IT’S the fighting fund for footballers who can no longer fight for themselves.

Exactly 14 months after The Daily Telegraph first revealed the gross inadequacies in NRL insurance, CEO Dave Smith is finally set to launch his much-hyped Foundation for injured players this weekend.

And the opening donation: Up to $150,000.

First promised in July last year, the new fund will provide financial compensation — on top of insurance payouts — for league players from junior football right through to first grade who suffer severe injury like brain or spinal trauma.

media_camera Cronulla player Kurt Drysdale was paralysed in a tackle during a match. Picture: Facebook

The news comes as the NSWRL refused to state what insurance payout Cabramatta player Kurt Drysdale would receive.

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He recently suffered a severe spinal injury while playing.

Back in June last year, The Daily Telegraph revealed how NRL players like injured Knight Alex McKinnon only received a $500,000 payout for ‘catastrophic’ injury — compared to $1 million for AFL players and $1.5 million for members of the Australian Rugby union.

It meant that while an emotional Rise For Alex round netted $1.2 million in donations, that figure was still $300,000 short of what the potential NSW Origin star would have received were he playing for, say, the NSW Waratahs when rendered a quadriplegic.

Almost immediately, NRL officialdom announced the insurance payment would be doubled to $1 million, while also promising a Foundation plus “new insurance arrangements” by March, 2015.

And while new Income Protection insurance is now in place, ensuring a player retired through serious injury has his entire contract paid out, Players Association boss David Garnsey confirmed significant insurance arrangements were still to be signed off on.

In a statement, he said: “The RLPA’s insurance broker has worked with the NRL in the design ... of a policy to take to the market and ... we are hopeful the NRL will soon be in a position to put a comprehensive policy in place.”

The Foundation, however, is now officially operational, beginning this weekend when the NRL donates $1 from every ticket sold for the Men of League Heritage Round — which was previously Rise For Alex Round.

The NRL said part of the money raised would also go to the Rise For Alex Fund — but did not reveal exactly how the lump sum would be shared.

Rather than simply dumping millions into the Foundation, the NRL will grow the fund through fundraising events.

“The Foundation will continue to build so it can provide assistance to those few players who suffer catastrophic injuries in our game,” Smith said.

“This week is particularly important because, not only are we continuing to show our support for Alex McKinnon but we are putting in place a support system for players who suffer catastrophic injuries in the future.”

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The announcement follows an extensive Daily Telegraph campaign to improve the payments to players left permanently disabled by the game.

Last year, we revealed the plight of retired Wests Tigers players Simon Dwyer and Taniela Tuiaki — who were essentially forgotten after severe injury forced them out of the game.

A month later, Tigers skipper Robbie Farah dubbed the insurance issue a “disgrace”, saying the NRL had failed to make improvements despite two years of promises.

“The NRL keeps saying it wants to protect the product … well, players are the product and we’re not being protected,’’ he said. “Right now, rugby league is the only game that isn’t protecting its players — and that’s disgraceful.”

Speaking on Tuesday night, Smith said the Foundation would provide immediate support to assist with initial medical costs plus travel and accommodation for family members so they could be near the injured player.

The NRL has also formed a partnership with Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, which involves creating the best strategies to help injured players and their families following a catastrophic injury.

The NRL and Spinal Cord Injuries Australia will also jointly fund research initiatives aimed at assisting injured footballers.