Wales Rugby League is the national governing body for rugby league football in Wales.
In 1907 The Welsh Northern Rugby Football Union was formed in Wrexham, but the English Northern Rugby Football Union refused it affiliation as they wanted the body located in the south of Wales and the Welsh body soon folded.
In 1926 the English body, now called the Rugby Football League (RFL) formed a Welsh commission in an attempt to convert rugby union clubs to rugby league. The Wales Rugby League achieved governing body status in 2005 and employed its first professional chairman, Mark Rowley, in 2006. The WRL is responsible for the running of the game in Wales, for organising games and competitions and for selecting the squad for the national teams. In addition to managing professional and amateur national representative senior teams, WRL runs several age grade international sides from under 13s to a student team. The senior teams each play in annual European competitions, and the professional side compete in the World Cup every 4 years.
In 2006 the WRL achieved autonomous status from the Rugby Football League. In 2010, at a meeting of the Rugby League International Federation in Melbourne, Australia, the WRL were made full members of the Federation.
WRL has 14 affiliated clubs, including four university clubs. Wales Rugby League is based at Treforest Industrial Estate
The national team will play in the 2011 Gillette Four Nations tournament against Australia, England and New Zealand.
Read more about Wales Rugby League: See Also
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