever going to be bigger than the NRL if that is a major issue to us?

“I understand any cynicism but Toronto is a city of six million people that supports its sports teams. We’re used to being the only team in Canada in various leagues.

“No disrespect to any of the other expansion cities but they haven’t really been major cities, besides Paris and that was a business tie-up that saw that team go down. Hopefully, one day they’ll be back.”

7 Toronto Wolfpack will feature in a fly-on-the-wall TV show in Canada leading up to their first rugby league season

Toronto are backed by millionaire mining boss David Argyle and have thrown down the gauntlet ahead of their inaugural campaign.

Super League players Craig Hall, Gary Wheeler , James Laithwaite and Richard Whiting are among their clutch of signings, which is headed by Tonga international prop Fuifui Moimoi.

But they are also committed to developing talent in north America, with Perez saying there will be ‘at least five, maybe 10,’ players from Canada, the USA and Jamaica in their squad.

Former Leigh boss Paul Rowley is coaching them and former Great Britain chief Brian Noble is heavily involved as director of rugby.

7 Paul Rowley is the man in charge of Toronto Wolfpack

They play their first pre-season game at Hull on January 22 then face Wigan before their opening league game at London Skolars. Oxford are the first team to head to Canada on May 6 and league fixtures will be in blocks, four in the UK and four in Canada.

And Perez believes the Wolfpack – who are believed to have sold 6,000 season tickets – can help rugby league in the northern hemisphere grow bigger than the NRL.

He also shot down any claims that they are putting the Rugby Football League in financial jeopardy.

7 Both Hull and Wigan will take on new boys Toronto Wolfpack in pre-season friendlies Credit: Reuters

He added: “We’re self-funded, we’re paying for all the clubs to come out and have paid for the privilege of being in the league.

“So actually, we’ve put money into the RFL. We’re helping not hurting.

“It’s inevitable that in world sport we cross that border, the Atlantic Ocean, and now we can fly over pretty easily, it takes five-and-a-half hours to fly to Toronto from Manchester, it’s pretty academic.

“It’s the same from Boston to Los Angeles, and the Celtics v Lakers has been a rivalry in basketball for 40 years. It was inevitable.

7 Toronto's skyline will soon become familiar to rugby league fans Credit: Alamy

“The ambition is to make Super League much bigger than the NRL and we can do that.

“We have a bigger market and when you add North America to the piece, people may think Super League is a bit of a feeder to the NRL but in five or 10 years, they will be thinking the opposite.”

7 Russell Crowe is a huge rugby league fan and backs South Sydney, who Sam Burgess plays for. Eric Perez wants Crowe at a Toronto Wolfpack game. Credit: Getty Images

Toronto will play their games at Lamport Stadium and Perez hopes to have a famous fan at one of their matches - Hollywood star Russell Crowe.

He is a massive rugby league supporter and backs his boyhood idols, NRL side South Sydney Rabbitohs, for whom England star Sam, Thomas and George Burgess play.

He added: "Russell is a huge fan of Toronto, he loves Toronto Maple Leafs and he’s a huge fan of Newfoundland as well. If I knew where he lives, I’d be at his door. We’d love to get Russell over to enjoy some Wolfpack rugby league.”