Sources indicate that a professional rugby league in North America is about to be announced within a few weeks.

Really this time.

In a few weeks an announcement is expected detailing a plan for a small professional or semi-professional rugby competition.

The league is 15-a-side, with is expected to include teams from various parts of the USA and also from Canada.

The key aspect of this league is that the clubs involved are, generally, financially strong on their own. The plan is to have the league itself bring in income through television broadcast and TV broadcast rights. But the clubs involved are expected to have a strong local fan following.

Expect those involved to be in the western half of North America, but that list probably won’t be including many Super League teams.

Will the league launch this year? As the Magic Eight Ball says, answer is “reply hazy, try again.” It could well start this spring, or it might wait a year.

But the plans are afoot, the organizations involved are moving forward, and while there’s no big-time TV deal (read: NBC didn’t come running with their pen clicked ready to sign), there is a TV production component involved on some level.

We asked a few clubs whether they were involved. Some said no, some didn't say no. Glendale Director of Rugby Mark Bullock, when asked if his club was going to be playing in a professional rugby league soon said "we've looking to play in the best competition we can get into."

Which wasn't a "no" but wasn't a "yes" either.