Rugby Football League (RFL)
Homepage: http://www.rfl.uk.com/

Rules and regulations: http://www.therfl.co.uk/a_guide_to_the_game/official_laws

History:
It was in 1823 when a pupil at the UK Rugby School named William Web Ellis reportedly invented rugby. However, an inquiry in 1895 found no evidence to support the myth the Ellis indeed revolutionized the game of football by picking up the ball. It was established, however, that in the 1930s, rugby games were being played at the Rugby School with players running with the ball. A good 20 to 30 years after, rugby became popular all throughout UK. Around 1865, rugby clubs started surfacing in Leeds, Huddersfield, and Hull, followed by numerous others in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire in the 1870s and 1880s.

Today, all rugby activities in UK are managed and streamlined by the sport’s governing body, the Rugby Football League (RFL). After having joined forces with the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) in 2003, RFL now handles coaching, promotion, and development programs at all levels. The unified structure also enabled RFL to administer the game from the grassroots to the international level.

Among its many accomplishments, RFL takes pride in leading the Super League to break attendance records in 2004 – achieving the highest ever aggregate weekly gate figures at 65,547 during the 2004 Grand Finals. There are also over 450 clubs registered with the RFL, representing over 40,000 players.