IMG wait set to go on with key meeting over grading criteria scheduled for March

The sport is bracing itself for change as IMG gets to work at the start of a 12-year partnership with the Rugby Football League and Super League.

The global sports management giant disclosed its proposals for the future of the game late last year, including a new grading system that would replace automatic promotion and relegation between Super League and the Championship.

The expectation was that the all-important criteria would be unveiled by February.

However, The Yorkshire Post understands that IMG will formally brief clubs at a meeting in early March to ensure the start of the new season is not overshadowed.

Following a presentation that will lay out the proposed criteria, clubs will be given time to provide feedback before voting on whether to go ahead with the new grading system. That is likely to take place in April.

Although IMG's initial recommendations received widespread support – with Keighley Cougars the only club to vote against the proposals – it is shaping up as a vital few months for the sport.

The on and off-field criteria that would be used to categorise clubs is viewed as the most important piece of the puzzle.

Category A clubs would be assured of a place in Super League, with any remaining places taken by the highest-ranked Category B clubs.

That leaves a possibility of established Super League clubs missing out should the new system come into effect from 2025 as planned.

The Championship and League 1 would be made up of the remaining Category B and Category C clubs.

Clubs are set to be graded on an illustrative basis at the end of the upcoming season and would have 12 months to improve their status before the grades are reviewed and the new system is launched.

If IMG is given the green light in April, this season will be the final year of conventional promotion and relegation with clubs assessed annually.

The unveiling of the criteria is unlikely to change Keighley's stance as they gear up for their first season back in the Championship.

After voting against the proposals last year, chief executive Ryan O’Neill said: "To create a top division with elite clubs who can never face relegation is only in the self interests of those involved. It is unfair, it is anti-competition, and it isn’t sport.

“The Cougars are currently standing alone against the proposals, but we believe in our values and in the long-term interests of our sport.

“The vote was in favour of the equivalent of the failed European Super League in football. This was rejected at the highest level, with the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson committing to legislate against it, citing a cartel and it being 'against the basic principles of competition'.

“Keighley Cougars are committed to equality for all.”

IMG has also proposed scrapping Magic Weekend and the much-maligned loop fixtures in a move to a 22-round season, while the Challenge Cup is poised to move back to its traditional May slot.

The realigned and redefined domestic calendar is likely to feature a new major event as well as a dedicated international window.

IMG has not ruled out renaming Super League, although those discussions are at an early stage.