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I was talking to a leyther over the weekend who insisted there is no relegation this season, I'd not heard that,can anyone shed any light on it.

Super League: Relegation scrapped for leading clubs in radical new plans from IMG

The plans put forward by IMG are considered to be the biggest changes to the sport since Super League was created 25 years ago; It will see talks for a top tier that does not include promotion or relegation

Relegation would be scrapped for the Super League's top clubs in radical new plans for the sport proposed by its new strategic partner, sports management company IMG.

On Wednesday, after months of analysis, proposals were put forward to the 37 clubs in the RFL on how the sport can move forward, with small changes to radical overhauls discussed among the rugby league community.

In the "Reimagining Rugby League Consultation Project", IMG have put forward seven key measures that they believe will drive the sport's long-term growth as IMG, the RFL and Super League embark on a 12-year strategic partnership.

They have been working with the sport and its partners to find a path forward from 2024 onwards that increases revenue and engagement, with the recommendations set out the first step of that plan and according to Simon Johnson, Chairman of the Rugby Football League, the proposals "landed very well" with clubs.

The main recommendations from IMG are as follows:

IMG's Recommendations

• A re-positioned calendar which optimises flow, narrative and engagement, incorporating regular ‘peaks’ of interest and a compelling season climax.

• A calendar aligned with the global game to facilitate an international window in October and incorporate a mid-season international.

• Participation in the top tier to be based on a range of on and off field measures, delivered through a club grading system with the aim of supporting financial sustainability and encouraging investment into clubs. ‘Category A’ clubs will be guaranteed participation in the top tier whilst ‘Category B’ clubs will be re-assessed annually with the highest-ranking clubs occupying the remaining slots in the top tier. Promotion and relegation will continue on the field of play between the second and third tiers with tier two increasingly filled with strong Category B Clubs.

• An expansion strategy to be developed that targets and supports the growth of the Women’s and Girls’ game, and also growth in new markets.

• Participation of clubs outside of the UK to be capped and with additional standards to support domestic growth.

• Operations to be centralised where this can maximise efficiencies and drive incremental revenue (e.g. ticketing and digital infrastructure).

• A new brand strategy to be introduced and aligned with the above commercial strategy.
The stand-out proposal is a top tier that will be decided on both "on and off field" criteria, a grading system deciding participation in the league.

How many clubs will be in this league is not yet outlined but there would then be a league of "Category B" clubs that participate in the second and third tier and continue with promotion and relegation.

These clubs that are considered "Category B" will be reassessed annually and the highest ranking clubs will take part in the top tier.

The criteria for grading will be announced before the start of next season and will be introduced on an illustrative basis in 2024 before being rolled out fully in 2025. Category A are in top tier, Category B in top tier when space available and Category C will be in the second and third tier.

Further recommendations

Further to the proposals set out, IMG have also recommended the removal of loop fixtures, including the Magic Weekend, bringing the Challenge Cup final back to May and having increased focus on international breaks.

They say that, the issue for the sport has been too much focus on the format and structure itself rather than the product and are promoting a renewed focus on fan engagement and matchday experiences.

In order to put these proposals into action, IMG say they have had consultation with the NRL and IRL about putting international rugby league at the forefront which should be helped by an aligned global calendar for the sport.

Outside of the format of the men's competition, France, London and the women's game identified as three areas of focus for growth.

However, the number of clubs outside of the UK would also be capped at two with a minimum number of domestic players in a match-day 17 among the participation criteria.

Those clubs must also subsidise incremental travel costs of UK clubs until a central contribution can otherwise cover them.

The aim by 2026 is to have a top flight with 14 teams and 14 teams in the Championship in 2024. League One remains flexible and there are no plans of merging clubs.

Reaction from the partnership

Simon Johnson, chair of the Rugby Football League, said: "This is a significant day in terms of setting out a new path for the sport. We have prioritised transparency, in sharing these recommendations first with clubs and then with fans through the media.

It is very much a direction of travel in these top-line recommendations, with significant layers of detail still to be worked through.

