Rugby League: Lindsay's blueprint for future

A streamlined administration, drawing on outside expertise, is essential if the game is to meet the challenge of rugby union. This will be the message that the Rugby League's chief executive, Maurice Lindsay, will today give its decision-making body, writes Dave Hadfield.

Lindsay will ask the monthly meeting of the Rugby League Council - the representatives of the 35 professional clubs - to reduce its role to quarterly meetings and leave the six-man board of directors to run the game.

'A group of 30 or 40 people meeting so regularly cannot run the game properly,' said Lindsay. 'A number of council members are already on record agreeing with that.'

Under Lindsay's blueprint, the board would co-opt one member - possibly more in time - from the world of business. He cited British Airways, Marks and Spencer and Norweb as companies which have senior league enthusiasts.

Also to be discussed is a proposal for clubs to open their accounts to the League. Lindsay sees this as a precursor to a salary cap which would spread talent more evenly and stop clubs overspending.

He said yesterday that he expected rugby union to move further along the road of national leagues and payments to players. 'We are going to have to compete more with them and others in future and reforming the government of the game is a first step,' he said.