Super League sticks with 14

Widnes, Barrow and Halifax have earned right to seek promotion

Last updated: 8th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Super League sticks with 14

Super League: Will remain a 14-team competition

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Clubs have voted to keep Super League a 14-team competition from 2012.

The decision was made at a meeting with club representatives despite talk that central funding would be better off being split 12 ways instead of 14.

Super League was expanded for the 2009 season, when promotion and relegation was scrapped and three-year licences were introduced.

However, the recent economic downturn prompted calls for an about-turn, with Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood sparking a debate over the current set-up at the launch of the 2010 season in London.

Licence system

Although no voting details have been disclosed, the League said that the clubs have decided to stick with 14 teams, at least through to 2014.

Super League licences are next up for debate for the 2012 campaign and it seems likely a Co-operative Championship club will be promoted.

So far three Championship clubs - Widnes, Barrow and Halifax - have earned the right to seek promotion. A decision will be made in the summer of 2011.

Castleford, Salford, St Helens and Wakefield have all been warned to follow up on their pledges to move to new stadia or face the consequences.

Comments (37)

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Stephen Martin says...

Alan Taylor says... super lge should have gone for a league of ten playing each other three times 13 home games 13 away and 1 road game at wembley.the season should start in march and run through to end of september they shouldnt play in the challenge cup and the top six make the play offs.My top ten would be Leeds Bradford Hull Hull KR Wigan St Helens Warrington Widnes Huddersfield and Wakefield.The wembley road games WOULD BE LEEDS V BRADFORD HULL V HULL KR WIGAN V ST HELENS WARRINGTON V WIDNES AND HUDDERSFIELD V WAKEFIELD.The playoffs would be three rounds with the final still at old trafford. Posted 17:05 28th March 2010 No challenge cup, no London team , no Castleford or Salford, no expansion, what nonsense. One thing i do agree with is the playoffs back to the top 6. As this business with a team having a pick of who they play is farcical, a gimmick to far.. And once all the teams have decent grounds bring back relegation , maybe 2 up and 2 down, reward the teams who do well giving the teams in the lower leagues something real to aim for.

Posted 12:16 8th April 2010

Alan Taylor says...

super lge should have gone for a league of ten playing each other three times 13 home games 13 away and 1 road game at wembley.the season should start in march and run through to end of september they shouldnt play in the challenge cup and the top six make the play offs.My top ten would be Leeds Bradford Hull Hull KR Wigan St Helens Warrington Widnes Huddersfield and Wakefield.The wembley road games WOULD BE LEEDS V BRADFORD HULL V HULL KR WIGAN V ST HELENS WARRINGTON V WIDNES AND HUDDERSFIELD V WAKEFIELD.The playoffs would be three rounds with the final still at old trafford.

Posted 17:05 28th March 2010

James Morley says...

I think it's amusing the amount of people who think that the RFL are bias against Widnes. The reason Widnes didn't get an SL licence last time was that the club had nearly gone out of business shortly before the licences were awarded. One of the major factors of getting a licence was showing the club was financially viable. Going broke is the opposite and so no licence. The people in charge of Crusaders managed to convince the RFL they could do more than they could actually do, which is why that club has moved to Wrexham. I'd expect Widnes to get a licence in the next round of them being awarded, probably at the expensive of Salford unless they can magic a new stadium out of thin air.

Posted 19:27 21st March 2010

Russell Johnson says...

What's really Fascinating about this thread is that people just can't accept that their club cannot simply deserve to be in Super League.Chuck out them and let us in co I said so or my club is better cos I follow it aren't arguments,they are simply rants. They are also no more help than trying to find fault with the decision making system; the number of different levels at which clubs were chosen or for that matter will be chosen is quite clearly more complicated than such petty ideas can fight against. You need to ask your clubs for a pproper idea of what will be entailed in getting into Super League next time and then lobby using the criteria of your opposition against them. This isn't difficult get what you need and use it. You'll sound better and have much more effect if you don't give the impression that they shouldn't pick them cos they're smelly.

Posted 09:23 19th March 2010

Adam Whiteley says...

Emma Scurrah, how in gods name can you even mention wakefield in the same breath as Cas, Featherstone, Halifax and Barrow????? how long have wakefield consolidated there place for in super league now? is it 12, 13 years now? silly comment really from you, give your head a shake kidda

Posted 07:51 23rd February 2010

Mark Jones says...

Interesting to read this. As a long time RL follower on Sky Sports but new attending fan (Crusaders) it's interesting to see how insular your opinions are. My understanding was that the idea was to increase the interest around the country and to bring more fans / players / sponsors etc etc into the game. As I understand it a new South Wales team has entered Championship One Division next season? Surely this supports the move into South Wales. Get over the move to Wrexham. 2 home games in and 10.5k and 6.7k (in poor weather) attendances. Based on your comments RL will always be a poor relation to RU. Can I ask what were the results at some of the clubs mentioned on here in their infancy?

Posted 19:09 22nd February 2010

Jeremy Faxman says...

In response to Emma Scurrah's comment.... Have you heard of a place just outside Liverpool? It's called Widnes!

Posted 14:37 21st February 2010

Emma Scurrah says...

If we are to see 14 clubs in 2012 I would like to see Toulouse replace Salford. Salford offer nothing at the moment to the elite competition. Many RL fans in Manchester follow Wigan anyway. Toulouse would bring extra French flair to the comp and have the financial backing to carry out their ambitions. The 13th and 14th spots are up for grabs with any two from Wakefield, Cas, Featherstone, Halifax and Barrow. All are traditional clubs that would bring alot of history and potential support but do any of them have the facilities needed for SL?

