 | |
.png) Volume 94. No. 21 of Big League | |
| Editor | Maria Tsialis |
|---|---|
| Categories | Sport, Rugby league |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Total circulation (2013) | 14,213 |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Final issue Number | 2020 Volume 101, No. 2 |
| Company | NewsLifeMedia (News Corp Australia) |
| Country | Australia |
| Based in | Sydney, New South Wales |
| Language | English |
| Website | Big League |
| ISSN | 0311-175X |
| OCLC | 220892674 |
Big League was[1] the official magazine of the National Rugby League. Its predecessor, The Rugby League News, was first published in 1920;[2] in 1974 it was rebranded as Big League. In 2020, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and the initial suspension of the 2020 NRL season, production of the magazine was suspended and has not resumed; leaving the game without an official program.[3]
The magazine served as a game-day program, containing team line-ups, stats and feature stories. It went on sale every Thursday at newsagents and exclusively at all active NRL grounds on weekends. Since 2005 it had been published by News Magazines; previously it was published by Text Magazines and Pacific Magazines.
The editor of the magazine was Maria Tsialis and the sub-editor was David Piepers. Senior writer was Pamela Whaley and staff writers were Michael Blok and Ben Lonergan. Craig Loughlin-Smith was the art director, who had been with the title since 1999.
Along with the 30 weekly issues of the magazine, Big League also offered the following publications: A5-sized Season Guide, Season Preview, 100-page Grand Final Souvenir, Year In Review issue, State of Origin and Test souvenir programs and the Official Rugby League Annual, compiled by rugby league historian David Middleton.