THE IMG grading scores were announced this morning – and it’s fair to say that they were received with a mixed response.
A number of clubs – such as Leigh Leopards, Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers have drastically improved their scores – whilst others like Hull FC and Catalans Dragons have seen a reduction.
Here are the eight biggest winners of the IMG grading.
St Helens
Though St Helens failed to pick up any silverware in 2024, they sit top of the IMG rankings with a gargantuan 17.02 points. It was always going to be difficult for the likes of Saints to improve, but they have done so from a score of 16.78 in 2023.
Leigh Leopards
Given a score of 12.54 last time around, owner Derek Beaumont and the Leigh club have been working tirelessly to obtain a Grade A – and they did so with an improvement of 2.59 points to earn 15.13.
Wakefield Trinity
Promoted from the Championship, Wakefield Trinity will be a Super League side once more in 2025 after just a year in the second tier. New owner Matt Ellis has made it his prerogative to ensure Wakefield has a Super League club – and the jump in points from 12.52 to 15.09 proves that.
Castleford Tigers
The most spectacular rise of any Super League club is the Castleford Tigers. Given an indicative score of 12.16 (although this was without the re-calculated 0.75 points that the club and the RFL confirmed was missing), they achieved a score of 15.02 this time around to be exempt from relegation for 2025.
Toulouse Olympique
Primed and ready for Super League it appears, Toulouse Olympique sit just 0.39 points behind Salford Red Devils who occupy the last Super League place. An increase from 12.97 to 13.58 shows the French club is improving off the field.
London Broncos
It might seem an antithesis for London Broncos to be a ‘winner’ under the IMG scores given they were relegated from Super League before a ball had even been kicked in 2024, but they have increased their points from 8.07 in 2023 to a massive 12.65 in 2024.
York Knights
York Knights have slightly gone under the radar here, with a score of 12.42 landing them in 15th place – a huge increase from the 10.05 they were given in the provisional grades. York has long been seen as a future Super League and it’s clear that a lot of positive work is being done behind the scenes.
Keighley Cougars
Despite being one of the main critics of the IMG system and despite being in League One, Keighley Cougars have increased their score to 9.02 from 6.58. In doing so, the Cougars have leapt from 30th to 19th – and it could well be a sign of things to come for the West Yorkshire side.
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