IMG Grading for the British Rugby Football League

IMG Grading for the Rugby Football League is a set of proposals set out in 2022 by the British Rugby Football League's new strategic partner IMG, in which all clubs playing in the professional levels of the British rugby league system will be graded, with their rank determining which division each club will play. The proposals were accepted by a majority vote of British rugby league stakeholders in 2023 with implementation starting in the 2024 season.

The grading in the new system will see: ^[1]

• Grade A clubs will be guaranteed a place in Super League, and will be exempt relegation.
• Grade B clubs will be eligible to participate in Super League, and the highest ranked Grade B clubs will occupy the remaining slots.
• Grade C clubs will be ineligible for Super League thus can only compete in the Championship and League One.

Grades will be reassessed annually.

This will be the second attempt to introduce a "Super League licence", with the first being introduced in 2009 and scrapped in 2014 after two cycles.

Voting

Voting for this proposal occurred on 19 April 2023. All 35 British RFL clubs of the 2023 season ^{[lower-alpha 1]} received a vote, with Super League clubs' votes being more heavily weighted. A further seven votes were given to representatives from the community game in tiers 4 and 5 of the British rugby league system. With an overall majority needed to pass, along with a majority in each voting block (Super League, Championship/League One, and Community Game). The proposal passed 86% to 14%. ^{[2] [3]}

Opposition

Championship sides Barrow, Batley, Featherstone Rovers, and Keighley, and League One sides Hunslet, Dewsbury, and West Wales voted against the proposals, Whilst Salford and Whitehaven abstained from the vote. ^[4]

Keighley, who had been extremely vocal in their opposition of the proposal since the start, and the only club who voted against the plans even being discussed, released a statement accusing IMG of "blinding" rugby league with "nice presentation[s] and big words", citing that their proposals "will be the death of Championship, League One, and other heartland clubs" and that the proposal was "underfunded" and had zero marketing plans, in addition to accusing IMG of "masquerad[ing] on false promises" and "lies". ^[5]

Despite voting in favour of grading, London Broncos owner David Hughes released a statement opposing the grading system in January 2024. ^[6] He cited that the inclusion of grading had "[condemned the] club to relegation before a ball has even been kicked" and as a result removed the "jeopardy and drama" from the sport. Hughes was particularly agreved with the points the club gained for catchment, being "the lowest possible", despite being the only professional team in the South East. He also affirmed that "promotion and relegation should be a staple of all sports". ^[7]

Criteria

Each club will be awarded a maximum of 20 points across five categories: ^[1]

• Fandom (5 points): Includes match attendance, TV viewership, social media following, and website visits.
• On-field Performance (5 points): Assessed on league position over the past three years with bonus points for winning the Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final.
• Finance (4.5 points): Assessed on profitability, financial stability, and a diversification of revenue streams.
• Stadium (3 points): Stadium and other facilities would be assessed.
• Community (2.5 points): Assessed fanbase vs fanbase potential, as well as assessing community and charity work.

15 points is needed for Grade A status, while 7.5 is needed for Grade B. ^[1]

Unknowns

IMG main aim is to have the Super League made entirely of Grade A clubs and by grading clubs it highlights areas they are to improve on. Having expressed plans to expand Super League it is possible that if and when more than 12 clubs were Graded A then the league would expand to keep these clubs out of the Championship as Grade A clubs are exempt from relegation. ^[8] Following a statement where the IMG claimed that the chances of the Championship Grand Final winners being denied promotion were "very remote", doubts were shed over how the system would work, as initially it was understood that the remaining Super League places would be taken up by the highest ranked Grade B clubs, however this statement suggested that so long as the Championship winner and bottom placed Super League club were both Grade B promotion and relegation would occur as normal. ^[9] Neither IMG nor the RFL have clarified either of these issues.

Grades

Although the system will not determine clubs' places in leagues until after the 2024 season, an indicative grading was released after the 2023 season. Seven Super League clubs were awarded an 'A' grade, 17 clubs in the system received a 'B' grade, and 11 received a 'C' grade. ^[10] London Skolars withdrew from League One after the 2023 season and did not receive a grade, while Newcastle Thunder, who had also announced a likely withdrawal after being relegated to League One but were aiming to keep a place in the league, still received a grade. ^[11]

Rank	Club	Division	Points
Grade A
1	Leeds Rhinos	Super League	17.49
2	Wigan Warriors		16.87
3	St Helens		16.78
4	Catalans Dragons		16.73
5	Warrington Wolves		15.75
6	Hull Kingston Rovers		15.52
7	Hull F.C.		15.05
Grade B
8	Salford Red Devils	Super League	13.80
9	Huddersfield Giants		13.49
10	Toulouse Olympique	Championship	12.97
11	Wakefield Trinity		12.52
12	Leigh Leopards	Super League	12.45
13	Castleford Tigers		12.16
14	Bradford Bulls	Championship	12.02
15	Featherstone Rovers		10.65
16	Widnes Vikings		10.17
17	York Knights		10.05
18	Newcastle Thunder	League One	9.30
19	Barrow Raiders	Championship	9.18
20	Halifax Panthers		9.06
21	Batley Bulldogs		8.62
22	Sheffield Eagles		8.36
23	Doncaster		8.11
24	London Broncos	Super League	8.07
Grade C
25	Oldham	League One	7.39
26	Swinton Lions	Championship	7.21
27	Dewsbury Rams		7.10
28	Rochdale Hornets	League One	7.03
29	Hunslet		6.94
30	Keighley Cougars		6.58
31	Workington Town		6.54
32	Whitehaven	Championship	6.27
33	Midlands Hurricanes	League One	5.92
34	Cornwall		5.75
35	North Wales Crusaders		5.07

