RICHIE MYLER says he is “absolutely delighted” to have earned Grade A status for Hull FC.
Hull have climbed a place to ninth in the club grading table after gaining 0.55 points, taking them to 15.06 – fractionally over the threshold for the top grade.
Their improvement came mostly through performance – a seventh-placed Super League finish this season boosting their three-year average position – and community.
For the latter, signing a development agreement with North Lincolnshire Council enabled Hull to include the neighbouring local authority in their catchment and earn top marks for that metric.
Chief executive Myler said: “This is testament to the hard work both on and off the field throughout the year, and a clear indication that this is a club heading in the right direction.
“Achieving Grade A status was one of the key targets we set ourselves ahead of the season, so this is another major step forward us and I thank each and every individual across the club who has played a role in allowing us to achieve this.
“While there are many areas of the grading system we are unable to influence quickly due to much of the scoring being based over three-year averages, we identified league performance and catchment as the two key areas we could improve our score significantly.
“A much-improved campaign on the field, as well as the signing of our Rugby League Development Agreement with North Lincolnshire Council, has seen us achieve those targets and ultimately taken us above the all-important 15 point mark.”
While Hull have progressed to Grade A, Castleford Tigers have slipped down to Grade B, losing 0.36 points and falling two places to eleventh in the table.
Owner Martin Jepson indicated that Castleford lost points in the fandom category, and it is believed they fell below the three-year average attendance of 7,500 for top marks in that metric.
Jepson said: “Unfortunately, our lack of a media department earlier in the season, combined with a justified drop in attendance due to poor performance, has left us short of the standard we expect.
“We already know that my investment, along with the percentage of non-centralised turnover for 2026, is going to see us reach Grade A once again – and I am sure that Chris (Chester, director of rugby) and Ryan (Carr, incoming head coach) will help ensure we have more success on the field too.
“I remain committed to doing everything within my power to help Cas become a top-six Super League club – not just next year, but for many years to come.”