IMG plans to axe automatic promotion and relegation set for approval as clubs prepare to vote

The proposals, shaped by global sports media giants IMG, can expect to receive a commanding majority although the PA news agency understands that up to 10 clubs could vote against.

Until recently, Championship club Keighley Cougars were the only ones to publicly oppose the plan, but in recent weeks the likes of Batley Bulldogs and Super League strugglers Wakefield Trinity have also indicated they will reject it.

Chief among their concerns is the range of criteria that will determine which B-grade clubs, if any, will achieve promotion to the top flight, with on-field performance counting for just one quarter of each club’s decisive points tally.

Clubs granted an A-licence – expected to initially be a small handful – will automatically be immune from relegation, while the bottom Super League club will still survive if their own B-grade score is higher than that of the second-tier champions.

Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington, whose club are among those who might fear the recommendations the least, conceded that he had initial reservations, largely revolving around the possibility of the Championship Grand Final winners being denied promotion.

But Hetherington said he had been assured during what he described as a “comprehensive” consultation process that the chances of such a scenario were minimal enough not to unduly threaten the legitimacy of the competition.

“There were one or two areas of concern that I shared with a number of other clubs, but RFL Commercial and IMG have listened and provided clarity, and if any club is still unsure they need to ask themselves why,” Hetherington told the PA news agency.

“The answer we received on the issue of promotion and relegation was a comprehensive one and it is clear that the chances of that happening (the Championship Grand Final winners being denied promotion) are very remote.”

A growing number of clubs do not share Hetherington’s view, with Wakefield’s outgoing chief executive Michael Carter indicating in his programme notes prior to Sunday’s defeat by Leigh that “key issues” still need to be resolved.

Keighley have been by far the most outspoken over the broader plans, including the factoring of a club’s potential catchment area into its final score, a move the Cougars believe will unduly favour unproven areas outside the sport’s traditional heartland.

Batley chairman Kevin Nicholas has also weighed in by claiming the proposals are biased towards existing Super League clubs, and called for transparency in Wednesday’s voting process.

If and when the motion to accept the first step of IMG’s long-term vision for the ‘reimagination’ of the sport is carried, automatic promotion and relegation based purely on on-field results will end from the start of the 2024 season.