Exciting Addition to NZRL's National Competition

Exciting Addition to NZRL's National Competition

Auckland, August 14, 2012 - The NZRL’s National Competition will take another positive step forward this year with Monday night football added to the schedule. Each week, the Akarana Pride or Counties Manukau Stingrays premier grade team will play their home game at Mt Smart Stadium as part of the 2012 Pirtek National Premiership.

In addition, SKY Sport is delighted to announce that the Pirtek National Premiership will feature on its Monday night schedule. The final match of each round will be broadcast live from Mt Smart.

Plus, one game of the Auckland-wide Secondary Schools under 85kg grade rugby league championship round will also be broadcast live as a curtain raiser to the Pirtek National Premiership game. Starting from August 27, kick-off will be from 6pm, with the Pirtek Premiership game to follow at 7.30pm and the Monday night NRL game screening at the usual time of 9pm to round out the evenings viewing schedule.

All three games will be live on SKY Sport.

Jim Doyle, CEO of New Zealand Rugby League said, “This is the third year of our national competition, and we are always looking for ways to continuously improve it for both the players and our supporters. By playing it at a large ground and having the games televised, we not only offer our players the chance to perform on a bigger stage but we also open up the opportunity for fans to get along and get behind their team and really make this something special.

“The addition of the TV broadcast is a huge boost for us, and pleasingly it allows the out of town supporters to keep up with the progress of their Zone teams.”

SKY TV’s Richard Last said “The demand for Rugby League on TV is ever increasing, with viewing numbers climbing all the time. Having the chance to support the local game in this way is another exciting development in the growth of Rugby League in NZ and SKY is very pleased to be a part of it.”

About the National Competition: The NZRL National Competition features three grades, 15s, 17s and Premiers. It is played between the seven Zones from late August to mid October, with a finals series in late October. The 15s compete for the Nathan Cayless Cup, the 17s for the Mark Graham Cup, and the Pirtek National Premiership winners receive the Albert Baskerville Trophy.

About the Secondary Schools under 85kg Championship: Auckland-wide under 85kg grade played in five rounds over 8 weeks with two conferences (Akarana and Counties Manukau). There are six teams per conference, one game each week to be played at Mt Smart No 1 as a curtain raiser to the Pirtek National Premiership Monday night game. All to be screened on Sky.

ENDS

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