Super League clubs have voted for a "marquee player rule to come into force" in '16, which will allow teams to "make top signings with part of their finances outside the salary cap," according to the BBC. The proposal, twice rejected, was approved at the league's Annual General Meeting in Manchester on Wednesday. Currently the cap of £1.85M ($2.83M) per club "must cover the salaries of the whole playing squad." Salford Owner Marwan Koukash tweeted, "Fantastic day for SL." Under the new amendment, clubs will have the option of signing a marquee player whose value under the salary cap will be £100,000 ($153,160) if "club trained," or £175,000 ($268,000) if non club-trained (BBC, 6/3). The PA's Ian Ladybourn reported four clubs -- "thought to be Wakefield, Castleford, Hull and Huddersfield" -- were against the proposal but "it is understood the vote went 8-4" in its favor. A simple majority was "all that was needed." Koukash has "tried for two years to persuade other clubs to back his plan for a salary-cap exemption to pave the way for high-profile additions to Super League." He said, "I am still in favor of it. Even if the time is not right for Salford, the time is right for it to be introduced into the sport and I think there is enough support for it to go through" (PA, 6/3).
