Rugby league football, usually called
rugby league, or simply
league, is a full
contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular
field. One of the
two codes of
rugby football, it originated in
England in 1895 as a split from the
Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to players. Its rules gradually changed with the purpose of producing a faster, more entertaining game for spectators. It has been cited as the toughest, most physically demanding of team sports.