The tournament, which was hosted by England and Wales but also saw matches staged in Ireland and France, attracted more than 450,000 fans across 28 matches between October and November – a competition record.

"[When the UK hosted] in 1995, it was less than successful financially," said Sally Bolton, general manager of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

"The tournament got back on track in 2008 [in Australia], but it's a big road to full recovery."

Speaking at a seminar organised by Royal Docks Business School, in partnership with
GlobalSportsJobs, Bolton laid out what her vision was for the competition.

"Our priorities were filling stadia, the match day experience, new and emerging audiences and having a tangible legacy," said Bolton to an audience at London's University Square Stratford.

"If you're filling stadiums and gaining momentum, you're going in the right direction."

Fourteen teams contested the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, won for a tenth time by Australia ©AFP/Getty Images


While admitting spreading the tournament thinly across 21 venues was something she would probably not do looking back, it meant organisers were able to maximise excitement in towns and cities hosting just one World Cup game.

Rugby league power house venues in Hull and Workington were selected, as were less familiar places for the sport, such as Bristol and Limerick.

Having a strong start to the tournament, with big games in the right locations, was also a key part of getting the World Cup off on the right foot, said Bolton.

The first game, held in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, saw the mouth-watering clash between Australia and England.

Half of the tickets sold were for the semi-finals, held as a double-header at London's Wembley Stadium, and the final at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium.

Bolton said that for every £1 ($1.66/€1.21) of income generated by the World Cup, 30p ($0.49/€0.36) of it was spent, versus slightly less than double that in the 2008 tournament.

Community initiatives including a tour of the World Cup trophy helped build excitement ahead of the tournament, and volunteers were deployed to give a unique atmosphere at matches.

Forty-five per cent of match tickets were sold at £25 ($41/€30 million) or less.

Bolton said the economic impact for the UK of the tournament has been estimated at £10 million ($16.6 million/€12.1 million).

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