THE organisers of next year’s Rugby League World Cup expect the tournament to help cement the sport’s growth in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

England is the host nation for the 2021 World Cup, which is due to take place next October and November, and St James’ Park in Newcastle has already been selected to host the tournament’s opening ceremony and opening fixture, which will see England take on Samoa.

Kingston Park, home of rugby union side Newcastle Falcons, will host three group matches, the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough will stage a ‘high-profile’ men’s group game, and York’s Community Stadium will host a women’s group match and both women’s semi-finals.

Yesterday marked 500 days to go before the tournament starts, and organisers stepped up their preparations by announcing training plans for the competition. The male and female teams of world number ones, New Zealand, will be based in York, while the men’s side from the Cook Islands will be stationed in the Tees Valley and Scotland will be located in Newcastle.

While the North-East does not have a professional team in rugby league’s top division, the Super League, the region has played a prominent role in the sport’s development in the last few years, with Newcastle having become a semi-permanent base for the Magic Weekend, and it is hoped the World Cup will help inspire a new generation of devotees.

“This is going to be a huge moment for rugby league, and also a huge moment for the North of England,” said RLWC2021 chief executive Jon Dutton. “Eighty-five per cent of the World Cup matches will be played in the North, and that’s something we’re very proud of given our sport’s heritage.

“We want to make the games as accessible as possible for rugby league fans, but we also want to use the World Cup as an opportunity to grow our sport in places where we know there’s interest, but where it’s not always easy to watch international rugby league. The North-East certainly fits that bill.

“The North-East has always supported our sport, and it was a very careful and conscious decision to start the tournament in Newcastle. We know our fans have loved being there for the Magic Weekend, and I’m sure it’ll be a great way to get things going.

“It’s not just that though. We’ve also got matches at Kingston Park and in Middlesbrough and York too. The eyes of the world will be on us, and if you’re a sport fan living in the North-East who might not necessarily have been to rugby league before, this is a chance to experience world-class sport on your doorstep.”

This year’s sporting calendar has been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, but while World Cup organisers have had to tweak some of their planning, the strong hope is that the tournament in 16 months’ time will not be affected.

While 2020 has become something of a fallow year, 2021, with a rescheduled Olympic Games and European Championships in football, is shaping up to be a sporting spectacular, and the Rugby League World Cup will help round off a year-long celebration of sport’s return.

“We were gearing up to be the biggest sporting event on the calendar in 2021, and obviously that’s changed a bit with things like the Olympics being moved,” said Dutton. “But we’re looking at that as a great opportunity.

“Once we’ve come through coronavirus, there’s going to be a great appetite for people to get back out there doing things. Sport will play a big part in that, and it’s great to have so many world-class events in England next year. You’ll have the Euros in football in the summer, and then a few months later, it’ll be our turn in the spotlight. We see this as a great chance to really showcase our sport.”

That showcasing does not begin and end on a matchday, with yesterday’s training-camp announcements flagging up the way in which the tournament will embrace local communities and clubs.

“We want to show off the elite part of the sport, but also want to highlight what rugby league is doing in communities across the North-East,” said Dutton. “In terms of a community clubs getting kids playing rugby league, the North-East is one of our strongest regions. The World Cup will feed into that.”