Rugby League Euro D competition to be staged in Turkey

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

FROM: ERL MEDIA DEPARTMENT

DATE: 14 July, 2021

EURO D CONFIRMED FOR TURKEY

European Rugby League’s fourth tier competition, Euro D, has been confirmed to take place in October 2021 and will be hosted in Bodrum, Turkey.

The championship, postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic, will see Netherlands, Malta, Czechia and the host nation compete, having agreed to a new format of a centrally hosted event to reduce exposure to the challenges of Coronavirus restrictions.

“We are extremely proud and honoured to host the Euro D matches,” confirmed Gurol Yildiz, president of the Turkish Rugby League Association. “This is an amazing achievement for the TRLA management and we are looking forward to welcoming the European Rugby League family to Bodrum. We are especially grateful to the city’s mayor, Ahmet Aras, for his support in securing the event.”

Two rounds of matches will be played, semi-finals on Thursday 14 October and the final and third-placed play off on Sunday 17th, with the draw to be made shortly.

“Hosting this event is a wonderful opportunity for Bodrum and Turkey.” Aras said. “We are honoured and excited that the city has been chosen for the first-ever rugby championship in the country. It will be an unforgettable occasion and the beginning of our long-term strategy to make Bodrum an international sporting destination.”

Matt Rigby, Netherlands team manager, commented: “We are excited to travel to Bodrum and be part of what is sure to be a great spectacle. We’ve worked hard and built foundations for domestic player growth within the Netherlands over the past few years. This tournament is the next step in our process.”

“After a long wait we are looking forward to the opportunity of returning to international competition,” noted David Axisa, general manager of Malta Rugby League. “I can’t wait to see our new head coach Roderick Attard’s transition from domestic player to putting his mark on the squad for this tournament.”

Lukas Hergott, Czechia Rugby League president, confirmed: “We are very much looking forward to this new format and venue, it will be a pleasure to meet up with our friends again. The matches are a significant test of the standard of our domestic competition.”

Photograph (left to right): Julien Treu, TRLA Director, Gurol Yildiz, TRLA President, Ahmet Aras , Mayor of Bodrum, Hakan Alim , BOTOV Director, Levent Pandir , PMA Events.

The Rugby League World Cup is taking place between the 23 October – 27 November this autumn and is the pinnacle of international Rugby League, globally contested every four years. RLWC2021 will be a breakthrough moment in the tournament’s history with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being staged together for the first time.

The three tournaments will take place in 21 venues across 18 host towns and cities in England. Both the women’s and wheelchair competitions will be contested by two groups of four teams, whilst the men’s tournament will see 16 teams compete across four groups.

RLWC2021 will be the most visible Rugby League event in history with all 61 games in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being broadcast live on the BBC.

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