Outgoing RFL chief executive Tony Sutton is convinced York Knights are ready for Super League after giving the ambitious Championship club the green light to join the elite.

Sutton sat on the seven-strong panel that approved applications from York and Toulouse Olympique to enter an expanded competition in 2026, signalling a return to 14 teams for the first time in 12 years.

Friday's announcement marked a landmark moment for the Knights, who were in the third tier as recently as 2018.

Under Mark Applegarth in 2025, York won the 1895 Cup and topped the Championship to claim the League Leaders’ Shield, falling agonisingly short of a treble in the Grand Final earlier this month.

The Knights have matched their on-field progress with years of growth off the pitch at their impressive LNER Community Stadium home.

The modern 8,500-seater stadium is now set to host Super League rugby in 2026 following a momentous breakthrough.

"I've been to some really big matchdays and events here and for the last couple of years, this club has looked and felt like a Super League club," said Sutton, who has left his role at the top of the governing body after helping to oversee the process.

"It has been on a positive journey of progression towards that. You can see how they will add a really positive matchday feel.

Tony Sutton hands the League Leaders' Shield to York captain Liam Harris. (Photo: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)

placeholder image — Tony Sutton hands the League Leaders' Shield to York captain Liam Harris. (Photo: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)

"With club grading criteria being a big part of the three objectives, they were in the box seat alongside Toulouse in 13th and 14th. If you were applying from a position that wasn't 13th or 14th, what would your application bring that would overtake those teams?

"It made it easier to that degree because the panel in our earlier meetings had really set what our criteria were going to be."

The Knights become Super League’s 25th club, taking the competition into a new region in an exciting development for the sport.

York last played in the top flight in 1986, folding in 2002 before being reborn as a new club in 2003.

Mark Applegarth has been the driving force behind York's rapid rise on the field. (Photo: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)

Their recent rise has been led by Australian businessman Clint Goodchild, who took over in 2022 and built on the foundations laid by Jon Flatman.

Goodchild had planned to move to a full-time set-up regardless of Friday's outcome but can now prepare for Super League with confidence.

The Knights have already signed a host of players with top-level experience, spearheaded by former Australia prop Paul Vaughan.

York and Toulouse are among three newcomers after Bradford Bulls earned promotion as one of the top 12 clubs through IMG’s grading system, replacing Salford Red Devils.

Clint Goodchild, left, lines up alongside Mark Applegarth at Wembley. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

Bradford ended their 11-year exile with a degree of comfort after ranking 10th, above established Super League clubs Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants.

Sutton has stressed that the West Yorkshire outfit earned their promotion amid continued criticism of their Odsal home.

"The grading system is a really broad look at what a club is," said Sutton, who confirmed promotion and relegation will remain in its current format for 2027.

"It's not simply but includes significantly on-field performance and therefore anybody who comes through that system is there on merit.

"Bradford have grown relatively consistently over the first three years of the grading criteria being applied. That's a strong story of positive investment, some new shareholders and board members coming into the club. They've provided a fresh impetus to a club that have been very successful historically."

Bradford and York appeared to be in a straight shootout with Toulouse and London Broncos for three places in the top flight.

Toulouse celebrate their Grand Final success at York. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

However, Sutton revealed they also faced stiff competition from Widnes Vikings and Oldham.

"We worked through the three criteria: the grading score, financial viability and an assessment of playing strength and competitiveness," explained Sutton.

"Relatively early on, five stood out: York, Toulouse, London, Widnes and Oldham.

"We didn't have to take certain clubs through this process, for instance the two existing Super League clubs (Huddersfield and Hull FC). And then the grading points came through that showed Bradford would be there anyway.

"Widnes and Oldham did a really good job of an application from lower down the grading rankings. They displayed a strong level of information and an objective to progress."

London missed out on promotion despite a high-profile push led by former Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington and Australian great Darren Lockyer.

The decision comes as a blow to the Broncos, who had high hopes of returning to the top level following a relaunch.

In a statement, incoming Broncos owner Grant Wechsel said: "While we are naturally disappointed not to have been promoted and respect the process the RFL ran, our belief in this project and our direction as a club will not waver.

"The game of rugby league needs a strong London team and we will not stop until we return our club to the top level of the game. Darren Lockyer and I are determined people and today’s decision will serve as strong motivation to drive our success in 2026 and prove people wrong."