Rugby League Commercial (RLC), the body established to address the future of the sport in England, has announced a new partnership with Tickets.com.

The agreement will see the US-based company, which is owned by Major League Baseball, serve as the new RLC ticketing provider for all major central events.

RLC said the partnership “will improve the experience for ticket buyers, which has been a major priority since the formation of Rugby League Commercial in early 2023 under the realignment of rugby league.”

The new ticketing site is now live and includes tickets for the 2024 Challenge Cup Finals, Magic Weekend, and Super League Grand Final.

Rhodri Jones, Managing Director of Rugby League Commercial, said: “We have been reviewing all areas of the sport’s commercial operation over the last year, in partnership with IMG [the heavyweight sports marketing agency], and we are excited by the possibilities of our new partnership with Tickets.com.

“As a company owned by Major League Baseball and also supplying Nascar [stock car racing] and the United Soccer League, they have an impressive track record of delivering league-wide ticketing.

“We want to make it as easy as possible to buy tickets for Rugby League matches, and this is an important step in that journey.”

Joe Choti, president and chief executive of Tickets.com, added: “Our goal is to be more than just a ticketing provider to our clients and our new collaboration with Rugby League Commercial will help us to develop the future of ticketing technology for sports and entertainment.

“We look forward to bringing rugby league fans across the UK to our secure ticketing platform to deliver a paramount digital experience. Tickets.com is keen to grow our partnership and looks forward to playing a key role in the reimagining of rugby league.”

Earlier this month, RLC unveiled a new sponsorship deal with German brewer ABK Beer, while it also recently partnered with fantasy game developer Voono.

RLC was formed in May 2022, and became fully operational in January last year, as part of the commercial realignment and redevelopment of the sport in England - a process in which IMG was integral.

The Rugby Football League and the Super League partnered with the agency heavyweight in mid-2022.

RLC teamed up with Endeavor Streaming last month (January) to launch a new over-the-top platform covering the top-tier Super League.