The Northern League of Legends Championship (NLC) has issued a comprehensive statement acknowledging recent financial difficulties and criticism, confirming that payment delays to talent occurred due to an inability to secure a sufficient commercial return on its 2025 investments.
In a detailed update, the NLC explained that its ambition to elevate the product in 2025 led to significant expenditure on arena events in Nottingham, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, alongside expansive fan expos and influencer activations. While these efforts, bolstered by the popularity of teams like Los Ratones, drove record viewership, the league revealed that it failed to achieve the commercial return needed to sustain that level of investment.
“As a result, we were forced to re-evaluate our setup and focus on securing additional funding. That process required significant effort and, unfortunately, more time than we would have liked,” the organisation stated. “We sincerely regret the delays in payments that occurred during this period; however, our focus was always to secure all payments.”
The NLC confirmed that, with the support of larger creditors, it has now secured the necessary funding and settled all original invoices. While the league declined to pay certain late fees, it offered to cover any documented costs incurred by talent as a direct result of the delays and added that “if there is any outstanding invoice that we have missed, our door is open, and we will resolve it promptly.”
Beyond the financial issues, the league addressed community backlash regarding changes to its on-air talent roster, including the departures of experienced broadcasters. The NLC described the decision as a desire to take the broadcast in a new direction, acknowledging that the communication and timing of the changes were mishandled.
Looking ahead, the NLC confirmed it will re-evaluate its format following the Winter Split. The league admitted it pushed the concept further than the community was comfortable with and has committed to shifting toward a more traditional broadcast approach in the coming weeks while assessing the long-term path forward.
After the statement, the tournament organiser continued to face a turbulent week, initially postponing Winter Matchday 7 while it initiated dialogue with Riot Games and other stakeholders. The matches were reinstated a few hours later, following alleged support from the teams.
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