SEVEN clubs have been rated ‘Grade A’, one year before the new club-grading system kicks in to determine who plays in Super League.
Indicative grades were released last week for every professional club, giving each an idea of how they score across the five categories of on-field performance, fandom, finances, stadium and community.
Although these have no bearing on the 2024 season, from the start of the 2025 campaign top-tier participation will only be given to Grade A clubs, plus the highest-ranked Grade B clubs.
These will then be reviewed at the end of each season, with the twelve best-scoring clubs making the cut for the following Super League campaign.
Top of the class are Leeds, who scored 17.49 points out of 20, while six other clubs earned 15 points or more to achieve Grade A status.
A further 17 clubs scored between 7.5 and 15, earning Grade B status, which allows a place in Super League only if they are among the top twelve clubs in the rankings.
Current Super League clubs Castleford – who have challenged their grading – and London Broncos are 13th and 24th respectively and, unless they improve their score in the coming year, will drop out of the top division for 2025.
Meanwhile Championship clubs Toulouse and Wakefield are tenth and eleventh, putting them on course to return to Super League, while Leigh (twelfth) and Bradford (14th) are on the cusp.
In the short term, the battle between clubs to be placed in the top twelve when the grades are released will be key each year.
But in the long term, RL Commercial and partners IMG, who are leading the ‘Reimagining Rugby League’ strategy of which club grading is a key component, want all clubs to be aiming for Grade A to make Super League.
“It’s really heartening that seven clubs have received that top grade after a huge amount of assessment about what makes a successful club,” said RFL chief executive Tony Sutton.
“The number of Grade A clubs shows how well the top clubs could perform. The grading system is a roadmap of how to get to be a Grade A club.”
While Leeds, Wigan, St Helens, Catalans and Warrington were expected to achieve the top grade, Hull KR and Hull FC also got it – by just 0.05 points in the latter case.
RL Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones hailed Hull KR as a model for other clubs to follow.
“When we started this process, there was a view that they would be on the border between A and B. They are clearly a Grade A club at the moment,” he said.
“While performance has played a part in that, the work they’ve done off the field, commercially and from a brand and marketing perspective with the whole rebrand two years ago, that was well thought out and well delivered.
“Hull KR are a good example of what can be achieved.”
The Robins’ chairman, Paul Sewell, said their grade was “welcome recognition of all the hard work happening around the club.
“We are pleased with our initial grading, which shows the great progress we’ve made over the past couple of years.”
