Latest IMG proposals for Super League

[The Daddy3]

The catchment area scoring criteria is abhorrent. Someone told me that Salford scored more than London and Newcastle. If this is true it really is disgusting

 

[Perth Red]

Wow 3k ! The league is saved!
Let's talk when you go to 20k... but that won't happen because as it stands, the population of Hull with 2 teams makes that impossible.
As it stands, only half of Hull is possibly watching a Hull game on TV .. which is f**k all...then you wonder why the TV deal is so small...
1 Hull club doubles that reach, then make it vs Liverpool for example.. and your potential audience is 3 fold TV viewers.

It takes a long time though, like 20 years or more like the Storm. It'll be somewhat the same for Perth to become a real success but it's a far better option than central Coast.
Central Coast is a Rugby league strong hold that would probably have more fans at the beginning but it's capped by a small population, where Perth is a better long term investment because it’s growth isn't so limited.

Either someone shakes up SL to take it out of the village or it happens slowly over time but if it stays the same, it's a slow death ( part of why the NRL are probably looking to get involved)

You stated these clubs had no room to grow. I gave you just one example where one of these clubs has grown its active fanbase by 43% in 4 years.

You clearly dont understand the uk sporting landscape. 20k lol.

i notoiced you didn’t respond to why we shouldn’t close all the sydney clubs and build two super clubs, have 2 clubs in perth, melbourne, Auckland, etc and triple nrl popularity?

 

[Perth Red]

The catchment area scoring criteria is abhorrent. Someone told me that Salford scored more than London and Newcastle. If this is true it really is disgusting

They scored more than London and less than Newcastle based on population catchment criteria.

Again, easy to criticise, what would be your suggestion for how club catchment should be calculated in a Very transparent, objective black and white way?

maybe London should move to tower hamlets to score full points lol

 

[Wb1234]

Taking Wigan st Helen’s Leeds or hull fc out of the English game would never work

Its like the super league comp in Australia you need the traditional clubs

Wigan are at the heart of the English game. When they do well English rugby league does well

 

[Pippen94]

Pundit suggests Super League format shake up after IMG grading confirmed - Serious About Rugby League

Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin has suggested making Super League smaller, cutting it down to just ten teams.

www.seriousaboutrl.com

What a shit show

 

[Dark Corner]

Would be nice and cosy if it was 16 team Super League and 16 team Championship ring fenced for a few years for clubs get their shit together then promotion and relegation kicks in.
Super League
Wigan
St.Helens
Warrington
Salford
Leigh
Leeds
Bradford
York
Wakefield
Castleford
Huddersfield
Hull FC
Hull KR
London
Catalan
Toulouse

Championship
Barrow
Whitehaven
Workington
Newcastle
Widnes
Batley
Dewsbury
Doncaster
Featherstone
Halifax
Sheffield
Swinton
Hunslet
Keighley
Oldham
Rochdale
Hunslet
Keighley
Newcastle
Oldham
Rochdale

 

[MRN]

WWE and UFC owner is buying IMG, Professional Bull Riders and On Location for $3.25 billion

The sale to parent company TKO is part of Endeavor’s efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake.

fortune.com

I for one look forward to Junior Nsemba and Matty Ashton being in the 2025 Royal Rumble to promote the Vegas game.

 

[Pippen94]

WWE and UFC owner is buying IMG, Professional Bull Riders and On Location for $3.25 billion

The sale to parent company TKO is part of Endeavor’s efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake.

fortune.com

I for one look forward to Junior Nsemba and Matty Ashton being in the 2025 Royal Rumble to promote the Vegas game.

F..the fed

 

[taste2taste]

Interested to hear from our English friends on the overall health of the game in England ?

litening to James graham he reckons the game is almost dead with junior numbers at an all time low but on the flip side there are YouTube vloggers who reckon the games going pretty good with plenty of room to grow, all games televised , FTA games and average crowds of 10k

im guessing the truth is some where in the middle ? League is a small sport with its rusted on audience, same as it’s been for 100+ years.

 

[Perth Red]

Interested to hear from our English friends on the overall health of the game in England ?

litening to James graham he reckons the game is almost dead with junior numbers at an all time low but on the flip side there are YouTube vloggers who reckon the games going pretty good with plenty of room to grow, all games televised , FTA games and average crowds of 10k

im guessing the truth is some where in the middle ? League is a small sport with its rusted on audience, same as it’s been for 100+ years.

It really doesn’t change much in uk, it’s niche restricted to a geographical corridor. The reduction in jnrs is on par with what’s happening in all sports as kids play less and less structured sport. The big cash injection from the govt as part of the RLWC has actually helped Improve grassroots a bit. At a professional level again nothings changed much, soem clubs thrive, some survive and some struggle. Been that way since I started watching the game in 1980.

 

[Perth Red]

RFL chief executive Tony Sutton has stated that there won't be any 'fundamental' changes to the IMG grading criteria—at least in the next year or two. However, he has conceded that there could be more 'intricate' alterations made on a year-to-year basis.

Sutton believes that it wouldn't be in the best interests of the sport to make said fundamental changes, with the first consultation process of IMG's 12-year partnership still ongoing.

All professional clubs are now judged on five pillars: performance, fandom, fianance, stadium, and community—with 15 points needed to achieve Grade A status. The top 12 highest-scoring clubs are then allocated into the Super League, with those below making up the Championship and League 1 competitions. The process then starts again for the following year, with clubs needing to match or better their existing scores to guarantee their status season by season.

