Phil Clarke examines the impact the EU referendum could have on the sport of Rugby League in this week's column...
I don't think we've ever 'done politics' in this column before and when I say that, I don't mean Rugby League politics. I am referring to mainstream politics!
Well, now could be the time to break with tradition. The increasing media coverage of the forthcoming referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union has prompted me to consider what the implications of leaving or remaining might be for the sport of Rugby League.
I don't mind admitting I don't have any definitive answers and I can only speculate around the various issues. I am also keen to make it clear that I am not expressing a preference for either outcome of the referendum. I am simply raising this issue for everybody involved with Rugby League to consider. Many organisations, institutions and other parts of society seem to be doing this.
I also noticed that a leading figure connected to the Rugby Union club scene mentioned the issue a few weeks ago and I understand people in football have been discussing it. So the issues are certainly being considered across the sporting spectrum.
I imagine the RFL could be starting to consider how the game might look in a post-Brexit world and, if not, they probably should be. Just like a Rugby League team preparing for a big match, any organisation or business needs to ensure it's prepared for changes to its circumstances and potential challenges.
So how might the outcome of the referendum on June 23 affect our sport? Much of what I am about to mention is speculative on my part but here goes anyway.
If Britain left the EU, it seems to me one obvious question to consider would be how the change might affect the Catalan Dragons in Super League and Toulouse in League 1. As I understand it, if the 'leave' campaign won, then no changes would happen for a couple of years but, after that, would there be an end to free movement in Europe and would that affect the teams travelling to the UK to play, and British fans travelling away to France to watch their team? Perhaps not, given that both teams and fans only stay in their destinations for a few days, but it's still worth thinking about.
Another consequence of a so-called Brexit might be changes to what has become known as the 'Kolpak' rule. This refers to a trade agreement between the EU and countries such as Samoa and Tonga. It has been in effect since 2003 and means that players with passports from these nations can live and work in Europe.
If that rule changed, some teams might find that some of their current overseas players no longer have the right to play in the UK, unless the RFL changes some eligibility rules perhaps. It has been hard to keep up with and understand the rules set out by the RFL, but fundamentally I think that it is important that we still provide the opportunities for young local players to play at the highest level.
In soccer it has been said by some that leaving the European Union could be a good thing for developing young British players because it might reduce the number of European footballers in the UK. In the case of Rugby League, it could mean that more Aussies and Kiwis have a chance to play here.
Again from what I understand - it is not automatically going to happen - but some on the leave side would like to see closer relations with Commonwealth countries like Australia and New Zealand and would want to remove some restrictions on these people living and working in the UK. If that did happen, perhaps more players from non-NRL teams and lower down the southern hemisphere playing pyramid might have a chance to come here and play. Who knows? Another possibility is that if closer relations with Canada came about (also a Commonwealth country), might a Brexit be seen as helpful in various ways to the new Toronto Wolfpack club?
I certainly don't want to get involved in the detailed economic arguments around the referendum debate but some organisations are claiming that sterling, our currency, may lose value if we left the European Union. If this did happen, might it mean more British players seeing the NRL as an attractive employment option for them, especially given the greater spending power those clubs already have? They would have to attract the interest of NRL clubs in the first place, of course.
So there you go. Those are just a few of the questions that have occurred to me as I consider the issues around the forthcoming referendum on our membership of the EU. Perhaps you have some questions of your own and other thoughts as well. Perhaps it would be useful for the RFL to try to publicly clarify some of these questions. It might give Rugby League fans some further food for thought as they consider which way to cast their vote on June 23.