The 2016 RLEF Congress will be held in Bray, outside Dublin, Ireland, between 28-30 October 2016, to coincide with Ireland’s home 2017 World Cup qualifier against Russia on 29 October in the town.

RLEF chairman Maurice Watkins, CBE commented: “This will be the second Congress that has been awarded through a bidding process that was voted in by the membership in 2014, and follows the highly successful Belgrade 2015 event. I would like to congratulate Rugby League Ireland chairman Dr Mick Molloy and his team for making a compelling case to host our meeting.

“The RLEF received seven expressions of interest and three excellent bids for the Congress, showing the appetite from the membership to host the European rugby league community. We are confident that this event will help generate a greater sense of fraternity and cooperation between our member nations as they continue to share experiences and good practice, as well as enjoying the cultural diversity of the RLEF.”

RLI Director Richard Egan said: “I am delighted that we will host the RLEF Annual Congress. This further shows our commitment to bringing international activity to Bray and we look forward to welcoming members of the other national governing bodies to Ireland to share their knowledge and look at ways to continue growing rugby league across the membership.  

“Bray is the ideal venue for this event, our sponsors McGettigan’s and The Royal Hotel are going to be looking after the guests throughout their stay and we thank them for their support in helping us host this event.”

A total of 19 nations – 11 Full Members, five Affiliate Members and three Observers – attended the 2015 RLEF Congress. The RLEF was inaugurated in Paris in January 2003 and held its first three annual meetings in France, before moving to London for its subsequent gatherings.