- Make-up of the top three rugby league divisions is decided on a grading system
- The RFL and media giant IMG rating clubs on various on and off-field metrics
- Wakefield Trinity won the Championship and will compete in top-flight in 2025
Wakefield Trinity will replace London Broncos in Super League next season as part of the restructure of rugby league.
The make-up of the top three divisions is now decided on a grading system rather than promotion and relegation, with the RFL and media giant IMG rating clubs on various on and off-field metrics.
The 12 highest-ranked clubs form Super League and Wakefield, who won the Championship this season, have been given the eighth-best score, cementing their return to the top flight in 2025.
They are one of nine clubs to be given Grade A status, with St Helens receiving the highest score ahead of back-to-back Super League champions Wigan Warriors.
‘The announcement has come with a mixture of relief and elation to finally confirm that we’ve got back to the Super League,’ said Wakefield chief executive Craig Barrass. ‘We’ve put a big focus into each and every category of IMG and looked to maximise points where we can.’
Wakefield Trinity will replace London Broncos in Super League next season as part of the restructure of rugby league
The 12 highest-ranked clubs form Super League and Wakefield, who won the Championship this season, have been given the eighth-best score
London, who finished bottom of Super League this season, will play in the Championship next term after only receiving the 14th-best score, although that is up 12 places from last year’s indicative grades.
The Broncos said last week that they need to raise £350,000 in the next month to ensure their survival, with owner David Hughes putting the club up for sale.
Their demise is a blow for the sport given IMG had spoken of the importance of growing the rugby league market in the capital when they first signed their 12-year strategic deal with the RFL in 2022.
However, Broncos chief executive Jason Loubser said: ‘We recently discussed our plans of building back towards Super League in the next two years and we believe today’s announcement backs up our belief that this is a realistic ambition.
‘Clearly, we have immediate obstacles to overcome to compete in the upcoming Championship season, but we hope our ranking of 14th will encourage fans and potential sponsors and investors to join us on our journey.’
London, who finished bottom of Super League this season, will play in the Championship next term after only receiving the 14th-best score
As well as St Helens, Wigan and Wakefield, the other clubs to be given Grade A status are Leeds, Warrington, Hull KR, Catalans, Leigh and Castleford. They are all effectively immune from going down next year.
Hull FC, Huddersfield and Salford are the only three Grade B sides in Super League and are at risk of dropping out of the division next year if a Championship club outscores them.
