Loren Aberhart from Christchurch NZ said they and the Christchurch City Council were very supportive of both bids, and an NRL side would be a great addition.
“We believe an NRL team based in Christchurch would be a great addition to the city’s sporting community.
"Our city is already a rugby league powerhouse, with Canterbury Rugby League currently supporting 15 clubs and close to 3000 players."
Last year's taste of league had major success, says Aberhart.
“The game in March pulled in 15,912 attendees, attributing to 7012 visitor nights and visitor spend of $1.4M.
"The high numbers of both local and domestic attendees show just how strong the demand in the South Island is for NRL games.
"For residents attending, 96% agreed events like this make the city a more enjoyable place to live.”
Local league fans, including Alizjah Campbell, are all for the side, saying they would definitely get behind it.
"I'd be pretty stoked to have a Christchurch league team."
There is rumour the NRL might take two teams and jump to a 20 team competition in their next expansion. The only certainty is that the NRL will continue to grow, but Christchurch and South Island fans just might have to be patient.