14 Team Super League

Hepworth

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jun/27/super-league-expansion-to-14-teams-in-2026-set-for-crucial-vote-rugby-league
Interesting article in the Guardian. Looks like support is growing for the idea of a 14 team Super League. If it happens it would be without any NRL involvement but is that necessarily a bad thing? Food for thought though.

stuey

If we go to 14 teams, it should be Salford down, and, based on October 24 gradings, Toulouse, London & York up. Yorks grading will have gone up with winning the 1895 Cup and could increase more if they finish as Championship winners, which is a real possibility.
Bradford are next on the list and with NIgel Wood now in the top position and also Chairman of Bradford, It would not surprise me if the IMG gradings will go out of the window and Bradford will be in and one of the afore mentioned 3 miss out.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/every-img-grading-nine-super-league-clubs-achieve-grade-a[](https://)

RaoulDuke

14 teams with the already miserly money from sky won’t work. Mcmanus at saints was moaning they don’t get enough now, can’t see why they’d split it even further.

The competition isn’t strong enough for 12 teams I’m afraid either.

Hepworth

RaoulDuke I get it,I do but from a purely selfish perspective I couldn’t see that 10 involving Cas. For me it’s either 10 or 14 and get rid of the ridiculous loop fixtures which just distort the whole league. So much is made of our Glory days when we had the likes of Hardisty,Hepworth etc,few seem to remember in a 30 team league our gates averaged in the mid 3,000’s. In those terms with our current average we have grown as a club even if the ground has stayed largely the same. Memories are great,but few of us remember the sixties anymore and before long the 2017 team that pulled so many through the turnstiles will be largely forgotten too. In a 14 team league we would have time for Jepsons plans to bear fruit,to develop within the top tier. Fall out of that and while I think the club will survive but merely bump along in the lower reaches with no way back.

RaoulDuke

Hepworth I could go with 10 and we’d get in.

Wakey are doing well but it’s not measured on one seasons efforts, it’s effort for a while. One Swallow not making a summer and all that. A new owner that waited for the previous regime to sort the stand, let them get relegated and then became the man in shining armour using the money from the s106. It’s potentially koucash all over again. He got them for nothing and hasn’t spent much from his pocket yet.

Huddersfield and Salford are like horses with broken legs. You can keep trying to fix them up but ultimately they don’t get back in the race. Hudds are in debt to their owner for over 20m. Salford haven’t got 2 beans.

Tolouse have a chance if they refuse any sky money. But no crowd base, I went when we played them wouldn’t have been more than 2k there including the band and bar staff.

Bradford haven’t done anything to deserve a chance. They still owe the clubs for the ground they got for virtually nothing whilst playing there for peanuts.

York will end up like Salford, low crowds being unable to compete on a regular basis.

RaoulDuke

We also have a recent history in the super league with a team that won the league by a record 10 points. Been to a few finals aswell.

Hepworth

Oldham seem to be taking a punt and recruiting heavily to improve their squad next season,they’ve gone early prior to the upcoming vote but if the switch to a 14 team Super League happens in time for next season with a one up, one down relegation system while they wouldn’t necessarily expect to be one of the teams promoted initially they’d be in prime position to play their way in for 2027 with money being invested in facilities to boost their IMG score.

stuey

It will be York as one of the teams. Really good catchment area with no teams within 30 miles, superb ground, one of the best ladies teams, and the best team in the Championship. Already won the 1895 Trophy, and probably Championship leaders and Championship Grand Final winners at the end of the season.

Hepworth

The current top 3 in the Championship are all in the frame,York,Tolouse and Bradford plus of course London. Two of them have already agreed not to take additional funding in the first season,so funds for the existing 12 would be unaffected,the hope being that as the current TV deal which is expiring can be renegotiated to increase revenue for the clubs. With rumours of two other bidders for the rights,one being DAZN. Of course you have to factor in the situation at Salford which could well change things. The meeting is in Wakey this month so we’ll know soon enough. It could certainly add a bit of spice to the Championship play offs.