National Rugby Football League Appoints Axiom Partners as Gulf Region Advisor
London-based firm to support NRFL investor engagement across the GCC, with investor programming to follow in Dubai.
MINNEAPOLIS and LONDON — September 14, 2026 — The National Rugby Football League (NRFL), a United States professional rugby and sports media organization, has appointed Axiom Partners Ltd, a United Kingdom strategic and financial advisory firm, as its strategic advisor for the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
Axiom will identify and introduce institutional investors, family offices and strategic partners across the GCC, and will coordinate investor programming in Dubai. The NRFL retains responsibility for all commercial negotiations and investor relationships.
The appointment comes as the United States prepares to host three major rugby events inside six years: the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, the Men's Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2033. World Rugby is slated to direct $250 million to $270 million into the United States rugby ecosystem ahead of those tournaments.
"Rugby is one of the world's greatest sports and the United States is its largest undeveloped market. We built the NRFL as a single entity so the League owns its teams, its media and its commercial rights together. Axiom brings us relationships and regional understanding in a market where sport is treated as a long-term asset." Michael Clements, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, NRFL
"The NRFL is not a single-asset sports proposition. It is an integrated platform combining professional sport, owned media, technology and commercial rights under one structure. Our role is to make sure that structure is properly understood by the institutions and family offices we work with across the region." Anthony Cerchiai, Chairman, Axiom Partners Ltd
"Global sports capital is moving toward platforms that own their audience, their content and their rights, rather than toward individual clubs. Beginning this work in Dubai is deliberate, given the UAE's position as a center for international capital." Dr Patrick Pilati, Vice Chairman, Axiom Partners Ltd
About the National Rugby Football League
The National Rugby Football League is a United States professional rugby organization developing men's and women's professional competition alongside media, technology and commercial operations.
Its leadership includes Michael Clements, Founder and CEO, who built the largest legal-support and litigation-finance business in the United States, and Steve Ryan, Managing Director, a NASCAR veteran who built a nationally recognized sports marketing and technology agency. On the sporting side, Jeff Diamond, Team Operations, is an NFL Executive of the Year and former President of the Tennessee Titans, and Mick Byrne, Director of Rugby, is a two-time Rugby World Cup champion coach with the All Blacks. They are supported by a wider executive team drawn from the NFL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR and championship rugby.
Advisors to the League include Bo Jackson, the Heisman Trophy winner and two-sport NFL and Major League Baseball athlete; Leigh Steinberg, the veteran sports agent; Metta World Peace, the NBA champion; Steve LaCroix, former Chief Marketing Officer of the Minnesota Vikings; and Patrick Crakes, a former Fox Sports executive.
Website: www.thenrfl.com
About Axiom Partners Ltd
Axiom Partners Ltd is a United Kingdom-based strategic and financial advisory firm working with companies, investors and institutions on strategic positioning and access to international capital, with a particular focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
Website: www.axiom-partners.net · Email: hello@axiom-partners.net
Media inquiries
National Rugby Football League — Steve Ryan · sryan@thenrfl.com
Axiom Partners Ltd — hello@axiom-partners.net
This announcement is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, and is not a prospectus or investment advice in any jurisdiction. Any securities offering is made solely pursuant to definitive offering documentation and only to investors whose accredited investor status has been verified. Securities have not been registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and may not be offered or sold except in accordance with applicable law. This announcement has not been reviewed or approved by any securities regulator or other authority. Statements regarding future events and expectations are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties; actual outcomes may differ materially. Third-party figures are provided for context and are not indicative of NRFL performance.