HUNSLET CEO Neil Hampshire has hit out at the gradings process after his club had its score reduced from 6.87 to 6.64.
“Championship clubs were given the opportunity to withdraw from the process for 2026, and some of our colleagues have chosen to do that,” said Hampshire.
“The question rightly asked of us will be why did we participate if we don’t agree with the process. The answer is simple, as a member of the RFL council, part of our role is to hold the RFL Board to account, and we couldn’t do that if we weren’t actively participating in the process.
“Our opposition to the process is well documented. I’m sure the RFL will point to improvements made by clubs to their grounds since the introduction of the system as a pointer to its success, but my questions now would be whether those improvements required to meet IMG criteria are the right ones for the clubs, and whether the system offers value for money.
“Grade C marking? We’ll have to take that on the chin. But anyone who’s experienced a match day with us at South Leeds Stadium knows we are way beyond that, and if you’ve never been then why not come down to a game? We’re sure you’ll love it!”
