About WhRL

Wheelchair Rugby League is currently an emerging sport. Only a handful of nations play the game with France, England, and Australia having fully established domestic competitions. Wheelchair Rugby League was developed by Frenchmen Wally Salvan and Robert Fassolette in 2000, originally as a form of rehabilitation. As it began to grow as a sport, the French toured Australia in 2004 and introduced the game to England in 2005.

Acknowledged as a fast and exciting spectator sport, the Wheelchair Rugby League Association in the UK expanded the game despite the competition from already established team sports such as wheelchair basketball and murderball or Quad rugby. The catalyst for the sports’ recent increase in popularity was the successful 2008 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, organized by the New South Wales Rugby League. This has led to an increase in participation not only in the UK but in other nations as well. Wheelchair Rugby League is unique amongst wheelchair sports in its faithfulness to the rules of its sport of origin, rugby league. It is also extremely inclusive as it can be played by teams of mixed sexes, mixed-age groups, and both able-bodied people and those with a range of disabilities.