Blow out results and unbalanced fixture lists contribute to the ever growing disconnect between supporters and part time Rugby League

The Vikings walked away from Goole comfortable 52-0 winners Saturday evening as the team got themselves back to winning ways in emphatic style.

It was a mature performance by Widnes, who controlled the game throughout following two straight Championship defeats against Doncaster and Oldham.

It was the Vikings third game in 8 days, however despite having a three day turn around Goole was no match for Widnes. Goole become the fourth team in the space of a month Widnes have kept scoreless.

The result has once again raised questions around the suitability of the Championship league structure and the gulf in class between the top and bottom of the division.

Skewed fixture lists

As soon as the 2026 Championship format was announced, huge concerns was immediately apparent.

Fixtures would be based on the previous years league standings, with each club playing 12 home and 12 away games against the same teams, whilst not competing against the other 7 teams in the competition.

As a result a team that under performs would be rewarded with a much more favourable fixture list the following season, whilst a team that has an incredibly successful season would be punished with a more challenging fixture list.

Due to the nature of the Rugby League transfer market at part time level, teams often look completely different one year to the next.

Newcastle Thunder are a prime example of this, finishing at the foot of the League One table in 2025, fielding a team largely built around local community players, however in 2026 due to a partnership with York Knights, Newcastle are now fielding a much different team including a sizable share of Super League players week in week out.

As a result of the clubs league finish in 2025, Newcastle are only required to play Barrow Raiders and Midlands Hurricanes out of the teams that occupy the top eight places currently.

To reduce the volume of unbalanced fixtures, a simple solution would be for all clubs to play each other once, followed by 5 loop fixtures to complete the full fixture list.

It is by no means the perfect solution, however it would at least reduce the difference between the easiest set of fixtures and the most challenging in the division, whilst all clubs would get the opportunity to battle at least once offering a fairer outcome.

Drastic differences in quality week to week

It isn’t just the structure of the competition that is capturing headlines for the wrong reasons, it is also the volume of blow out score lines that are occurring on a week to week basis.

Eight teams out of the twenty that are competing in the 2026 Championship have over a minus 150 point goal difference, whilst six teams have over a 200 positive goal difference.

The statistic highlights the huge gulf in class between the bottom and the top of the division, with supporters becoming increasingly frustrated by the amount of competitive matches on display.

The Championship has never faced as much adversity for both owners and supporters as it does today. The quality on display week to week is at risk of seriously deteriorating year on year.

With no natural promotion and relegation pathway to Super League, serious intervention on the current league structure is vital to stop the continuous decline of attendances in the second tier.