IMG Grading System (Many Merged Threads)

[Trojan Horse]

1 minute ago, Click said:

I  believe the initial understanding was that if we had more than 12 'A grade' clubs then SL would be expanded.

But I also seem to recall an interview about a month ago with someone who made it sound like it wasn't an automatic expansion of SL and it would come with further things that needed to be decided.

Thanks. I didn’t know about that interview but it would be interesting if a grade A club was refused as they wouldn’t expand the league as planned. 
 

 

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

1 hour ago, 17 stone giant said:

I remember at school when too many kids were getting A's, they introduced the A* as well. Maybe that's what IMG will do.

IMG can't do anything, only offer advice - see eg loop fixtures - and it would require the clubs to vote for a change. I can't see any who'll willingly vote to downgrade themselves and they already seem to have pushed through changes in the Finance measures to make it easier to achieve an A grade without actually improving anything.

Edited September 13 by Les Tonks Sidestep

[Worzel]

25 minutes ago, Trojan Horse said:

I didn’t think that was the case. I’m sure ING had said A grade will be confirmed in SL and league would grow beyond 12 teams. Perhaps there may be a limit on that of 16 highest. 
 

That doesn’t make much sense to me because if a team is grade A then they surely are deemed to add value as per the A grading? 

If the money isn't there, there won't be more than 12 teams. We'd need a bigger TV rights deal. The NRL only bring more teams in when they've had the nod from broadcasters that they'll pay for them. 

[bobbruce]

33 minutes ago, Trojan Horse said:

I didn’t think that was the case. I’m sure ING had said A grade will be confirmed in SL and league would grow beyond 12 teams. Perhaps there may be a limit on that of 16 highest. 
 

That doesn’t make much sense to me because if a team is grade A then they surely are deemed to add value as per the A grading? 

It would need to be negotiated into the Sky /tv contract also 13 would make magic weekend un workable if it’s still happening. So agreements already in place would have to be taken into account. 

[ATLANTISMAN]

My brain is telling me 2025

* London OUT  Wakefield IN 

* Castleford OUT  Toulouse IN 

2026 (14 clubs)

* Castleford IN 

* London IN 

Onwards expansion like NRL  

[Trojan Horse]

36 minutes ago, Worzel said:

If the money isn't there, there won't be more than 12 teams. We'd need a bigger TV rights deal. The NRL only bring more teams in when they've had the nod from broadcasters that they'll pay for them. 

The money isn’t there at the moment but it should or will be in a few years time I would hope. 
 

Afterall they art of the criteria is to encourage clubs to become more self sustainable and grow commercially, in finances and fandom. This should make clubs less reliant on central income. 
 

That said if with teams making forward strides and more A clubs it allows a bigger tv deal on top of that then we are going to be in a position to grow the sport and superleague. I think that’s part of why IMG have been brought in. 
 

I prefer the days in SL when we had 16 clubs then 14 before we reduced the comp. It should certainly be the aim. Just saying it’s not viable now isn’t good enough. We should be building towards it and focusing on how we. An achieve it.

[The Blues Ox]

Its a funny discussion really as people are assuming that if there are more than 12 A graded clubs the league will expand. The reality is greedy SL chairman will not allow any expansion if it means them getting less of the pie so the next argument is that if the game has more than 12 A graded teams then it is more valuable and more money will be coming in yet we look like we could have 12 A graded teams within 3 years if not 2 and with the bar set so low there won't be a significant change in the money coming in to the game.

All that totally ignores the fact that its going to be really hard for any team in the Championship to get anywhere near a grade A so its not something to worry about once we get the closed shop after this season.

[Click]

47 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

My brain is telling me 2025

* London OUT  Wakefield IN 

* Castleford OUT  Toulouse IN 

2026 (14 clubs)

* Castleford IN 

* London IN 

Onwards expansion like NRL  

Can't see how we would be back in SL in 2026. 

2025 isn't going to be a pretty year as a London fan in the Championship, I don't foresee how we can build a platform to keep building the "club" up.

At this point we will be closer to the bottom of the Championship then the top next season, if we have only got 5 players signed up for next season. We've had the whole year knowing what level we will be playing at next season.. No excuses to not have a Championship standard squad somewhat ready.

[bobbruce]

People seem to think an A grade will just stay the same forever. There is absolutely no reason that once enough clubs reach A grade then the criteria could go up. 

