YORK KNIGHTS are aiming to bypass the independent panel altogether in their quest for a Super League place, and instead make the top 12 of this year’s club grading.
Whilst 12 top-flight sides will be chosen in the same way as they were for the 2025 season, two further sides in an expanded division will be chosen by an independent panel chaired by Lord Jonathan Caine.
But the Knights, according to director of rugby Andrew Henderson, are determined to bypass the latter altogether, and make it into the big time first time around.
Henderson explained how this could be possible with 1895 Cup winning points as well off-field improvements aiding the club’s grading score.
“The fact we’ve won the 1895 Cup as well gives us some points in the IMG (grading) score, and winning the Championship gives us the highest IMG score that we can achieve as it stands” Henderson told The Last Tackle podcast.
“We’re very hopeful that the things we’re doing off the field as well is going to increase our score and hopefully, fingers crossed, we’ll be in the top 12 as opposed to having to go to this other panel and state our case on why we should be in Super League.
“I think as a club we have got a lot to offer. We’re based in North Yorkshire, we’ve got a different catchment there to tap into. We’ve got a fantastic facility to showcase Super League rugby league.
“Financially, we are stable. The squad is growing. We’ve got a wonderful coaching team there led by Mark Applegarth.
“We’ve got a fanbase too that is growing, albeit that might be one of the things that gets questioned – have we got enough fans? But we’ve got a real core base there at the moment that is growing.
I think that’s one of the things that people will be looking at. Is your organisation growing? And I feel we are, but we will wait and see what happens.
“Our ambition is to be a Super League club, we are building and have been building over the last few years to be that and we have to continue that trajectory.
“If we’re in, fantastic, and if we’re not, it doesn’t deter from our plans. We just keep on building until the day we get there.”