THE salary cap is always a point of contention within rugby league: should it be scrapped, lowered or increased?
Those are the three main questions often posed of it, with the cap remaining at £2.1 million for the sixth consecutive season heading into 2025.
The salary cap was initially brought in, according to the RFL website, to “ensure that the competitions remains competitive and therefore attractive to spectators and commercial partners by preventing Clubs with greater financial resources dominating the competition and by ensuring a balanced spread of players among clubs; to prevent Clubs trading beyond their means and/or entering into damaging and unsustainable financial arrangements; and o protect the welfare and interests of all Players.”
Over the years, there have been numerous breaches of the salary cap which have gone punished by way of points deductions, with some clubs never recovering.
Last year, Sky Sports tried to estimate the salary cap spend of each 12 Super League clubs, but it can now be revealed by League Express that four clubs currently do not spend the full £2.1 million for the 2025 season.
Of course, Salford Red Devils are in financial disarray and with the club not spending the full salary cap in 2024, they are not doing so in 2025 either.
The Red Devils need to find £800,000 from somewhere, with the RFL instructing a firesale last week after Salford were given an advance of £500,000 for their central distribution funds.
At present, however, only four clubs can bid for Salford players – Leigh Leopards, Hull FC, Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity – because they have not spent up to the cap for 2025.
With Trinity having been promoted from the Championship and Castleford spending much less than the cap in 2024, that isn’t surprising.
But the lack of full cap spend at Leigh and Hull suggests that there will be more incomings between now and the start of the season – especially with Jordan Abdull leaving Hull without playing a game.
