IMG grading criteria revealed with five areas to determine make-up of Super League

The global sports management giant presented the recommended grading criteria to the RFL Council at the John Smith's Stadium in Huddersfield on Thursday.

Each element contributes to a percentage of the overall weighting, including:

- Fandom (25%): encouraging clubs to attract more fans in stadia, at home and digitally, and to improve fan engagement, contributing to both club and central revenues.

- Performance (25%): incentivising clubs to perform on the field and drive fan awareness and engagement. Teams will be ranked between 1 and 36 based on where they finish in the leagues for the previous three seasons. Bonus points will be awarded to teams who win league and cup competitions in the previous season.

- Finances (25%): reflecting the success of fan engagement and business performance and rewarding sustainable investment, as well as diversified revenue streams and sound financial management.

- Stadium (15%): based on a number of factors, including facilities and utilisation, which add value to the fan and broadcast or digital viewer experience, and match or exceed competition from other sports and events.

- Catchment (10%): based on area population and the number of clubs in the area, with a view to maximising growth of the sport in the largest markets to generate new fan bases and incentivise investment.

A series of grading criteria follow-up consultations will be held before the recommendations are put to a vote on April 19.

If accepted, illustrative grades for the 2024 season will be released at the end of this year and clubs will be provided with a dashboard outlining the areas they need to improve to attain a higher grade.

Category A clubs would be assured of a place in Super League should grading come into full effect from 2025, with any remaining places taken by the highest-ranked Category B clubs.

All gradings would be reassessed annually, meaning promotion and relegation between the tiers would continue in some form.

RL Commercial chair Frank Slevin said: “After the overwhelming support provided by clubs to the reimagining rugby league recommendations when they were first presented last September, the clubs have now been provided with full details of the grading process which is an important part of those proposals.

"An immense amount of work has been done by IMG, as part of their long-term strategic partnership with rugby league, to produce a blueprint which breaks new ground for British sport."

Matt Dwyer, vice president of sport management at IMG Media, added: “Our goal with the proposed criteria was to establish an objective, easily measurable and reliable framework that will drive long-term, sustainable growth for individual clubs and the sport as a whole.

“We, RL Commercial and the RFL believe improvement in each of these areas is possible for all clubs over time and is vital to transforming and future-proofing rugby league.

"Ultimately, we want to be in position down the line where the top tier league is full of Category A clubs and being expanded.”