RLFG gets IRL Full Membership status
Rugby League Federation Ghana (RLFG) has officially been awarded International Rugby League (IRL) Full Membership status, becoming the 15th member of the association.
The announcement was made at the IRL Annual General Meeting held on December 18.
Ghana thus becomes the second Full Member from the Middle East–Africa region, alongside South Africa, and the first new IRL Full Member since Italy in 2017, joining Australia, Cook Islands, England, Fiji, France, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Serbia, South Africa, Tonga, Ukraine, and Wales.
The historic achievement crowns a 13-year journey that began in 2012 through a collaboration between sponsors Hector and Sara Giwa-McNeil, the British government, and European Rugby League, which introduced rugby league, leading to the establishment of RLFG in 2014.
Ghana attained affiliate membership within six years and has now become the first national federation to achieve Full Membership under the IRL policy introduced in 2019, a framework designed to promote strong governance, financial prudence, operational proficiency, and sustainable growth.
The IRL chairman, Mr Troy Grant, who made the announcement, said: “On behalf of the IRL Board, I would like to congratulate RLFG for this fantastic achievement. Since the project began in 2012, the Ghanaian rugby league community has gone from strength to strength and is a true testament to what can be achieved with good governance. From schools to national teams, domestic pathways exist and a genuine rugby league community has been created and nurtured.”
Reacting to the news, an elated RLFG President, Madam Juliana Storey, said, “This is a moment of immense joy and pride for Ghana.” According to her, the achievement reflects the dedication, resilience, and belief of all players, clubs, officials, volunteers, partners, and stakeholders.
“We are committed to upholding the highest standards of the IRL and will continue with the sustainable development of rugby league in Ghana and across Africa,” she added.
RLFG is recognised by the National Sports Authority (NSA) as the national federation for rugby league in Ghana and currently oversees six clubs, four of which are registered legal entities.
Ghana has operated a 13-aside men’s competition for six years, introduced women’s rugby league in 2022, and youth (boys and girls) competitions in 2023. The 2025 season featured 14 teams and over 430 registered players.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, RLFG’s volunteers and trained school educators delivered rugby league to approximately 2,000 participants through over 400 training sessions across 30 schools, six clubs, and four regions (Greater Accra, Volta, Ashanti, and Northern Region).
Community programmes include partnerships with the Nineka Youth Foundation Youth Empowerment Camp, beach rugby league and beach clean-up initiatives, and breast and prostate cancer screening campaigns.
Ghana is also a leader in technical education, becoming the first Middle East–Africa nation to achieve full compliance with the IRL Technical Education Framework.
RLFG has two IRL Level 1 Coach Educators, three IRL Level 1 Match Official Educators (including one woman), seven accredited IRL Level 1 Coaches, and 11 IRL Level 1 Match Officials.
At the representative level, Ghana has fielded national teams since 2019, hosted the MEA Championship in 2022, introduced a women’s national team in 2023, and continues to develop talent through domestic representative competitions such as the Origins Cup and President’s Cup.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY RUGBY
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