Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers get Super League nod after achieving Grade A status

Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers will both be in Super League next season after achieving Grade A status, The Yorkshire Post can reveal.

The West Yorkshire clubs were at risk of missing out at the start of the grading era but it is understood they have increased their scores beyond the 15-point threshold for a guaranteed place in the top flight.

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Wakefield were originally ranked 11th on 12.52 points and Castleford 13th with 12.16 points, which was in part down to an admin error.

The clubs have worked tirelessly to improve their scores and will be rewarded on Wednesday morning when the Rugby Football League officially confirm the make-up of Super League for 2025.

Wakefield celebrate their Grand Final success. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)Wakefield celebrate their Grand Final success. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
Wakefield celebrate their Grand Final success. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

Under a system rubber-stamped by a large majority of clubs last April, automatic promotion and relegation was scrapped in favour of rankings determined by scores across five pillars – fandom, on-field performance, finance, stadium and community.

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Based on those scores, clubs have been allotted A, B or C grades, with those in the top tier guaranteed a place in Super League and the remaining spots in the 12-team structure filled by the highest-scoring Grade B sides.

Wakefield will replace London Broncos in the only change from this year, meaning a straight swap between the team that won the Championship and the side that finished bottom of the top tier.

Although London would have gone down before the introduction of the grading system, there is controversy over the manner of their relegation after they were given no chance of survival following a ranking of 24th in the indicative phase of the rollout.

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Castleford celebrate their win at St Helens in July - and are now set to remain in Super League. (Photo: Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)Castleford celebrate their win at St Helens in July - and are now set to remain in Super League. (Photo: Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)
Castleford celebrate their win at St Helens in July - and are now set to remain in Super League. (Photo: Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

Super League will remain at 12 teams next season but it is understood nine clubs have achieved Grade A status now the system has gone live, up from seven last year.

IMG has previously stated that the competition will expand if there are more than 12 clubs regarded as elite.

Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR are among the clubs that have retained their Grade A status but Hull FC have dropped down below 15 points, leaving them among the highest-ranked Grade B outfits with Huddersfield Giants.

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At the lower end of the professional structure, Whitehaven, who were relegated from the Championship to League One last month, announced on Tuesday that their grading will be missing from the announcement having missed the deadline to submit the required documents to RFL headquarters.

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