Confirmation of NL1 TV coverage.

[Jaypeet]

From the RFL site, there is also confirmation on the Sky Sports site;

The RFL is delighted to confirm that it has reached agreement with Sky Sports which means the broadcaster will show the exciting National League One and Two competitions for the next two years including the Play-Offs and Grand Finals Day.

The live coverage of the Regular season will be shown in a new Thursday evening slot with matches kicking off at 7.30pm.  The coverage starts with the first round of National League One on Thursday April 5th 2007.

The first match shown will be the highly attractive tie between Widnes Vikings and Leigh with a 6.05pm kick-off.

To accompany this, Sky Sport?s weekly Rugby League magazine programme Boots N? All will move to Thursday nights, creating a three hour broadcast of Rugby League to kick start the weekend?s coverage early.

Details of all other fixtures to be shown will be confirmed in due course and a total of 25 National League matches will be broadcast each season. 

Commenting on the news, the RFL?s Chief Operating Officer Nigel Wood said:  ?This new broadcast agreement is a tremendous development for the National Leagues.

?Sky Sports? coverage means that the undoubted excitement and vibrancy of the sport at this level can now be seen by a UK wide audience.

?It is also tremendous news that Rugby League is now receiving unprecedented levels of broadcast exposure.  This will clearly assist the continued growth of the sport?.

Wood added:  ?The National Leagues regularly provide many thrilling games and we believe Sky Sports viewers will thoroughly enjoy following the season as it progresses to an exciting climax.?

Also welcoming the agreement, Neville Smith, Executive Producer of Rugby League on Sky Sports, said: "We?re delighted we?ve been able to expand our British Rugby League coverage and look forward to giving the National Leagues the Sky Sports treatment.?

Sky Sports will also continue to broadcast the Northern Rail Cup Final.

Sky Sports will broadcast Rugby League in high definition for the very first time this season and the addition of live National League coverage gives viewers throughout the UK the opportunity to see the intense competition between teams outside the engage Super League.

It is an exciting addition to Sky Sports? programme of Rugby League that includes international matches, engage Super League, and Student Rugby League?s Varsity Match.

[whitehavenRLforever]

This  is  great  news  and  about  time  as  well.  At  last  there's  life  outside  SL.

Any  mention  on  how  much  each  club  will  receive.

[hensingham boy]

just hope it doesn't put to many people off coming down say if haven are at home and the games on sky.

[havenchamps2005]

according to sporting life the nl1 clubs will recive no financial benefit from this 

[brett kinghams mullet]

according to sporting life the nl1 clubs will recive no financial benefit from this 

so what happens if they decided to show haven at home against cas or widnes...then we loose about 2000 off the gate

does the club get any compen?

[XIII]

To be honest I think it could benefit haven supporters i.e I would be surprised if we have more than one or two of our home games on SKy The cost / hassel of getting up here will put paid to that.

Suspect  when we paly Cas Widnes and Leigh away we will be on tele though.

[whitehavenRLforever]

Surely  SKY  must  give  something  to  NL1  clubs.  They've  lost  the  contract  to  feature  Aussie  matches  so  must  have  some  spare  cash.

100K  for  NL1  clubs  and  say  50K  for  NL2  would  be  about  right.  If  there  getting  it  for  nowt  then  its  a  disgrace.  A  Haven  Cas  game  would  attract  at  least  4000.  If  it  was  on  SKY  on  a  Thursday  you  would  be  looking  at  about  2500.  Most  Cas  fans  would  rather  stop  at  home  which  could  see  us  losing  20K +  as  a  result.

[havenchamps2005]

haven will play
dewsbury away on sky
castleford at home on sky

[HavenWarrior]

Interesting that on April 5th Bradford are playing Leeds, so the first ever NL1 game kicks off at 6-05, not much time for the working man to get to the game.

TW

[chocbluegold]

town and barrow should be on telly only it should be crimewatch cos its criminal how they can charge anyone to watch them

[forty twenty]

town and barrow should be on telly only it should be crimewatch cos its criminal how they can charge anyone to watch them

sure u dont mean in towns case game for a laugh

[steward]

town and barrow should be on telly only it should be crimewatch cos its criminal how they can charge anyone to watch them

sure u dont mean in towns case game for a laugh
i here jeremy beadle has a town season ticket.