The IMG Gradings Thread - Post all your IMG Gradings related questions or comments here

[JM2010]

4 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

No. It will always be the top 12 scoring clubs, with the exertion that any category A clubs cannot be relegated.

So, every season clubs get given their grades for the following season?

[Eddie]

2 minutes ago, MattSantos said:

Apologies if i'm missing something, but how was this announced? Why wasn't it in a proper conference and on the tele?

Sky Sports News has nothing..

It might be in the next edition of TRL Magazine. 

[Guest]

Just now, Eddie said:

It might be in the next edition of TRL Magazine. 

I read it on the Game Caller's twitter - LOL

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

The death of professional rugby league in the south.....a single low level semi pro team for 80% of the country it is then

Can't say I'm surprised but it'll cost the sport long term 

Wimbledon is way too hard to get to do for me anyway so I'll do what I did this year and just watch 2/3 LB games live.....then go up north to see real professional sport 

A shame but not unexpected 

 

Quite clearly it’s what most of the clubs want, and always has been. 

[MattSantos]

Ultimately, we like RL because of what happens on the pitch.

I'm so very confused and i'm trying to work out my motivation to follow my club next year.

If Fev beat Bradford in the Grand Final and we somehow end up with 0.1 fewer points than the 12th team in SL or indeed Bradford, we won't be promoted. Also, and perhaps more importantly, when will we know what we need to do to be promoted? Will it before the season? After? It feels like a horrible drawn out version of VAR... can i celebrate or what?

 

[Griff]

Fans aren't going to get this, are they?

"We finished sixth - how did we get relegated?"

It's not been thought through at all and could be a massive PR own goal.

The cracks are showing and it needs revisiting.

[nadera78]

Anyone wondering about London's score might do well to ask themselves why the club still hasn't responded to this announcement, and yet London Skolars - who no longer play in the professional ranks - have managed to put out something.

[Griff]

1 minute ago, Leonard said:

I read it on the Game Caller's twitter - LOL

Yay!!

[The 4 of Us]

Interesting that Newcastle are still included but London Skolars aren’t.

Using a couple of extremes, I’m surprised Bulls are so much higher than Broncos taking account of location/facilities etc.

Is there a fuller document which can explain the rankings which don’t mean much without a reference point.

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, Griff said:

Fans aren't going to get this, are they?

"We finished sixth - how did we get relegated?"

It's not been thought through at all and could be a massive PR own goal.

The cracks are showing and it needs revisiting.

It’s not that difficult a concept and everybody is getting plenty of notice. 

[Griff]

Just now, Spidey said:

It’s not that difficult a concept and everybody is getting plenty of notice. 

You approve, then?

[WiganBooney]

37 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

So, the top 12 scoring clubs will make up SL in 2025 but then it’s p and r between B grades after that?

That's my understanding of it though others appear to interpret differently 

[Spidey]

Just now, Griff said:

You approve, then?

It’s happened before, teams have entered SL without winning promotion. Teams have finished bottom of SL and not been relegated. It’s not the alien concept people are claiming, and for once teams at risk are getting plenty of notice to get their acts in together. If you look at Wakey v Cas’ approach. Wakefield although relegated have got a much broader appeal now getting the ground sorted and finances generally in order. Cas couldn’t even fill out the form correctly. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Griff said:

Fans aren't going to get this, are they?

"We finished sixth - how did we get relegated?"

It's not been thought through at all and could be a massive PR own goal.

The cracks are showing and it needs revisiting.

IMG couldn't care less and they'll happily walk if pushed. I'm not sure I see the point in revisiting anything. The sport has needed a kick up the ass for a long time but there are too many people who have no desire to see meaningful change.

[Barley Mow]

4 minutes ago, The 4 of Us said:

Interesting that Newcastle are still included but London Skolars aren’t.

Using a couple of extremes, I’m surprised Bulls are so much higher than Broncos taking account of location/facilities etc.

Is there a fuller document which can explain the rankings which don’t mean much without a reference point.

London Skolars have announced that they are dropping out of the pro-ranks into the Southern Conference - they are therefore now an amateur club and the grades don't apply for them.

Newcastle initially said they were unable to compete in 2024 (leaving a return open) - Potential new leadership are now hoping to be able to take over and enter L1 (or whatever we have) in 2024 - their grading may therefore be necessary.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

1 minute ago, The 4 of Us said:

Interesting that Newcastle are still included but London Skolars aren’t.

Using a couple of extremes, I’m surprised Bulls are so much higher than Broncos taking account of location/facilities etc.

Is there a fuller document which can explain the rankings which don’t mean much without a reference point.

At a fairly recent fans' Forum a Bradford director stated that Odsal met the 9 grading criteria for facilities and would therefore score the full 1.5pts available. I've no idea whether Plough Lane does or not. I'm not certain but given how 'location' is measured they may well score higher there too

[Barley Mow]

10 minutes ago, MattSantos said:

Ultimately, we like RL because of what happens on the pitch.

I'm so very confused and i'm trying to work out my motivation to follow my club next year.

If Fev beat Bradford in the Grand Final and we somehow end up with 0.1 fewer points than the 12th team in SL or indeed Bradford, we won't be promoted. Also, and perhaps more importantly, when will we know what we need to do to be promoted? Will it before the season? After? It feels like a horrible drawn out version of VAR... can i celebrate or what?

 

There will be no way of knowing until the grades are announced (after or close to the end of the season).

Clubs will know if they are likely to improve their score as the season progresses, but will have no certainty over other clubs' grading until the new ranking is announced at season's end.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

At a fairly recent fans' Forum a Bradford director stated that Odsal met the 9 grading criteria for facilities and would therefore score the full 1.5pts available. I've no idea whether Plough Lane does or not. I'm not certain but given how 'location' is measured they may well score higher there too

Odsal getting full points for anything is simply odd. 

[Fevrover]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

So have Workington.

And Oldham. 

[Guest]

Does finishing bottom of SL with no wins and a record points difference gets more completion points than winning the championship?

[RP London]

29 minutes ago, Castleford Hawk said:

There are millions involved in missing out on SL, if this was the real thing I suspect we would be seeing court action. Even now the squabbling and fallouts do not portray the game in a good light to any would be investors.  Why anybody thought this was a better option than on field performance and minimum standards is beyond me.

why would it open them up to legal action, that would only be the case if the criteria were not set out for all to see and the processes weren't followed in full.. 

I can see a case where the cas situation may do this, but we dont know the ins and outs, but legal action would need to prove that IMG had done something against what they said they would.. the clubs agreed and signed up to this.

[Dovster]

2 hours ago, Toby Chopra said:

True, but that's kind of the idea.

The aim is to keep a stable group of the (all round) strongest clubs with which to grow the competition. They will only be replaced if that start to spiral downwards in performance, crowds and finance, which has happened before and is still quite possible for some.

Obviously this is a radical departure which some fans will bemoan, but an entirely predictable one that only a small number of clubs actually voted against because most know they're not anywhere near SL ready.    

You seem to be presuming an awful lot there. 

[St Reatham]

3 hours ago, gingerjon said:

The London score seems perfectly in line with the state of the club.

As someone who is not in the know, can you elaborate on that? What state is the club in?

[Guest]

Just now, St Reatham said:

As someone who is not in the know, can you elaborate on that? What state is the club in?

The same as Swinton. 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

4 minutes ago, Leonard said:

Odsal getting full points for anything is simply odd. 

The 9 criteria have little to do with the quality of (normal) fan experience but are very heavily weighted towards provision of corporate and media facilities