An illegal rugby league website has been uncovered and shut down just as the NRL season begins.

www.NRLfixit.com.au was the brainchild of a young entrepreneur from Rozelle, Sydney who started the site last season as he finished high school.

12,000 members had joined to watch live streaming of matches online and the site's creator had started looking for sponsors to inject funding into his business.

However, the NRL opposed the site as it was basically piracy, paying no money for rights to broadcast matches, and officials ordered its shutdown.