RLWC2021 announces training base hosts

6 May 2019

Fans learn which towns and cities will be used as training and team bases when the Rugby League World Cup comes to England in 2021

Following the announcement of host stadia for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) earlier this year, the tournament has now revealed the 16 locations that will host the qualified nations as training and team base camps. 

The opening fixtures of RLWC2021 are exactly 900 days away and the next stage of planning has been finalised, with today’s announcement confirming the local communities that will host the 32 competing nations. The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and partners Preston City Council and the Preston Marriott, have combined forces to produce a successful bid for Preston to be a training base for the tournament.

Qualification is still ongoing across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments and all nations will be confirmed in time for the draw, which takes place on November 27. Following the draw, each of the towns/cities will be allocated to a nation allowing planning to commence for adopt a team initiatives and local community engagement events.

The locations which have been selected as training and team base camps are:  

  • Allerdale 
  • Bolton 
  • Doncaster 
  • Hull 
  • Leeds 
  • Liverpool 
  • London 
  • Manchester 
  • Preston 
  • Sheffield 
  • St Helens
  • Tees Valley 
  • Trafford/Salford   
  • Warrington
  • Wigan/Leigh 
  • York 

Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive, commented: “RLWC2021 will see nations from all over the world travel to England to compete for the sport’s most prestigious prize. Today, we are really pleased to be able to announce which towns and cities will be used as hotel and training bases for the competing nations. Each chosen location submitted a compelling bid and our decisions represent our confidence in each of these towns and cities to provide a world-class host experience to the visiting nations in 2021. 

"As a University that prides itself on community engagement, widening participation and inclusion we’re really excited to play a significant role in the next Rugby League World Cup"

“These chosen hosts will play such an important role in welcoming all teams and nations, offering them a base and helping them prepare in the best possible environment so they can perform at their peak on the pitch.” 

Dr Adrian Ibbetson, Head of the School of Sport and Wellbeing and Director of Sport at UCLan, said: “As a University that prides itself on community engagement, widening participation and inclusion we’re really excited to play a significant role in the next Rugby League World Cup by welcoming some of the biggest names in the sport to train in Preston at the University’s Sports Arena. 

“It is fantastic that that the wheelchair, women’s and men’s tournaments are all taking place at the same time and ground breaking that the men’s and women’s finals will be held on the same day at Old Trafford.  We hope that the World Cup experience will be inspiring for all involved and that by sprinkling some of the tournament’s ‘magic dust’ across the City, we can raise interest and participation in the sport.”

Mayor of Preston, Councillor Trevor Hart said: “We were incredibly proud to have been chosen as a host city for a Rugby League World Cup 2021 training camp earlier this year and are delighted to now find out that the North West will be a hub of training camps for this major sporting event. 

“Preston is perfectly located for fans and teams to access game locations across England and the North West, and has a proven track record with hosting international teams, thanks to the University of Central Lancashire’s state of the art facilities.

“This is a great opportunity for the city and we hope that Prestonians – current and future rugby fans alike – embrace our role in the Rugby League World Cup 2021!”

Follow all the latest news on the RLWC2021 website and the official social media channels, TwitterFacebook and LinkedIn