Impressed with barrows comments that they think it should be promotion on the pitch, but I suppose they know they are not going up anyway
no news on our league format yet - realise still thinking on London, wales crusaders and fev
but surely announce a plan with caveats - if London aren’t in etc
but if London are in how can they possibly afford the new players they have signed for next season ? Another fudge I suppose
we can only plough on in the way we are, improve year on year
onwards and upwards !
Oldham aren’t very happy with their ratings ware accusing other clubs of cheating on the details they are giving to Img, saying that the figures should be checked more thoroughly!
@farnworth-viking Read the Hunslet Statement. It's excellent reading and shows what an absolute shambles the IMG criteria is
https://hunsletrlfc.com/general/2027-img-grading-the-price-of-a-point/
The top Champ teams are 4 points off the bottom SL team, which when you check the criteria is a massive gap.
Yet last year Bradford Bulls while still in the Championship, winning nothing, playing in poor, partially closed facilities with an undersized pitch jumped up to 10th place for automatic qualification on full funding.
I smell a rat.
My only takeaway from this IMG ranking is that it is now totally pointless and is a costly exercise for clubs from which they can gain nothing except criticism!
As the Widnes statement said, they know the could’ve ‘paid’ for another 0.5pts and with the purchase of a screen and digital advertising we know there would be even more points earned - but we all know that it would be a monumental waste of money so here we are! We have a benchmark and that’s all the IMG score is now that it’s unrelated to promotion or funding. I’d support the club if they said they weren’t submitting for grading next year as it’s just a monumental waste of time and energy!
Unless Rugby League (or should that be Super League?) comes to its senses, then the game as know it is doomed to (almost) complete failure and probable collapse.
The Sport currently has nothing going for it.
It has no leadership or direction and has just lost its main Sponsor.
It is also in danger of being binned off by the BBC which means the end of what is left of the Challenge Cup.
It is also about to embark on a costly and mainly pointless World Cup that few people know about and which is going to be hidden behind a pay wall.
So, unless the new potential NRL deal includes binning off IMG and offering a genuine root and branch reform amongst the whole sport then I really do fear for its future.
Breakaway of Championship Clubs anyone?
@farnworth-viking Read the Hunslet Statement. It's excellent reading and shows what an absolute shambles the IMG criteria is
https://hunsletrlfc.com/general/2027-img-grading-the-price-of-a-point/
Says it all mate and a waste of money fir Championship clubs.I am always a firm believer sport should always have winning on the pitch for promotion.
Trouble is , it’s supposed to be an independent company doing this, but when you look at the facts about bradfaurd most people would scratch their heads to understand how they got there
also to back track on what they promised about their matchbox pitch should really have consequences ?
It is the biggest farce in Rugby league this IMG and needs to be scrapped. It has taken the fun out of rugby league and the drama of promotion and relegation. Sport should always be on the pitch and this IMG suits criteria for certain clubs. It definitely benefits you if in Superleague. London should not be in Superleague if 16th club but in my opinion they should be as won the league comfortably, 1895 Cup and the Grand Final. Yes they had an advantage being fulltime and big money backers, but if we had backers and won the league then I would definitely expect to be promoted. I hope London go up because it will make the league more competitive being a part time league and give us a chance to win something.
I personally thought the middle 8’s concept worked perfectly. It showed if a champ team was ready to come up based on the squad they had if not to improve the squad and was over a number of games rather than 1 prom/releg game
don’t get the excitement of KR vs Salford in any other form
IMG are an international marketing company and must regret the day that they linked themselves and their reputation with the RFL. They probably do act independently to assess the gradings within the criteria agreed and determined by the RFL.
What should have been investigated is how Bradford managed to jump from 16th to 10th in 2025 to guarantee promotion to SL on full funding. It is perhaps no coincidence that the RFL agreed to sell the lease of Odsal back to Bradford at a knock-down price in 2025.
In 2012, the RFL bought the ground for £1.2m to bail out Bradford. In 2025, they agreed to sell it back to Bradford for a down payment of£100,000 and a further £160,000 paid over a period of five years, the payments to be taken from the club's central funding. This and some creativity in their IMG submission, no doubt aided and abetted by someone close to the RFL and an inside knowledge of the IMG criteria, probably secured their promotion. As has been said, it is almost impossible now for a Club in the Championship to make up the difference in grading with SL Clubs on full funding.
Although some faces may have changed are those in charge of the RFL capable of negotiating any kind of rights deal. I guess mushy peas and pizza is about their level.
Maybe Widnes should approach Halton Council and make a similar offer to buy back the ground. They could always quote the RFL/Bradford deal as a precedent!!!!
One small bit of a positive for 2028 is they are going to let London in next season because the NRL say so, despite oposition from some of the clubs. They are going to have to have bye weeks and it will mess up magic weekend, hence some oposition.
The positive is they may want an even number of teams, so we need to be ready the year after come the end of the 2027 season. If we win the Champ on good crowds, they could invite us in as the 16th team to even things up, but we have to be an attractive proposition for that to happen.
I suppose it could go the other way and they could kick Huddersfield out for playing in Dewsbury to take it back down to 14.
Thats one time we dropped the ball in my opinion, come the end of 2025 having had 6 years to build, they let 3 teams in. Realistically we were never in the running/conversation. It was always York/Bradford/Toulouse and for a club the size of Widnes we have to be in those conversations going forward.
One small bit of a positive for 2028 is they are going to let London in next season because the NRL say so, despite oposition from some of the clubs. They are going to have to have bye weeks and it will mess up magic weekend, hence some oposition.
The positive is they may want an even number of teams, so we need to be ready the year after come the end of the 2027 season. If we win the Champ on good crowds, they could invite us in as the 16th team to even things up, but we have to be an attractive proposition for that to happen.
I suppose it could go the other way and they could kick Huddersfield out for playing in Dewsbury to take it back down to 14.
Thats one time we dropped the ball in my opinion, come the end of 2025 having had 6 years to build, they let 3 teams in. Realistically we were never in the running/conversation. It was always York/Bradford/Toulouse and for a club the size of Widnes we have to be in those conversations going forward.
I feel we need to find a big backer next season, even if mid season to put us in the window. If we are top 2 and high up in the league, then there is a possibility. The Town has to start backing the team, and even branch to Runcorn. Marketing well is key too.
Well if London are to be the 15th team - which will probably be announced today, IMG gradings are dead and buried surely ?