The first official scores for the 2025 season have now been handed out, with nine clubs awarded Grade A status. But such grading has come under criticism from clubs since last Wednesday's confirmation, with stadium ultilisation, TV viewership, catchment, LED screens, and more all bringing frustration. It has also come to light that play-off attendances are not counted towards the attendance criteria, despite play-off results used in the performance pillar. Elsewhere, Derek Beaumont, a longtime critic of the IMG system, confirmed the manipulation of the finance pillar to guarantee Leigh Leopards' Grade A score, with Salford Red Devils one club to air their concerns.

Speaking on the potential for criteria to be amended, Sutton said: "I think it will evolve, but it wouldn't be a great position for us to change things fundamentally in the short term. We're in the middle of a consultation period with clubs, and if it's going to be anything fundamental, my view would be that it should be at least three years away.

"It depends what it was, but if it was going to be a facility point, it would take time, funding, planning, and so on. If it's going to be something fundamental, it should therefore be an appropriate timeframe to do so.

"However, going back to another element I mentioned, if it's about a different broadcast landscape, and therefore should the thresholds change? Yes, they should. Should they be next year? Probably. I think there's a range of how it may look. It depends on what you're talking about, and we've discussed a number of things in open sessions with clubs, and rightly so because we can learn things on how the model is operated."

On the scope for more minor changes, Sutton believes there is more wiggle room. For instance, tweaks to cirteria such as attendance brackets and LED screen specifications. Hull FC were one club to air such frustrations, with the pixel pitch on the MKM Stadium's two big screens deemed not good enough for IMG despite being UEFA standard. Elsewhere, Doncaster have missed out on points due to their TV gantry being a fraction too small despite Sky using a different space.


"Those more intricate things we'll do year by year," Sutton added. "The agreement we've got with clubs is that if we're going to do that, you need to know before the season and year have started.

"The timescale between now and the end of the year is that there's an RFL Council meeting on the fourth of December; if we're going to learn things from this year and last, that should go in front of clubs at that meeting so they know then if we're going to make those types of tweaks. Anything more fundamental should be longer."

IMG grading tweaks could be made with key date set for potential changes

Changes to IMG's grading criteria have not been ruled out.

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

 

[The Daddy3]

It really doesn’t change much in uk, it’s niche restricted to a geographical corridor. The reduction in jnrs is on par with what’s happening in all sports as kids play less and less structured sport. The big cash injection from the govt as part of the RLWC has actually helped Improve grassroots a bit. At a professional level again nothings changed much, soem clubs thrive, some survive and some struggle. Been that way since I started watching the game in 1980.

You're so delusional. RL is at an all time low in the UK. I don't even know where to start.

 

[Perth Red]

You're so delusional. RL is at an all time low in the UK. I don't even know where to start.

Apart from attendances and tv audiences? Participation is down a bit but hardly a disastrous amount. Most clubs improved their img ratings suggesting improved facilities, fan engagement and finances. GF attendance best in years. Successful end of season tests. Pray do tell me by what metrics are you suggesting it’s “at an all time low”?

 

[The Daddy3]

Apart from attendances and tv audiences? Participation is down a bit but hardly a disastrous amount. Most clubs improved their img ratings suggesting improved facilities, fan engagement and finances. GF attendance best in years. Successful end of season tests. Pray do tell me by what metrics are you suggesting it’s “at an all time low”?

What the hell does IMG ratings have to do with the popularity and sentiment towards the sport? Do you think the casual sports fan in Slough or Gloucester gives a shit whether Castleford installed benches? Most of these are things that should have been done years ago and should have been the bare minimum for any team wishing to play in SL.
What you've basically said is that your comfortable with RL being a regional sport in the UK.
Investment has gone from London Skolars, London Broncos, Newcastle Thunder and now there's talk of Cornwall conceding their licence. This is all in a very short time frame. That is alarming.
There's a significant decline in blue chip sponsorship and direct investment in clubs.

 

[Wb1234]

England ignoring developing the international game for another attempt to revive origin

 

[Perth Red]

What the hell does IMG ratings have to do with the popularity and sentiment towards the sport? Do you think the casual sports fan in Slough or Gloucester gives a shit whether Castleford installed benches? Most of these are things that should have been done years ago and should have been the bare minimum for any team wishing to play in SL.
What you've basically said is that your comfortable with RL being a regional sport in the UK.
Investment has gone from London Skolars, London Broncos, Newcastle Thunder and now there's talk of Cornwall conceding their licence. This is all in a very short time frame. That is alarming.
There's a significant decline in blue chip sponsorship and direct investment in clubs.

If you can’t see that clubs improving in key business and fan engagement areas is a positive direction for the game I can’t help You!

what I’ve said is that your prediction of doom and gloom is ignoring some of the positive things happening in the game. Cheer up mate, it’ll be ok,

 

[Perth Red]

England ignoring developing the international game for another attempt to revive origin

Just your annual story that regurgitates every year lol. Alas with only France to play mid season, which isnt much of a game, rep options are ltd in the northern hemisphere.

 

[RedVee]

Just your annual story that regurgitates every year lol. Alas with only France to play mid season, which isnt much of a game, rep options are ltd in the northern hemisphere.

Wasn’t there a plan some years ago for Ireland, Wales & Scotland to play every year with the best players then selected in a Celtic rep team to play England???
That died quickly.

 

[Wb1234]

@Perth Red

 

[Perth Red]

@Perth Red

Good job theyve added another 1500 seats. Great to see my club on the up after decades of struggle.