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'The game cannot afford to alienate the core': How I'd restructure English rugby league

7th November, 2021
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Roar Guru
7th November, 2021
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1196 Reads

Once more, rugby league in England is looking to restructure.

Media headlines have suggested that the game will be forced to make changes with a decline of television revenue into the sport.

Fans of the game in England and those who watch it from afar will know that structural changes seem to happen every few years with the sport. That is too often.

So whatever changes they make, I hope that they stick with it and give it time to either prove its worth or not.

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Naturally, there has been a range of options presented. One such option that seems to have garnered media attention is the two Super League divisions of ten teams with the third division to be removed from consideration.

Fans watching from the outside and from afar do not have the financial insights related to the game, but the mere suggestion of fewer teams does, without doubt, cause some concerns to fans.

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Understandably, the administration needs to navigate the murky waters of change that will impact the sport.

James Maloney is tackled.

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Firstly, whatever options are on the table, let the fans know. You do this by conducting information nights and question-and-answer evenings with fans and members of every single professional club.

Do not leave the discussions at the board-room level. Be honest and up front with the fans. Bring them along for the ride.

The game cannot afford to alienate the core fan-base, which it desperately needs to maintain strong links.

Secondly, I offer an alternative competition model. With the formation of the new Cornwall club, there are 37 professional and semi-professional rugby league clubs.

Therefore, why not adopt a two-tiered competition – the Super League and the Championship.

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Such a model would work as follows:
⦁ Super League competition of 18 teams and the Championship consisting of 19 teams.
⦁ In each competition, they would play each other once.
⦁ The regular season would be played in conjunction with the Challenge Cup and a league cup tournament.

Mark Percival hands off Jake Connor

(Alex Dodd – CameraSport/Getty Images)

How would the regular-season competition work?
In the Super League, an eight-team finals format would determine the winner while either the bottom two teams or the bottom team would be relegated. While in the Championship, there would be no relegation.

However, if two teams were to be promoted, then the minor premiers would gain automatic promotion. At the same time, the following six teams would battle it out in a playoff format to determine the next promoted team.

It is important to note that if any new additional team wanted to turn professional, they would join the Championship competition. The Super League would never extend beyond 18 teams.

Would the Challenge Cup change? What happens to Magic Weekend?
The system of the Challenge Cup would not change. However, when the stage reaches the final 16 teams, those teams would be the competing teams at the Magic Weekend.

The quarter-final round (eight teams) would also play at the same neutral venue on the weekend, thus creating another Magic round.

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Then when it reached the semi-final, the four teams would play a double header at a neutral venue. The final could still be played in London or any other venue specified by the governing body.

Gareth Ellis

Gareth Ellis lifts the Challenge Cup. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

What about the league cup? Do you mean the 1895 Cup?
The league cup could be called the 1895 Cup if the game so desired. This competition would work in conjunction with the regular season.

It would work as follows:
⦁ The top 32 ranked teams from the previous season qualify – the rest miss out.
⦁ Eight groups of four would be created.
⦁ Each group would play games on a home-and-away basis.
⦁ The top two teams from each group would qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.
⦁ The top team from each group would get an automatic home game in the first knockout stage.
⦁ The knockout stage would continue until a winner is determined.

Instigating this league cup competition adds variety to the league season. It also provides teams with another trophy that can be won.

So how many games will the teams play?
This proposal offers only one more game than currently employed. This option incorporates the possibility of playing Challenge Cup and finals rugby league.

It presents more variety to the season than currently on offer — something the broadcasters and fans may enjoy.

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Bevan French

(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

What about the reserves and academies (under-21s)? Would they play all these games?
No. When the league cup rounds are played, only the first teams will compete. The reserves and the academies (under-21s) will have rest weekends.

This rest will allow the first-team coaches to rest players, rotate their squads to cover injuries and present their clubs with the best chance at victory.

The same with the Challenge Cup. Only one grade for each club will compete in the tournament.

There are many other matters to address. These include funding, the grade structure, pre-season, the women’s game, and international rugby league.

Consequently, I offer the following:
⦁ The bulk of the game funding would be directed to the Super League clubs.
⦁ Super League clubs would need to present three grades of rugby league (first, reserves and academy – under-21s).
⦁ The Championship clubs would ideally have two grades but could provide an extended single-grade squad. As such, there would have no such requirement for three grades. However, to gain promotion to Super League, the clubs would have to provide financial guarantees of meeting the three-grade requirement needed for the Super League level.
⦁ No club will play more than two pre-season games. The World Club Challenge would not count to this tally if and when returned.
⦁ All professional clubs would still be required to encourage the growth and participation of the female version of the sport. As such, its league structure may vary to the men’s competition until time and depth warrant further analysis of the set female competition structure.
⦁ The game will conduct the international calendar after the Super League grand final.

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Aidan Sezer

(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

This suggestion should be one of many the sport considers. Moreover, there have been calls for a 14-team Super League and Championship, where a home-and-away season preludes a top-five format with a ‘one up and down’ process.

The following presents a raft of options that have been expressed. I am curious to know what option fans prefer.
A. Three divisions of 12 teams with a 22-round season, top five or six finals format, one promoted/relegated
B. Two divisions of 14 teams with a 26-round season, top five or six finals format, one promoted/relegated
C. Two divisions of ten teams with an 18-round season, top four finals format, one promoted/relegated
D. Two divisions of 16 teams with a 30-round season, top eight finals format, two promoted/relegated
E. Two divisions (18/19 teams) play each other once, top eight Super League finals, two promoted/relegated (as suggested above with a league cup tournament)

Once more, it is recognised the above is not a comprehensive list. Yet, it does provide an option to the governing body and clubs moving forward.

In any case, it is imperative that the game consults with the fans, explains the issues and allow fans a voice in the process.

Failing to do this will only end in more fans becoming disillusioned with the direction of the game.

So, to the fans, what structure do you prefer for the sport moving forward? Do you have any other suggestions?

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In any case, I wish English rugby league all the best as it navigates the future.

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