Promotion And Relegation To Return To Super League From 2015

Which two will be relegated in 2014?

Today the Rugby Football League (RFL) have announced that the clubs have agreed to the return of promotion and relegation in the Super League 2015.

As of next season the top two divisions, Super League and the Championship, will contain twelve sides splitting into three groups of 8. Therefore this season the bottom two sides will be relegated to set up the new format.

Further details of the restructuring will be revealed later this month.

So a radical new league structure that I am sure will cause a huge amount of debate from the fans. Honestly I think many will view this negatively. The idea is somewhat confusing but this is how it appears it will work.

It is believed that all of the sides in both the Super League and Championship will play each other in the traditional home and away before the league breaks into three groups of eight. Once this has happened every team will play every other in its league of eight once, with teams in the top and bottom group retaining their points from the first part of the season and those in the middle group starting from zero.

How this will then affect play-offs I do not know. It is to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Got it? Well as I said I am sure many will just see this as another poor decision from the RFL. On twitter many people have been very strong with their comments, many along the lines of the RFL is destroying the game. However many said that when the Super League began and suddenly teams such as Leeds became Leeds Rhinos but on the whole that has been a success.

Super League chairman Brian Barwick said:

"I would like to thank the clubs for their contribution to what was a very fruitful and positive meeting. The clubs were unanimous in their view that Super League should become a 12-team competition from 2015 and that there should be meaningful movement between Super League and the Championship. There was a full and frank debate about the competition structures and a commitment to support the proposed format. The Super League clubs' decision will now go before the RFL's independent board of directors for ratification next week."

The licensing idea taken from the Australian model has not worked. Period. Personally I am very happy with the return of promotion and relegation as believe it is an essential part of British sport.

However I feel the format which should have been chosen was four divisions of ten. A Super League 1&2 and Championship 1&2.  Having spoken will many in the game only 12 months ago I know that this was the preferred option.

I really hope that this new format works even if my head says it will not. For the sake of the game I think it needs to work or it will be more wasted years where greater and greater damage is being done.

Rugby League is a game which has been mishandled and mislead for many a year. We are currently facing a second consecutive year without a title sponsor. Which when the consider the quality of the game is staggering. I have to agree with Salford owner Marwan Koukash comments last week that clearly things are not working and the game is not growing the way it should be. The potential for Rugby League is huge and it is a crying shame that not more people are aware of the game nationwide. Unfortunately certain people like the way things are and like the fact it is seen as a 'northern game' played along the M62 corridor.   

Ultimately the return of promotion and relegation is without doubt a positive for the game even if I am apprehensive about the way it will be implemented. I look forward to hearing further information from the RFL as to how the new format will work.