Super League began in European rugby league in 1996.
The competition was launched during a major restructuring of the sport in Britain and Europe. The inaugural 1996 season included clubs from England and France, and it introduced a summer playing calendar rather than the traditional winter schedule. Paris Saint-Germain competed in the first season, giving the league an unusually international profile.
Super League was created after negotiations between the Rugby Football League and News Corporation. The agreement was connected to the wider “Super League war”, a period of conflict over broadcasting rights and the professional direction of rugby league in Australia and Britain.
The name should not be confused with the Australian Super League competition, which existed during the separate 1997 Australian Super League war. In Europe, Super League became the top level of professional club rugby league and later settled into a primarily English structure with a French club, Catalans Dragons, as a regular participant.