Club responses

• Barrow Raiders: Barrow released a statement fully detailing the scores received in each criterion, and its aims to improve on particular areas including attendances, social media engagements, on-field performance and finance. The club also noted it would be awarded an extra 0.5 points due to a change in local authority area that was originally not accounted for, and an inability to improve its Craven Park home was a barrier to entering Super League and "the time is now right to consider other options". ^[12]

• Bradford Bulls: Bradford released a statement, claiming the grading "should leave no one in any doubt that the single biggest impediment to getting our club back to the Super League is the absence of an appropriate 21st century facility", calling for council support to develop Odsal Stadium to become a viable stadium for the Super League. ^[13]

• Castleford Tigers: After submitting incorrect data in a form to the RFL which it claimed cost it half a point, Castleford appealed its grade, however this was rejected. Castleford accepted the ruling with assurance that should the error be rectified, the club's score would improve in 2024. ^[14]

• Featherstone Rovers: Featherstone reiterated its previous criticism of the grading concept, arguing in a statement that it would "protect the status quo and actually have the reverse effect on Clubs like ours in terms of investment to reach the top level". ^[15]

• Halifax Panthers: Halifax stated it was "content" with its rank of 20th and declared its goal to increase its score to 10.5 in 2024.

• Keighley Cougars: Keighley called its rank of 30th an "insult" and additionally called for a merger of the Championship and League One competitions. ^[16]

• Leeds Rhinos: Leeds released a statement welcoming the provision of a Grade A status. Chief executive Gary Hetherington said the club was "pleased" but would "not be complacent" about areas for potential improvement. ^[17]

• London Broncos: The London Broncos ended its elite academy to focus on improving other areas of the club, as the academy would not factor into its grading. ^[18]

• North Wales Crusaders: Chief executive Andy Moulsdale claimed the Crusaders' bottom ranking was not a "fair reflection" of the club's progress after it had barely missed promotion to the Championship in 2023. He said the gradings "make it increasingly harder for League One teams to reach Super League". ^[19]

• Salford Red Devils: The club's ownership stated it was "pleased" to receive a score of 13.80 and there was "lots to be positive about". ^[20]

• Whitehaven: Chief executive Barry Morgan said the club was "disappointed" with its score, particularly its community score, claiming the club was heavily involved in community organisations and events and he did not know "what else a club has to do to improve its score of 0.75 out of 2.5". ^[21]

Criticism

Telegraph & Argus wrote an article applauding the system in principle but claimed it would be financially unfeasible to make the improvements for any clubs outside the 2024 top 14. ^[22]

Notes

1. This included the West Wales Raiders, who withdrew from League One before the season started.

References

1. "Rugby league grading criteria: Radical new proposals voted in by majority of clubs". Sky Sports.
2. "Clubs vote in favour of IMG proposals". LoveRugbyLeague. April 19, 2023.
3. Bower, Aaron (April 19, 2023). "Super League clubs vote to end automatic promotion and relegation". The Guardian.
4. "The seven clubs that voted against IMG proposals". LoveRugbyLeague. April 19, 2023.
5. "Full IMG Statement from Keighley Cougars to Council – Keighley Cougars".
6. "David Hughes responds to London Broncos IMG grading". 23 January 2024.
7. "David Hughes: London Broncos owner flags up IMG grading concerns". BBC Sport. 24 January 2024.
8. Bower, Aaron (September 28, 2022). "Plans to end automatic promotion and relegation for Super League revealed". The Guardian.
9. "Chance of Championship winners being denied promotion in new IMG system are 'very remote'". LoveRugbyLeague. April 18, 2023.
10. "Leeds Rhinos among seven Super League clubs awarded Grade A status in new grading process". Sky Sports.
11. "IMG gradings Q&A: Possible 14-team Super League, London Broncos future, how often grades will be reviewed". Love Rugby League. 26 October 2023.
12. "Barrow Raiders IMG Grading Explained". barrowrlfc.com. 29 Oct 2023.
13. "Club statement on IMG indicative grading". bradfordbulls.co.uk. 26 Oct 2023.
14. Atkinson, Nathan (9 Dec 2023). "Bradford Bulls boost after Castleford Tigers appeal rejected". Telegraph & Argus.
15. "Rhinos welcome number one grading ranking". therhinos.co.uk. 26 Oct 2023.
16. "STATEMENT: IMG GRADING". keighleycougars.uk. 24 Oct 2023.
17. "Board Statement: IMG Grading". featherstonerovers.co.uk. 25 Oct 2023.
18. "London Broncos academy restructure". londonbroncosrl.com. 15 Dec 2023.
19. Staniforth, Mark (26 Oct 2023). "It doesn't add up – North Wales Crusaders chief on IMG's new grading system". The Independent.
20. "CBS Board Update: IMG Grading". salfordreddevils.net. 27 Oct 2023.
21. "Whitehaven 'disappointed' with new RFL grading". Cumbria Crack. 26 Oct 2023.
22. "NAth's NATTERS: Positive IMG concept does not fit with ruinous reality". 4 November 2023.