The Newcastle Knights and Hunter Junior Rugby League have signed a memorandum of understanding to foster closer ties between the grassroots and elite levels.
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It's hoped the agreement, announced on Thursday at McDonald Jones Stadium in front of representatives from HJRL's 34 clubs, will help grow the sport in the region and improve the development of players and coaches.
Knights chief executive Phil Gardner told a packed room of junior officials, players and parents that the NRL club wanted to rebuild connections that had at times been faltered in the past.
"The future success of this club is reliant on the future success of rugby league in our region," Gardner said.
"Given the turbulent history of the Knights ... survival became probably the most important thing for the club, rather than re-engaging as well as we possibly can with the grassroots of the game.
"It's incumbent on the Knights not just to do well at the NRL and NRLW level, [and] ... in the pathways, but to do well in the grassroots."
The MOU is expected to form the basis of a range of new initiatives in due course. Gardner mooted the formation of junior academies.
Hunter Junior Rugby League chair Bob Dixon said he expected both parties to benefit in the years to come.
"We're a rugby league family in the Hunter," Dixon said.
"This season we will schedule 3500 games of rugby league, across five different councils.
"Our programs start at under-six level ... we have ... a combined total of 7200 players registered this year."
