Wakefield Trinity owner Matt Ellis makes 16-team call as part of bold Super League vision
Wakefield Trinity owner Matt Ellis believes Super League's expansion is just the beginning, with a 16-team competition part of his bold long-term vision for the sport.
The wheels are in motion for a 14-club top flight from next season, opening the door for ambitious Championship sides.
Ellis, who has overseen Wakefield's resurgence since taking control in 2023, is now ready to help unlock the sport's potential on a bigger scale.
"For me, it's part of a long-term vision," said Ellis.
"I personally think it'd be better with more teams in, maybe 16 with 30 fixtures. To utilise your stadium properly, it'd be better to have more teams and more games. I get the player welfare side but we managed to play 36 games last year.
"I also think that 14 or 16 teams helps grow the game. We'll reignite areas that haven't seen Super League for a long time.
"It might help get clubs like Widnes, Bradford, York and London into Super League and ignite the game in those areas."
Ellis' new-look Trinity have been a revelation on their return to Super League, with the Belle Vue club on course for a first play-off appearance since 2012.
With more teams in the mix, Ellis hopes the long-standing dominance of a handful of clubs will be broken.
"There should also be a long-term vision that we're all competitive in Super League," he added.
"I really like the NFL where it's not just dominated by certain teams. We've only had four teams that have won it in nearly 30 years.
"For me personally, the game should be 14 teams now and hopefully more in the future – and we all start the year with a fighting chance of winning the league. We can't just keep going with the same teams dominating all the time.
"I think 16 is the right number. You've got a league then with London, York, Bradford, Widnes and Oldham maybe. It'd give us a variety of fixtures, new stories and hopefully a competitive league."