IMG Grading System (Many Merged Threads)

[Chrispmartha]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

I'm told there is literally no way any club can now be promoted from the Championship, though.

It's a closed shop.

No way for any club in the Championship to become an A grade outside Super League, either.

Indeed.

[Harry Stottle]

4 minutes ago, Roughyed Rats said:

Oldham have gone down from the provisional score of 7.39 to 7.0. Ranking lowered from 24th to 27th. 

How so?

[rugbyleaguerunner]

4 minutes ago, MZH said:

I'm sure they did. But I'm curious how they break it down.

Courtesy of @pleyndamour on twitter

1. Increased our average attendance from low 7k to above maximum 7.5k attendance on final day of 2024 season. Our Covid crowd was replaced by 2024 in a 3 year average.

2. Maintained figures on social & viewership

3. Got owner investment from our new Director and Chairman, split over two payments meaning this counts for 4 seasons. This was a £1m and gives us 0.25 points

4. Increased non centralised turnover back to maximum points

5. Maintained proportion of NCR as a % of turnover

6. Got the ground - **that we own** - revalued, & this was included in the financials improving our balance sheet to maximum points

7. Increased number of permanent seats in ground above 2,000 by paying our for seats in Princess St End

8. Moved & increased sponsors seats

9. Moved and separated the Directors Box

10. Increased tv gantry size

11. Relaid and relevelled/tarmaced tv broadcasting car park and compound

12. Increased tv studio space

13. Moved and improved press/photographer facilities

14. Added & paid for a new big screen

15. Bought & installed (or will be over this off season) LED boards around the pitch

16. Increased our utilisation score by improving attendances and dropping Covid year

17. I’ll repeat it again: **owning our own ground** - not being at the behest of football clubs

18. Maintained our community score

[gingerjon]

Just now, binosh said:

The irony of London improving their score to be borderline SL and maybe not being able to take to the field in 2025.

If, massive 'if', we take the comments from the fans forum at face value than the investors they were/are speaking to were looking to see where the Broncos fitted on both their own score and other teams'.

So, this is as good as it gets on that front. If the investors don't come in now, then they were never real.

[binosh]

2 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

They are also skint aren’t they?

No idea, I must repeating what most of the Rl journos have being saying about their biggest drop in score is Performance and seeing them bottom 2 in SL most of 2024

[Dave T]

Wakefield received 0.35pts bonus for their Cup and Championship Grand Final win. It'll be a struggle for them to maintain the A Grade.

[groundhopper]

If Toulouse had beaten Wakefield would the 12 be the same?

[Gooleboy]

6 minutes ago, Roughyed Rats said:

Oldham have gone down from the provisional score of 7.39 to 7.0. Ranking lowered from 24th to 27th. 

What a farce, especially with Wakefield and Castleford getting A grades!

[Chrispmartha]

It’s quite ironic that there were a fair few Cas fans absolutely seething about Grading when the indicative gradings came out.

Wonder how they feel now! 

[Gooleboy]

6 minutes ago, Roughyed Rats said:

Oldham have gone down from the provisional score of 7.39 to 7.0. Ranking lowered from 24th to 27th. 

What a farce, especially with Wakefield and Castleford getting A grades!

[gingerjon]

Just now, Dave T said:

Wakefield received 0.35pts bonus for their Cup and Championship Grand Final win. It'll be a struggle for them to maintain the A Grade.

Hence the talk about further developing the ground.

[redjonn]

2 minutes ago, JonM said:

Cas got full points on the stadium front I think due to new seating, new big screen TV in the stadium and improvements to the tv & media stuff. Also extra points for attendance and digital engagement, plus vastly improved finances.

whatever, its still a dump... 

[JonM]

Barrow have a pretty good statement about what they've done to improve their score and what needs to happen to overtake the clubs above them (which looks quite a tall order, but it certainly seems to be driving the kind of thing that the grading is aimed at).

https://www.barrowrlfc.com/latest-news/barrow-raiders-2024-img-grading-explained/

[JonM]

Just now, groundhopper said:

If Toulouse had beaten Wakefield would the 12 be the same?

