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Rugby league transfer record

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The Rugby league transfer record is the highest-ever sum of money paid by a club to purchase the contract, and thereby obtain the playing services of another club's player. It has been broken in every decade since the sport became professional around the start of the 20th century. Between the 1930s and 1980s, international transfer bans were imposed, removed and renewed at different times due to the sport's governing bodies' fears of excessive talent drain overseas. In 1998, the sport's transfer system was changed to allow any player aged 24 or over to move between clubs at the end of their contract without a fee being paid.[1][2] As a result, transfer fees in rugby league became much more uncommon. The current record fee paid is £700,000 (equivalent to £1,013,364 in 2023), paid by the New Zealand Warriors to the Wigan Warriors in 2013 for Sam Tomkins.[3]

Record progression

[edit]
Year Player From To Fee (£) Notes
19011901 James Lomas Bramley Salford 100[4]
19011911 James Lomas Salford Oldham 300
19131913 Billy Batten Hunslet Hull F.C. 600[5]
1921 1921 Harold Buck Hunslet Leeds 1,000[4]
1930 1930 Stan Smith Wakefield Trinity Leeds 1,075
1934 1934 Stan Brogden Huddersfield Leeds 1,200
19371937 Vic Hey Ipswitch Leeds 1,400[6] [a]
1937 1937 Billy Belshaw Liverpool Warrington 1,450
19471947 Bill Davies Huddersfield Dewsbury 1,650[7]
19471947 Bill Hudson Batley Wigan 2,000
1948 1948 Jimmy Ledgard Dewsbury Leigh 2,650
1948 1948 Ike Owens Leeds Castleford 2,750
1949 1949 Stan McCormick Belle Vue Rangers St. Helens 4,000[8]
1949 1949 Albert Naughton Widnes Warrington 4,600[9]
1950 1950 Bruce Ryan Hull F.C. Leeds 4,750
1950 1950 Joe Egan Wigan Leigh 5,000[7]
19521952 Lewis Jones Llanelli Leeds 6,000[10]
1957 1957 Mick Sullivan Huddersfield Wigan 9,500[10]
1959 1959 Ike Southward Workington Town Oldham 10,650[11]
1961 1961 Mick Sullivan Wigan St. Helens 11,000[10]
1961 1961 Ike Southward Oldham Workington Town 11,002 10s[11]
1961 1961 Brian Shaw Hunslet Leeds 13,250[12] [b]
1968 1968 Colin Dixon Halifax Salford 15,000 [c]
1969 1969 Paul Charlton Workington Town Salford 12,500[13]
19711971 Mal Reilly Castleford Manly-Warringah 15,000[14]
1973 1973 Bill Ashurst Wigan Penrith 15,000
19731973 Mike Stephenson Dewsbury Penrith 20,000
1978 1978 Steve Norton Castleford Hull F.C. 25,000 [d]
1978 1978 Phil Hogan Barrow Hull Kingston Rovers 33,000
1980 1980 Len Casey Bradford Hull Kingston Rovers 38,000[15]
1980 1980 Trevor Skerrett Wakefield Trinity Hull F.C. 40,000
1981 1981 George Fairbairn Wigan Hull Kingston Rovers 72,500
1985 1985 Ellery Hanley Bradford Wigan 150,000 [e]
1986 1986 Joe Lydon Widnes Wigan 100,000
1987 1987 Andy Gregory Warrington Wigan 130,000
1987 1987 Lee Crooks Hull F.C. Leeds 150,000[16]
1987 1987 Garry Schofield Hull F.C. Leeds 155,000[17]
19891989 Graham Steadman Featherstone Rovers Castleford 170,000 [f]
1991 1991 Ellery Hanley Wigan Leeds 250,000
1992 1992 Martin Offiah Widnes Wigan 440,000[10]
1995 1995 Paul Newlove Bradford St. Helens 500,000[18] [g]
2006 2006 Stuart Fielden Bradford Wigan 450,000[19]
2013 2013 Sam Tomkins Wigan New Zealand 700,000[3]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ This was a "signing on fee" and was at the time higher than the world record transfer fee.
  2. ^ Shaw was signed for £9,500 cash, and included a player exchange deal which saw Leeds players Bernard Prior and Norman Burton join Hunslet.
  3. ^ Dixon was signed for £12,000 cash, and included a player exchange deal which saw Salford player Mike Kelly join Halifax.
  4. ^ Hull player Jimmy Crampton joined Castleford as part of this deal.
  5. ^ Hanley was signed for £85,000 cash, and included a player exchange deal which saw Wigan players Steve Donlan and Phil Ford join Bradford.
  6. ^ Castleford paid an initial fee of £145,000 for Steadman, and agreed to play an additional £25,000 if he played a Test for Great Britain.
  7. ^ Newlove was signed for £250,000 cash, and included a player exchange deal which saw Saints players Paul Loughlin, Bernard Dwyer and Sonny Nickle join Bradford.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hadfield, Dave (25 June 1998). "Rugby League: Super League delays decision on TV deal". The Independent. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  2. ^ "'Bosman' deal for rugby". The People. 7 June 1998. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Sam Tomkins to leave Wigan Warriors for New Zealand Warriors in world record deal after World Cup". Telegraph. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b Baker, Andrew (20 August 1995). "100 years of rugby league: From the great divide to the Super era". The Independent. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Billy Batten". Hull FC. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  6. ^ Collins, Tony (2006). Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain: A Social and Cultural History. United Kingdom: Routledge. p. 24. ISBN 9780203088357.
  7. ^ a b Collins, Tony (2006). Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain: A Social and Cultural History. United Kingdom: Routledge. p. 87. ISBN 9780203088357.
  8. ^ Dooley, Dave. "Stan McCormick". Saints Heritage Society. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  9. ^ Skentelbery, Gary (January 2006). "Wolves season review 2006". Warrington Worldwide. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d skysports.com (31 October 2013). "Lewis Jones, Martin Offiah, Garry Schofield and Mick Sullivan to join the Rugby League Hall of Fame". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Lord Of The Wings". News & Star. 24 March 2006. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Brian Shaw RIP". Leeds Rhinos. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Paul Charlton joins Workington Town Hall of Fame". News & Star. CN Group. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  14. ^ Collins, Tony (2006). Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain: A Social and Cultural History. United Kingdom: Routledge. p. 127. ISBN 9780203088357.
  15. ^ "Casey named in Greatest Ever 13". Hull Kingston Rovers RLFC. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  16. ^ Richards, Martin (27 January 1997). "Lee makes up for those wasted years". The Mirror. London.
  17. ^ "Four living legends inducted into RL Hall of Fame". Super League. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  18. ^ Hadfield, Dave (30 November 1995). "World record fee for Newlove". The Independent. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  19. ^ Hadfield, Dave (22 June 2006). "Desperate Wigan capture Fielden for record £450,000". The Independent. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
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