[2] BARLA was created on 3 March 1973 at the George Hotel in Huddersfield by a group of clubs believing that the Rugby Football League were not doing enough to support the amateur game.

In that year the BARLA Young Lions made their first inaugural tour setting a lasting trend by giving future stars of the game such as David Hobbs their first taste of international rugby league.

[citation needed] The BARLA National League soon proved popular and the 1989–90 season also saw the addition of a second division.

On 30 November 1990, BARLA's new headquarters at West Yorkshire House, Huddersfield was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

[citation needed] BARLA won the Emerging Nations World Championship beating Italy 20–14 in the final.

These include pioneer visits with matches against Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, and South Africa.

[citation needed] A Great Britain Amateur representative side, with players selected from BARLA clubs, competed in the 2000 Emerging Nations Tournament.