I think yes, but by only 0.04 points.

[Barley Mow]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I'm told there is literally no way any club can now be promoted from the Championship, though.

It's a closed shop.

No way for any club in the Championship to become an A grade outside Super League, either.

Next year Toulouse will lose the advantages of their year in SL from their 3 year figures. I predict their number will fall next season.

[JonM]

Just now, redjonn said:

whatever, its still a dump... 

"Is it a dump?" is not one of the criteria. See also Belle Vue.

[Roughyed Rats]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

How so?

Laughably, we scored less on the facilities section based on the fact that we moved from Whitebank (1,500 capacity) to Boundary Park (13,500 all-seater stadium with significantly better facilities) because of utilisation. Unbelievable. The game has gone. 

[gingerjon]

Just now, Barley Mow said:

Next year Toulouse will lose the advantages of their year in SL from their 3 year figures. I predict their number will fall next season.

Easily could do but their big step up will always be around getting crowds in and generating income. They're nowhere near where they could be there, really.

Their overall response will be ... interesting.

[Roughyed Rats]

2 minutes ago, Roughyed Rats said:

Laughably, we scored less on the facilities section based on the fact that we moved from Whitebank (1,500 capacity) to Boundary Park (13,500 all-seater stadium with significantly better facilities) because of utilisation. Unbelievable. The game has gone. 

Statement from Oldham, 'In analysing our score it is worth noting a few peculiarities in the IMG system, whereby we have actually made big improvements and lost points, namely the move from a small venue at Whitebank to a fantastic facility at Boundary Park.

Under the Utilisation of a Stadium criteria, this has seen us score fewer points despite our average attendances having almost quadrupled this season'. 

[Damien]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Wakefield received 0.35pts bonus for their Cup and Championship Grand Final win. It'll be a struggle for them to maintain the A Grade.

I suppose if they are in SL now with the new stand, improved facilities and crowds there are other ways they can now make this up.

[redjonn]

5 minutes ago, JonM said:

"Is it a dump?" is not one of the criteria. See also Belle Vue.

yep that is true... and it is a top ranking club, good on Cas but it doesn't hide what the stadium really is... although as the scores dictate it doesn't matter one iota

Edited October 23, 2024 by redjonn

[rugbyleaguerunner]

5 minutes ago, redjonn said:

whatever, its still a dump... 

Midlands Hurricanes play in a nice stadium - should they be in instead?

[sentoffagain2]

  The Championship and League one clubs should realise they are( half hooked)and go their own way.Taking the Rugby League Challenge Cup with them let the SL clubs compete for the Super League Challenge Cup.At least Batley had the bottle to recognise what a farce it is for the lower clubs and refused to submit.

[Worzel]

7 minutes ago, binosh said:

The irony of London improving their score to be borderline SL and maybe not being able to take to the field in 2025.

1.5 points isn't borderline really

But it does show you how straightforward it would have been for us to have a London club, if Hughes had focused a little bit more on audience creation and engagement, rather than just the first team over the years. A club is only as strong as its fanbase, and he didn't just neglect that he actively antagonised it. If Hull KR needed £350k in the next 5 weeks, we'd be able to raise it from our fanbase. Focusing on that should be at the very heart of building a club. All this "if you build it they will come" just-focus-on-the-team stuff is reductive nonsense.

£25m+ he's spent. What a waste. 

[Dave T]

So broadly speaking it places clubs where you'd expect them, imo more so than last year's dummy run, which suggests that it was a bit of an eye-opener for a few clubs who sorted themselves a little.

If all clubs looked like the top 7 clubs in SL then we'd have a pretty strong and vibrant comp, so I don't think there can be too many arguments with those as A. Wakey and Cas feel a little outside of that group tbh. fair play for them doing what they needed, but I don't think it passes the sniff test. However, I think being ranked 8 and 9th was right - the Grade A and B thing is nonsense. 

The likes of Salford, Hudds and Hull have work to do, I don;t think many would disagree with that, and their ranking reflects that. 

Broadly it feels right.