Posted 09:28 18th February 2010

Lee Middleton says...

I would also get rid of rovers as their ground is one of the worst in the country if not the worst...and also the fan base is average at best with then constantly failing to contribute to he competition and get a crowd of 10,000+ which the only ever do with our help afterall

Posted 09:14 18th February 2010

Lee Middleton says...

I would do the same John. Crusaders and quins for sure. At the end of the day the licencing came in for the good of the sport to bring standards up accross the board. Places like widnes have the fan base, the facilities and the history to be in super league

Posted 09:12 18th February 2010

John Madsen says...

i would get rid of harlequins, catalans and crusaders and let the traditional clubs into super league, when u play any of the so called expansion clubs in a home game they dont bring any support with them. the likes of widnes, halifax, leigh and the cumbrian clubs feel like family members that have been locked out of the house. rugby league is a northern sport, thats the way it is so why cant that be accepted, its not such a bad thing. the welsh dont want league (at least in the south), the south of england definetly dont want it, and catalans should be in the french league.

Posted 23:50 16th February 2010

Grahame Colquitt says...

what is the problem with the powers that be in super league why cant they see what is blindingly obvious the situation with the crusaders is a classic case of lets make it up as we go along correct me if i am wrong but are they supposed to be attempting to spread the game in south wales ,this is a difficult task when you are now based in wrexham 15 miles from england where next for the crusaders could it be widnes rugby union club or a groundshare with leigh,barrow,or halifax

Posted 15:43 15th February 2010

Mark Capewell says...

As a widnes fan living in australia, i watch the aussies alot aswell as super league. the main differences between the two the australians run it to expand the game. while making sure not to lose any of its existing clubs. sometimes some merge because of catchment areas but both merged clubs remain. Since super league started i feel widnes have been hard done by more than once in the arguement of who should be in super league.(remember widnes was not in the relegation zone before super league started it was said the ground was not up to stratch, have you seen the grounds of st helens, castleford, salford and wakefield. these grounds are in very poor condition. widnes have a state of the art ground and have been stopped the last time for been in recievership the year before. but they were fined and started with minus 10 points for that season. why was we punished twice for the same thing. which only occured because we were not invited into super league when it began. thoughout all this i blame one person a person who was jealous of what WIDNES RLFC once was.WORLD CHAMPIONS 1989 now that person has gone from the front of the decision making, maybe now someone might give us a fare go for a change. we are not asking for favours or sympathy just a fare go. make a rule stick to it and let see if we do it. I am betting we will.

Posted 16:44 14th February 2010

Reg Black says...

Lots of the grounds in super league are terrible, the fact is people are only in the ground for an hour and a half to watch the game, they are not there to peruse the toilet facilities, for eighty minutes, so what is the problem with the grounds, if they think it will bring in more sponsorship dont make me laugh. My own team bradfords ground is the worst in the league and we are not complaining, what are they going to do throw out all the teams with the biggest away support to bring in teams like harlequins who dont take any supporters at all away with them, let alone watch them at home. The rugby league need to grow up and realise rugby league is and always will be a northern sport, go to London and its not even mentioned in any of the newspapers, londoners done know the sport even exists, and this is the truth.

Posted 13:42 14th February 2010

John Gorner says...

The worst ground has to be st helens lets kick them out of the league - they arent going to win anything anyway their team is aging and they will be found out this season

Posted 01:08 14th February 2010

Lawrence Matthews says...

As a fan of both codes and living down south I have to agree. Absolouterly right guys get rid of Quins, Catalans, Crusaders and certainly don't allow Tolouse in. Then Rugby Laeague can continue to be an insignificant blip on the sporting map. A quaint pass time placed by rural britain that only a handful of counties care about and we can all go back to the real rugby. Or.. You could realise that every team to play at a top level will need 20 -30 years to produce it's own reputation, talent pool and particularly in London where the quins have to compete with 10 or so quality football clubs as well as a whole host of decent Union clubs. Expansion is the only way to keep this quality sport alive. The reason there is no decent coverage in national newspapers is because it isn't seen as a national sport. If only 3 counties are interested sky will pull out, this means no money, the sport will have to return to amateur status and just as union 7's enter the olympics League will fail. No one (even some of my friends who are arden't unionites) wants this to happen. These clubs are essential for the survival of league. Sorry guys but there are just too many clubs in too small an area. Expand the league or reintroduce promotion and relegation but not everyone can be pleased, but whatever happens outpost clubs must be nurtured and developed for the longevity of the game.

Posted 11:51 12th February 2010

Mike Lally says...

I fear once again Widnes are going to suffer at the hands of the rfl.Anyone who knows anything about Rugby League know Widnes should have been in super league from the very beggining.Come on rfl for once do the right thing . WIDNES VIKINGS 2012 SUPER LEAGUE

Posted 10:05 12th February 2010

Craig Austin says...

I personally like the 14 team structure. However i think it should go back to 6 teams finishing in the playoffs. Currently with 8 teams qaulifying it is too easy. I would personally like to see gateshead in the superleague rather than the crusaders. This would promote rugby league in the North East and will encourage more people to watch it aswell as take part.

Posted 18:11 11th February 2010

Julie Bates says...

Mike Kelly is right Widnes will get over looked again and again and again. We are watching a proffesional sport run by amatures.

Posted 10:58 11th February 2010

Mike Glover says...

Catalan have brought more to Super League than Widnes and Halifax have and they will continue to do so

Posted 16:34 10th February 2010
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