[Toby Chopra]

Despite what clubs themselves might say - some of whom couldn't fill the forms in right in the trial run - we're not getting 12 grade As. Look at how it's calculated, it's not even close.

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Click said:

I  believe the initial understanding was that if we had more than 12 'A grade' clubs then SL would be expanded.

But I also seem to recall an interview about a month ago with someone who made it sound like it wasn't an automatic expansion of SL and it would come with further things that needed to be decided.

As I intimated to Worzel, then just 'Cherry Pick' the SL incumbents.

If you qualify with 15 points to be a Grade 'A' then you are a Grade 'A', I should imagine it would need some outlay from some clubs to attain that status, so they then should not be denied the funding attached with it.

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Worzel said:

If the money isn't there, there won't be more than 12 teams. We'd need a bigger TV rights deal. The NRL only bring more teams in when they've had the nod from broadcasters that they'll pay for them. 

No that can't be right can it, why should any club get the divided funding for being a Grade A and others are denied it. It would show that the 'A' bar is set to low, and IMG dud not give this enough thought.

[Harry Stottle]

52 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

People seem to think an A grade will just stay the same forever. There is absolutely no reason that once enough clubs reach A grade then the criteria could go up. 

Moving the goalpost you mean Bob.

[bobbruce]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Moving the goalpost you mean Bob.

Improving the standard 

[phiggins]

8 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

Improving the standard 

Though potentially creating more uncertainty.

[JohnM]

2 minutes ago, phiggins said:

Though potentially creating more uncertainty.

That's entropy for you. 

"lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder."

[JonM]

6 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

If Cas are a grade A, Cornwall might think they are in with a chance!

https://castlefordtigers.com/article.php?id=9040 makes it sound like they are not too far away from 15 points. Promotion or relegation might be decided on whether their contractors can complete the enlargement of the TV studio in the gantry from three metres by three metres to four metres by four metres in time to claim the stadium grading points.

[Gooleboy]

8 minutes ago, JonM said:

https://castlefordtigers.com/article.php?id=9040 makes it sound like they are not too far away from 15 points. Promotion or relegation might be decided on whether their contractors can complete the enlargement of the TV studio in the gantry from three metres by three metres to four metres by four metres in time to claim the stadium grading points.

Unbelievable that it is down to this sort of thing.

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

23 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Unbelievable that it is down to this sort of thing.

It isn't though with all but Cas.

[Tommygilf]

24 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

Unbelievable that it is down to this sort of thing.

It isn't, Cas have still had to do lots of other things to get the points they have (not) got.

[The Blues Ox]

1 hour ago, bobbruce said:

Improving the standard 

But it wont make a difference because there will be a big gulf if we have 12 A grades between them and the top Championship club because of how the criteria is set out.

[RP London]

10 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

Madness isn't it. The idea to raise the profile and standards in the game and all it turned out you have to do is count your ground as an asset on the books and you can get a Grade A.  

With over the half the teams in Super League expected to be Grade A and the game a bit of a shambles, it really shows that its a well thought out system.

Sorry but where was it said we are expecting over half the clubs getting a grade? Not seen it.

[The Blues Ox]

6 minutes ago, RP London said:

Sorry but where was it said we are expecting over half the clubs getting a grade? Not seen it.

There were 7 in the initial run through, I don't expect that to have dropped and with the noises coming from certain teams I think its going to be more towards 9 or 10.

[bobbruce]

4 minutes ago, RP London said:

Sorry but where was it said we are expecting over half the clubs getting a grade? Not seen it.

Classic rugby league it’s simultaneously far too easy to get an A grade and impossible all at the same time. I think Brian Cox is missing a trick not checking out the rugby league multiverse. 

[Click]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

As I intimated to Worzel, then just 'Cherry Pick' the SL incumbents.

If you qualify with 15 points to be a Grade 'A' then you are a Grade 'A', I should imagine it would need some outlay from some clubs to attain that status, so they then should not be denied the funding attached with it.

If you are currently in SL and have achieved a Grade 'A' then you are in SL. But if you happen to be the 13th team that achieves a Grade 'A' it doesn't guarantee SL. 

Perhaps it should, but it really isn't that relevant as I highly doubt we will be actually close to having that many grade 'A' clubs.