Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

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josie andrews
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Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by josie andrews »

IMG have submitted their recommendations to rugby league clubs after agreeing a partnership with Super League and the RFL

Rugby league has been recommended to return to a variation of licensing where a club's Super League status is determined by both their on and off-field performance. The long-awaited review of the sport by IMG has delivered a verdict that rugby league should effectively abandon conventional promotion and relegation between Super League and the Championship.

Instead, it has been suggested at the culmination of key stakeholders including clubs, broadcasters, media and a survey of almost 20,000 fans, that participation in the top tier will be based on 'a range of on and off field measures'. They will be determined by a club grading system, with the aim of supporting financial sustainability and encouraging investment into clubs.

Clubs in Super League and the Championship will be graded Category A or Category B. Category A clubs are guaranteed participation in the top tier, while Category B clubs will be re-assessed annually. If there are remaining spots in Super League, the highest-ranking B clubs will occupy the remaining slots in the top division. There has been no confirmation yet from IMG on how clubs are graded, and how many clubs would comprise a top tier.

Promotion and relegation will continue in its conventional format between the Championship and League 1, with the Championship being increasingly filled with 'strong Category B clubs' over time.

Furthermore, IMG have recommended that participation of clubs outside of the UK is capped but again, until more details are shared at a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon, it has not been revealed what that number would be capped at. That is aimed at supporting domestic growth.

Clubs will now be invited to a follow-up meeting on October 13 to provide further feedback, and support will be sought to enable the executives of the game and IMG to work on further detail of the recommendations.

Matt Dwyer, vice president of sports management at IMG, said: "Having now had the opportunity to dive deeper into the sport, including thorough consultations with all key stakeholders of the game, our excitement for this strategic partnership has only increased.

"We have a unique opportunity to alter the growth trajectory of the sport and we believe the recommendations we have presented today will provide the foundation for that growth and attract new investment into the game

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... dium=email
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josie andrews
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by josie andrews »

Everything we know on Super League proposal: Relegation axed, gradings, loop games, no Magic Weekend

There is a lot of detail to be discussed and digested from the plans!

Today marked a big day for rugby league and Super League. Having struck a deal with new strategic partners IMG, rugby league, the RFL and Super League finally learned today what the huge media company's suggestions were for the game.

IMG finally delivered their plan to reimagine and redefine rugby league. It certainly caught plenty off-guard too, with news of a grading-style system that will effectively replace the conventional promotion and relegation system as we know it.

There are a lot of unanswered questions about that system and how it will work. But that's not all. Changes to the domestic calendar, news on the future of competitions outside of Super League and even the international game are high on IMG's agenda, as disclosed on Wednesday. Here is everything we know about the proposals so far: and what happens next.

What's going to happen with promotion and relegation then? It will be replaced by a grading-style system that will award all clubs in the professional game a Category: A, B or C. Those gradings will determine who plays in Super League.

What do the categories mean? Any club deemed Category A is assured of a place in Super League. The highest-ranked Category B clubs will take up any remaining places in Super League when the first gradings are awarded, while it is expected the Championship and League 1 will be made up of the remaining Category B and Category C clubs.

How will the gradings be determined? That's yet to be finalised. IMG said on Wednesday that the grading criteria will be revealed in full and in complete detail before the start of the 2023 domestic season.

So, it's the return of licensing? Not exactly. Licensing operated on a three-year period, where any club brought into Super League were immune from being kicked out for three years. With IMG's system, the gradings are reviewed and awarded on an annual basis. So no club ever has a period of complete security.

Is the two divisions of ten teams idea not happening then? In short, no.

So how many teams will be in Super League? In IMG's words, that is 'open and fluid'. The goal is that in the coming years, those Category B clubs who get a place in Super League develop on and off the field to such an extent they are awarded Category A grading. Once Super League has 12 Category A teams - Super League won't be reduced to ten teams, it will remain at 12 - the prospect of expanding the competition to include more teams becomes a reality.

When does the grading system kick in? Clubs will be told their initial grading at the end of next year, ahead of them being rolled out on an illustrative basis for 2024. That means next year is the final year with conventional promotion and relegation as we know it. Then, in late-2024, after a review of the grades has taken place, 2025 sees the Category A clubs in Super League, joined by the highest-ranked Category B clubs that takes the total to 12.

