WAKEFIELD TRINITY owner Matt Ellis has revealed that the West Yorkshire club are unlikely to become a Grade A club for the 2025 Super League season.
However, Ellis, who took control of Wakefield midway through the 2023 Super League season, is optimistic that Trinity will still be a top flight club come 2025.
The Trinity owner is set to meet with RFL chief executive Tony Sutton at the end of March in order to try and maximise the club’s potential and point-scoring when it comes down to the IMG grading system.
Of course, Wakefield were given a score of 12.52 in the provisional grades towards the back end of last year, but Ellis is keen to grow that number.
“I’ve got a meeting with Tony Sutton at the back end of this month to make sure we are hitting every opportunity with IMG,” Ellis told BBC Radio Leeds.
“It’s quite late in the day if you are wanting to redo the Western terrace because you need planning permission. The new stand will help towards our score and the investment scores we are doing well on.
“We will make sure we will get the best possible score, I don’t think it will be 15 which means we won’t be a Grade A. I’m trying to do my own scores and I think we will be a point or 1.5 better than last year.
“Unless other clubs rise up by more than that then that should be enough. We are trying to maximise it.”
But when will all 36 professional clubs be told their actual grading scores for 2025?
“We are planning for Super League and the earlier you know your score the better because you can plan for Super League.
“The latest I heard we will know before the end of the season. There is a Rugby League Council meeting shortly and getting that date for the announcement is vital.
“We are planning for Super League with the players that we are targeting. It’s got to happen for us.”
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