IMG offers hope to all but the days of coasting in Super League are over

That is once the initial fear of a return to the old licensing system dissipated.

During the era of Super League licences between 2009 and 2014, the top tier was viewed as a closed shop.

The successful clubs were handed three-year licences with reviews held at the end of the cycle.

Widnes Vikings were the only club to break into the top tier during the six-year licensing period and the sport looked more or less the same when it came out of the other side.

IMG – the global sports media giant tasked with restructuring and reimagining the domestic game – was keen to stress it had recommended the introduction of grading rather than licensing following the release of its findings.

"Participation in the top tier to be based on a range of on and off-field measures, delivered through a club grading system with the aim of supporting financial sustainability and encouraging investment into clubs," read a section of the initial report.

"‘Category A’ clubs will be guaranteed participation in the top tier whilst ‘Category B’ clubs will be reassessed annually with the highest-ranking clubs occupying the remaining slots in the top tier."

At a media briefing in Manchester on Wednesday, IMG – represented by Matt Dwyer, vice president of sports management – made it clear the opportunity is still there for clubs that have Super League aspirations in the absence of automatic promotion and relegation. If other clubs are happy with their current direction of travel, that does not necessarily have to change.

Crucially, clubs will not have the door shut in their face for years on end under the new proposals.

Next season will look the same as the last – with Leigh Centurions or Batley Bulldogs replacing Toulouse Olympique in the top flight – before a new calendar is introduced in 2024.

The much-maligned loop fixtures will be a thing of the past in an attempt to ensure each game means more in a 22-round season, particularly the clashes between the competition's heavyweights.

Magic Weekend is set to be replaced by a new event, while there will be a renewed focus on internationals.

The following year, the clubs will be categorised to make up a 12-team Super League.

There is an acceptance that some Category B clubs will be in Super League in 2025 but the goal is to have enough in Category A to be able to expand in the near future.

Further down the food chain, clubs in the second and third tiers have been assured the proportion of central funding will remain constant.

Clubs throughout the pyramid were braced for change and are said to have responded positively to IMG's recommendations.

Featherstone Rovers – fresh from missing out on promotion following a shock defeat by Batley – became the first club to publicly back the proposals.

"We believe that the recommendations include sensible and timely initiatives that will strengthen the future of our sport," read a statement. "We are a sustainable club that have invested heavily in our facilities and we are confident that any assessment of our on and off-field performance will be positive."

More details of the proposed changes will emerge in the coming weeks and months but IMG appears to have a good grasp of what is required to give the sport a much-needed shot in the arm.

The focus is on nailing the basics rather than ripping everything up and starting again.

IMG has set about changing attitudes, switching the emphasis from the game itself to the product. That means selling the sport to a wider audience through engagement rather than squabbling about the league structure.

It is understood that IMG could take certain responsibilities away from clubs, something that was hinted at in the report.

"Operations to be centralised where this can maximise efficiencies and drive incremental revenue (e.g. ticketing and digital infrastructure)," it read.

IMG has identified three areas for growth: France, the women's game and London.

However, there would be no more than two non-UK clubs under the proposals, meaning there would only be room for Catalans Dragons and Toulouse, initially at least.

There will be a review of the salary cap, while the threat of dreaded mergers has been removed.

Fans of the sport could be forgiven for thinking they have heard it all before but IMG has a proven track record and, more importantly, does not have a vested interest.

For the good of the game, the October 13 vote on whether to adopt the changes should be a formality.

The days of coasting in Super League will be over; to grow the sport, every club must raise their standards.