Rugby League Players Association


The Rugby League Players Association is a representative organisation in Australia. It represents players contracted to play for a Club in the Australian Rugby League Commission, National Rugby League Competition, National Youth Competition, New South Wales Rugby League State Cup Competition, Queensland Rugby League State Cup Competition and Elite Women's competition..
Formerly the Rugby League Professionals Association, the company changed its name in 2009.

Leadership

Former Newcastle Knights captain Tony Butterfield was appointed RLPA CEO in 2000.
Former Western Reds and Penrith Panthers player Matthew Rodwell served as CEO for a brief period up until 2009.
In 2009, David Garnsey took the reins as Chief Executive Officer through until 2015.
In December 2015, former Carlton Football Club player and AFLPA general manager of Player Relations Ian Prendergast was appointed chief executive officer of the RLPA.
In 2017, Australian, Queensland and Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith was appointed General President of the RLPA, taking over from Clint Newton who continued with the organisation in the role of general manager of Player Relations.

RLPA board of directors

The current RLPA board of directors consists of 11 individuals. Adam Blair and Eloni Vunakece were the most recent additions, joining the group in August 2017.
The Rugby League Players' Association's annual awards ceremony, The Players' Champion, recognises the best player in the National Rugby League as voted by their peers.
Four-time winner of the award Johnathan Thurston, described the Players' Champion as "the highest accolade a player can get."

Previous winners

In November 2017, the RLPA negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the National Rugby League that secured the biggest pay increase for players in the game's 109-year history.
The new CBA deal captures a range of employment related clauses for a five-year period, beginning in 2018 through until 2022.
In a show of unity and solidarity behind the RLPA in the ongoing negotiations, NRL players wore branded caps throughout State of Origin press conferences and green tape in Round 21 of the 2017 season. RLPA CEO Ian Prendergast stated it "was no secret players had become increasingly frustrated" by negotiations. "They want to stand up, use their voice and demonstrate their solidarity across the weekend to get this deal over the line so we can deliver certainty in the industry."