CHIEF EXECUTIVE Neil Gulliver admits he was pleasantly surprised by York Knights’ higher-than-expected grading score.
But he stressed that ongoing discussions with the NRL and the potential of increasing Super League to 15 teams means that there is still plenty to be ironed out ahead of the new season.
The Knights retained 14th place in the rankings, but saw their score increase from 13.04 to 13.24 after a commendable tenth-placed finish in their first Super League season.
That was despite the club losing the maximum 1.5 points from the removal of the catchment metric from the community pillar of the criteria.
Speaking at a sold-out fans forum on Monday evening, Gulliver admitted: “The score was a bit higher than expected.
“The club had strengthened or was static across all pillars IMG (grading) judges on.
“Some of the criteria had been changed for 2027, including catchment, so the club lost 1.5 points despite all the development work going on in different areas of North Yorkshire.
“Regarding IMG for next season, nothing is certain yet.
“Discussions about a link with the NRL and the inclusion of London Broncos in Super League are ongoing, but nothing is signed or definite, including how the competitions will look, or when they will start.”
As well as introducing a new membership system, including an offering encapsulating both home and away fixtures, a return to kit supplier O’Neills and the creation of a Fan Advisory Board, Gulliver confirmed plans for an Academy and Centre of Excellence – first announced last year and set to launch in 2028 – are underway.
“Plans for an Academy are moving,” he explained.
“Will Leatt (former assistant coach) is now in post as head of youth.”