"But these proposals contain both a recognition of the need to make significant changes to address a range of challenges facing the sport at all levels, and recommendations for those changes which have the potential to transform the approach, mood and reality of Rugby League in the UK and beyond."

The significance of the announcements was also stressed by Ken Davy, the chair of Super League (Europe).

"Founded solidly on the realignment of Super League and the RFL this has been an all-encompassing process conducted by IMG, with all of the key stakeholders within the sport playing important roles in it," said Davy.

"We would like to thank the clubs, broadcasters, commercial partners and supporters that have contributed to IMG's recommendations, which set out a new future for Rugby League and can take it in a bold and positive direction.

"At Super League we look forward to the next stage of this comprehensive process, working towards providing further updates that will map out the sport's long-term future."

Matt Dwyer, vice president of sports management at IMG, added: "Having now had the opportunity to dive deeper into the sport, including through consultations with all key stakeholders of the game, our excitement for this 12-year strategic partnership and what can be achieved 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.

Our approach is focused on the product and leveraging the full expertise of IMG and the broader Endeavor network to create a high-quality entertainment offering for the fans."

Clubs have been invited to a follow-up meeting on October 13, at which they will have the opportunity to provide further feedback, and support will be sought to enable the rugby league executive and IMG to work on the detail of the recommendations.



https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... s-from-img

Hope the above report helps

Thanks for that

please let Wakey be relegated if they finish bottom. For too long they (along with others) have held the game back

let them go down and a team with ambition be promoted (hopefully), and it not be Fev, as thats just as bad

We can probably all work out the majority of the A clubs, and some of the B's so its up to those who want to be in the top level to improve in all aspects to become A and help drive the standards of the game forward both on and off the field

the biggest challenge, however, yet again going off what i've seen on social media and getting MPs involved, is the short sightedness in West Yorkshire again, with them all skriking that the top 4 are ruining it for everyone. What the top 4 who produce 100s of players between them and regularly provide players to your teams etc etc etc

Interesting that IMG have the international game as their number 2 priority. Its a tricky one because its outside their control and the other parties involved have no real motivation to make any supportive changes.

The other thing that leaps out at me is the restriction on overseas sides - that seems to be driven by current UK chairman being focused on restricting costs and rather than on opportunity for growth. With crowds seemingly on the up after covid and the mojo coming back into the sport, I would guess that if we did this plan again during the next year rather than in the last, that restriction would either be absent, or much further down the list.

Good luck to IMG in centralising ticketing. We can't even centralise ticketing in our own stadium! Unifying ticket purchasing across the whole league could be hard and will involve significant investament. Wakefield still use paper tickets from only one window on match days, everyone would have to support the same online ticketing system and integrate it into their own particular match-day process! IMO there maybe some pushback on that until it creates extra revenue.

Based on this wording, we could possibly see 5 or 6 teams moving leagues based on their annual grading, but in practice I would expect Grade B teams to 100% be relatively graded by their league position. It would be a big call for IMG to relegate one team for another without some sort of on the field competition IMO.

The issue with central ticketing is would clubs still be allowed to charge their own admission prices. Wouldn't want to get drenched standing on the away end at Headingly for more than I pay at the DW.

doc wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 8:15 pm The issue with central ticketing is would clubs still be allowed to charge their own admission prices. Wouldn't want to get drenched standing on the away end at Headingly for more than I pay at the DW.

Central ticketing yea I can see everyone thinking that's a good idea

fozzieskem wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 8:45 pm

doc wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 8:15 pm The issue with central ticketing is would clubs still be allowed to charge their own admission prices. Wouldn't want to get drenched standing on the away end at Headingly for more than I pay at the DW.

Central ticketing yea I can see everyone thinking that's a good idea

I imagine they'll actually go the other way towards demand based pricing eventually, rather than standardizing pricing.

Mike wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:48 pm Interesting that IMG have the international game as their number 2 priority. Its a tricky one because its outside their control and the other parties involved have no real motivation to make any supportive changes.

I thought the same: fine words, but without support from the NRL, it'll count for little.