The competition that became the modern American National Rugby League was established in 1997, when Super League America was formed to organize a national team, establish an amateur domestic competition, and build the sport in the United States.[2] The organization was established under former professional player David Niu, who had come to Philadelphia in 1992 and had been active in promoting the sport there.[3] Super League America's domestic competition began its inaugural season in 1998, and was contested by six teams all in the Northeastern United States: the Glen Mills Bulls (now the Aston Bulls), the New Jersey Sharks (now the Bucks County Sharks), the New York Broncos (now the New York Knights), the Philadelphia Bulldogs (now the Philadelphia Fight), the Boston Storm, and the Pennsylvania Raiders.[2] The Boston and Pennsylvania teams soon dropped out; the others formed the core of the modern AMNRL. Super League America organized the domestic competition in 1998 and 1999; the Glen Mills Bulls were declared league champions in both years.[4]
In December 1999 Super League America announced a reorganization. The league headquarters moved to Jacksonville, Florida, with Jacksonville marketing executive Steve Gormley made the organization's new president; David Niu would serve as CEO and maintain the northeastern branch.[2] The organization was renamed the United States Rugby League, and set its sites on expanding into the Southeastern United States and attracting British rugby league teams to Florida for training camps and international competitions.[5] The USRL was successful in attracting foreign teams and advanced the U.S. national team to the Rugby League World Cup qualifiers for the first time; however, it was soon beset by internal strife.[6][7]
Complications over a deal with the British Rugby Football League led to a dispute that bankrupted the USRL.[3] In the midst of the dispute, in May 2001 the five domestic teams announced they were forming a new organization, the American National Rugby League, with Niu as its head.[8] Later that year Gormley sold the USRL's assets to the British Rugby Football League, leaving the AMNRL as the sole rugby league body in the United States.[6]
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