What was the original name of rugby league’s governing body when it split from the Rugby Football Union in 1895?

The original name of rugby league’s governing body after its 1895 split was the Northern Rugby Football Union.

Twenty-one clubs in northern England formed the breakaway organisation at the George Hotel in Huddersfield on 29 August 1895. The dispute centred mainly on payments to working-class players who lost wages when travelling or playing matches. The Rugby Football Union’s amateur rules did not permit those payments.

The new body governed the northern competition and gradually developed rules that distinguished rugby league from rugby union. It changed its name to the Rugby Football League in 1922, although “Northern Union” remained a widely used name for the sport for many years.

The split did not create every modern rugby league rule immediately. Features such as the six-tackle set and reduced player numbers were introduced later. The 1895 meeting is nevertheless regarded as the founding moment of organised rugby league.