Fiji’s long‑running push to field a side in Australia’s Knock‑On Effect New South Wales Cup has moved into a more concrete phase, with Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) chairman Rajesh Singh confirming financing routes, coaching support and a firm target for entry. Singh told media this week the organisation has identified how to meet the New South Wales Rugby League’s licensing conditions and is lining up partners and sponsors to meet a $1 million guarantee required to secure a licence.
Singh said the $1 million guarantee is the threshold the NSWRL has set to grant a club licence for the NSW Cup. “We have to put a million dollars as guarantee to New South Wales Rugby League,” he said, adding that once the guarantee is lodged the licence would follow and the team could commence in the competition. Funding, he said, is being pursued under the Vuvale partnership and through commercial sponsorship, with some sponsors already expressing interest.
The FNRL is also engaging external stakeholders to bolster the bid. Singh confirmed approaches to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and discussions with the NRL over possible financial support. He said these avenues form part of a broader funding strategy rather than a single source of underwriting the licence guarantee.
Interest from experienced Australian coaches has strengthened the FNRL’s confidence that a competitive side could be prepared in time. Singh named Matt Elliott, Mick Potter and Anthony Seibold as coaches who have signalled their willingness to assist. “They said … ‘let us come and help you, prepare the team for one and a half year… start playing in 2028,’” Singh said, outlining a development model in which a locally selected squad would be identified and groomed for 18 months before joining the NSW Cup.
Under the current timetable, the FNRL aims for the team to begin NSW Cup competition in March 2028. Singh likened the plan to the pathway used by other Fijian teams, saying the club would follow a staged build similar to the early structure employed by the Fijian Drua as it progressed through Australian competitions on its way to higher levels. He emphasised that entry into the NSW Cup is intended as a stepping stone toward the longer‑term objective of greater representation in the NRL system.
Before the bid is advanced formally, the FNRL will address governance and financial transparency requirements at home. Singh said the body intends to complete audited accounts for 2024–2025 and hold an annual general meeting to “get our house in order” before taking the next step. Those prerequisites are aimed at providing assurance to potential sponsors, investors and sanctioning bodies that the project is financially and administratively sound.
The announcement represents the latest development in Fiji’s efforts to expand its footprint in Australian rugby league competitions. Fiji already fields teams in junior and developmental pathways that have given local players exposure to Australian systems; the NSW Cup bid, if successful, would create a senior, high‑performance platform in New South Wales and broaden the pathway for Fijian talent toward the NRL. The FNRL now faces the twin tasks of securing the $1 million guarantee and finalising governance milestones ahead of formal licensing discussions with the NSWRL.
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