What other changes have IMG proposed? Lots, actually. They have suggested a realigned and redefined domestic calendar which includes the removal of loop fixtures, a dedicated international window and a permanent switch for the Challenge Cup Final from August back to its traditional May slot.

What about Magic Weekend? It looks to have an uncertain future, with IMG wanting to put the Challenge Cup Final in that May slot and not water down the amount of major events at any one time.

So there's no weekend away for Super League fans? IMG did say they want to insert a new, major event into the calendar - but stopped short of saying what that could be, like a Nines competition, for example.

And when do all these changes come in? If approved, for the start of the 2024 season.

What happens to League 1? It stays, but IMG stressed on Wednesday the competition's outlook remains flexible. They have, however, insisted that the competition's clubs will continue to receive central funding. There will be no removal of funding for the division.

And overseas clubs? IMG will cap that figure at two: which means Catalans and Toulouse as things stand. They are subject to extra criteria though - most notably having a minimum number of domestic players in their match-day 17. That number has not been disclosed, though.

Have the clubs approved the plans? Not yet. They will meet again on October 13 before taking a vote on whether to endorse and adopt IMG's changes. It is widely expected that vote will go through and the landscape of the game as we know it will change forever.

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... source=nba
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
the pieman
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by the pieman »

lets see how yorkshire votes for some of this

there are certainly some SL clubs that are going to be categorised B or C depending up on criteria, so let see how soon this gets given the boot them over the other side of the pennines

i'm sure we will all have differing opinions on the criteria, so will be interesting to see if it goes ahead what IMG and the clubs consider to be the main criteria to grow the game and attract fans to the stadiums
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by josie andrews »

The clubs vote on these proposals on 13th October! I just wonder what IMG are going to make of the Yorkshire mafia when they vote against these changes on offer, which, I think the proposals are very good, especially the Challenge Cup Final being moved back to May 😊
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
the pieman
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by the pieman »

some interesting conversations on twitter

Saddened chucking the bait out saying that A grade clubs should own their own ground, just to see how many Wigan fans he can get to bite

it will be interesting though to see what the final criteria will be if they go with the categorisation.
I would personally like to see
ground (standard, capacity, facilities etc),
club teams (reserves / academy / ladies / disability, so its all about the club and not just the 1st team), need to have a minimum reserves and agreed academy to be grade A,
business model inc marketing / long term growth strategy, financial viability
community / community engagement

sure there will be others i think of
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jaws1
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by jaws1 »

They will kick it out like they did with Maurice Lindsays proposals where would be now if they were implemented IMO we would have a strong RL .
fozzieskem
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by fozzieskem »

I’m all for moving the challenge cup game to the may date,much better and I’d also look at when the contract with Wembley runs out moving it to Tottenham,that ground was amazing for so many reasons not least sound of 50k spectators it felt like far more.

The magic weekend would be\ a huge error getting rid of it,there’s little to no interest in a nines comp change for change sake is fine if something isn’t working but an event that draws moremthanmthemchallenge cup would be madness,wrong to assume if it was done away with this fantasy notion that we would all board a charabang (sp?)with heads donned with knotted hankies and a flask of tea and head down to London is beyond belief it just too expensive,plus sky love the magic weekend and I have to worry if they are bothered at losing their weekend of content that spells trouble to me.

As for eligibility for super league top of the frigging list must be a ground that has toilets from this century not from the workhouse era.
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Mike
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by Mike »

Boring really, I was expecting more. Not much changing from what we've tried before.
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fozzieskem
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by fozzieskem »

Mike wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 2:12 pm Boring really, I was expecting more. Not much changing from what we've tried before.
Have to agree an awful lot of marketing and PR speak but no new bold ideas I've always thought IMG deal would have to temper expectations and that blueprint proves it really.
medlocke
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Re: Super League licensing moves closer with new recommendations including scrapping relegation

Post by medlocke »

Softly, softly, catchee monkey springs to mind, get your foot in the door, get the Yorkshire mafia onside, then force the radical changes :D
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