Wigan community club to feature in Challenge Cup's opening round coverage

The Sportsman have extended their coverage of rugby league and will provide live and exclusive coverage of another 20 fixtures across various competitions – starting with the Betfred Challenge Cup first round tie between North West Men’s League Champions Orrell St James and competition first-timers Haresfinch on Sunday January 14, with a 2:00pm kick-off.

It will be the third season of The Sportsman’s extensive coverage, which will also include the 2024 League One season as well as Betfred Wheelchair Super League and Betfred Women’s Super League.

Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones said: “The Sportsman’s coverage has been a popular and valued addition to rugby league’s broadcast portfolio in recent seasons, and in a year when there will be more matches shown than ever across a range of different platforms, we are delighted they remain a key part of that package.

“Their passion for the sport comes across in every match that they cover, and that is one of the reasons The Sportsman’s coverage has been so popular with Rugby League fans – especially given the platform they provide for competitions such as Betfred League One, the Women’s and Wheelchair Super Leagues, and the early rounds of the Betfred Challenge Cup.”

The Men's 2024 Challenge Cup is part of a finals day triple-header at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 8 June, alongside the final of the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup.