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RFL Championship
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Current season, competition or edition: 2025 RFL Championship | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Founded |
|
| No. of teams | 21 |
| Country |  England Wales |
| Most recent champions |  Toulouse Olympique(2nd title) |
| Most titles |  Leigh Leopards(5 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Domestic cups | Challenge Cup 1895 Cup |
| Official website | Championship |
The Rugby Football League Championship, (known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second highest division of rugby league in Britain .[1]
Introduced in 2003 as National League One, it replaced the existing Second Division. It was rebranded as the Championship in 2009.
The league consists of 14 teams, with the winner decided by a playoff. The current champions are Wakefield Trinity, winners of the 2024 season after beating Toulouse Olympique in the Championship Grand Final.
In 2026, the Championship will merge with League One, thus seeing an expansion to 21 teams. This was catalysed by Super League's expansion from 12 to 14 teams also in 2026 which would see two clubs promoted from the Championship without replacement and would have left the Championship with only 11 clubs.[2]
History
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2025) |
1902–1973: Establishment and regular competition
[edit]Second division rugby league competitions have been played at various times since 1902, and have been in place annually since 1973. When Super League began in 1996, the second division continued to operate a system of promotion and relegation with the new competition. In 1999, the second-tier competition below the Super League was renamed the Northern Ford Premiership (NFP) when Northern Ford Dealers acquired the naming rights.
2002–2008: National Leagues
[edit]In 2003, the NFP was re-organised into National Leagues One and Two. Teams that finished in the top ten league positions of the 2002 Northern Ford Premiership joined National League One and the bottom eight joined National League Two. They were joined by London Skolars from the Rugby League Conference, who entered National League Two, and York City Knights, who replaced the defunct York Wasps (who had folded mid-season in 2002) and also joined National League Two in 2003, creating two ten-team leagues which operated a system of promotion and relegation between themselves while also maintaining the promotion and relegation between National League One and Super League.
At the same time, National League Three was created with teams from the Rugby League Conference and from the British Amateur Rugby League Association amateur leagues. It was intended that there would be promotion and relegation between National League Two and National League Three when League Three became more established, however this never eventuated.
2009–2014: Championship
[edit]In 2009 Super League was expanded to 14 teams, with two additional teams being promoted from National League One. In turn, two additional teams were promoted from National League Two to National League One at the end of the 2008 season, reducing the number of teams in National League Two to 10. National Leagues One and Two were then rebranded as the Championship and Championship 1 respectively, with the change being implemented in time for the 2009 season. Championship 1 was later rebranded to League 1. During this period, a system of licensing was put in place which meant there was no automatic system of promotion and relegation between the Championship and Super League, although promotion and relegation continued between the Championship and League 1. Widnes Vikings were promoted to Super League from the Championship via the licensing system in 2011.
The record crowd for a club game at this level of competition was set in 2017 at KCOM Craven Park for the opening fixture of the season between Hull Kingston Rovers and Bradford Bulls with Rovers winning 54–24 in front of a crowd of 8,817. The crowd record for regular season attendance was also broken in 2008 with an average of 2,205 spectators at each game.
2015–2018: Super 8s
[edit]In 2013, Super League clubs agreed to reduce the number of clubs in the competition to 12 and return to an amended system of promotion and relegation with a 12-club Championship competition. These changes came into effect for the 2015 season.[3]
Under the amended structure, the 12 Super League and 12 Championship clubs play a regular season of 23 rounds, including a Magic Weekend for both divisions. Following the conclusion of their regular league seasons, the 24 clubs then compete in a play-off series where they split into 3 divisions of 8 based upon league position:[4]
- The bottom 4 Super League clubs and the top 4 Championship clubs compete in The Qualifiers. They play each other once (either home or away) to determine which four of the clubs will compete in Super League the following year.
- The remaining (bottom 8) Championship clubs compete for the Championship Shield and to avoid relegation to League 1. Two clubs will be relegated each year.
2019–2023: Return of playoffs
[edit]On 14 September 2018, an EGM was called to discuss the future of the sport and a change in structure, as the clubs were in favour of scrapping the Super 8s in favour of a more conventional structure. Two proposals were put forward: one by Super League and one by the Championship and League 1;
Super League proposal: The Super League proposed staying with 12 teams who play each other home and away plus Magic Weekend and 6 loop fixtures (29 games). They also proposed a return to a top-5 playoff and the 12th placed team being relegated.
Championship & League 1 proposal: The alternative proposal was that Super League would expand to 14 clubs playing 29 games ending with a top-5 playoff. The team finishing 14th would be relegated and 13th would play 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Championship in a relegation playoff.
After a vote, the Super League proposal was voted through was implemented for the 2019 season. The Championship clubs then voted for a top 5 playoff being used to decide which team will be promoted to Super League.[5]
2024–2025: IMG grading
[edit]From 2024 there was no automatic promotion from the Championship to Super League. Membership of Super League was determined entirely by IMG grading.[6]
The grading system made no effect on the make-up of Super League for 2025 as the Championship winners, Wakefield Trinity, were placed 8th in the grading list - so would have been promoted under the previous system.[7]
Clubs
[edit]
- Seat capacity for other sports, concerts and events may differ.
Structure
[edit]Regular season
[edit]There are 14 clubs in the Championship. During the course of the season (usually from February to September) each club plays the other twice, once at their home stadium and once at their opponents. Altogether clubs play 26 games.
Teams receive two points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss.
Teams are ranked by competition points, points difference (points scored less points conceded), points scored. The team finishing top after 26 games is awarded the League Leaders Shield while the two bottom teams are relegated to the League One
Play-offs
[edit]The play-offs have had various formats. Currently once every club has played 26 games, the top six teams qualify for the playoffs.
Round one sees 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th. The winners then progress to the semi finals where the teams finishing 1st and 2nd enter. The two winners of the semi-finals meet in the Grand Final.
Results
[edit]The champions of the Championship are determined by a playoff series at the end of the regular season. The team at the top of the league table at the end of regular season is awarded the League Leaders’ Shield. This has been the case for all but the four seasons of the Super 8s era where the league leaders were declared Champions and promotion was determined by The Qualifiers.
Winners
[edit]| Club | Wins | runners up | Winning years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leigh Leopards |
5 | 1 | 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022 |
| 2 | Toulouse Olympique |
2 | 2 | 2021, 2025 |
| 3 |  Sheffield Eagles |
1 | 2012, 2013 | |
| 4 |  Salford Red Devils |
0 | 2003, 2008 | |
 Castleford Tigers |
2005, 2007 | |||
 Hull Kingston Rovers |
2006, 2017 | |||
 Toronto Wolfpack |
2018, 2019 | |||
| 5 |  Featherstone Rovers |
1 | 5 | 2011 |
| 6 |  London Broncos |
3 | 2023 | |
| 7 |  Halifax Panthers |
1 | 2010 | |
| 8 |  Barrow Raiders |
0 | 2009 | |
 Wakefield Trinity |
2024 | |||
| 9 |  Whitehaven |
0 | 2 | – |
 Widnes Vikings
| ||||
 Batley Bulldogs
| ||||
| 10 |  Crusaders |
1 | ||
 Bradford Bulls
| ||||
 York Knights
|
Sponsor
[edit]The Championship has been sponsored four times since its inception in 2003. Betfred are the current title sponsor.
The title sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. There have been seven different title sponsors since the league's formation:
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2008 | Nuffield | LHF Healthplan National League 1 |
| 2009–2012 | Co-operative Group | Co-operative Championship |
| 2013–2017 | Kingstone Press Cider | Kingstone Press Championship |
| 2018–present | Betfred | Betfred Championship |
The official rugby ball supplier is Steeden.[8]
Media
[edit]| Period | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| 2008–2011 | Sky Sports Premier Sports |
| 2012–2013 | Premier Sports |
| 2014 | Sky Sports (Grand Final Only) |
| 2015–2021 | Sky Sports |
| 2022 | Premier Sports |
| 2023 | Viaplay Sports |
| 2024–present | none |
TV
[edit]Sky Sports and Premier Sports shared the TV rights to the Championship between 2008 and 2012. After Sky only showed the Championship and Championship 1 Grand Finals while games were broadcast on Premier Sports until 2013. There was no TV coverage on the Championship in 2014. In 2015 Sky Sports won the rights to show the Championship including The Summer Bash, Championship Shield and The Qualifiers in a seven-year deal.
A two-year broadcast deal with Premier Sports for 2022 and 2023 was signed at the end of 2021. Premier show a live match every Monday as well as all seven matches from the Summer Bash. The deal also includes the broadcasting rights to play-off matches and the Million Pound Game.[9]
Premier Sports became part of Viaplay late in 2022 and was marketed as Viaplay Sports for the 2023 season.[10]
Radio
[edit]Regional radio stations have coverage of the Championship clubs but mostly only cover Super League clubs in the same area and give updates of Championship scores and results.
Academies
[edit]Reserve League
[edit]In 2014 and 2015 Super League clubs were unhappy with the Dual registration system and wanted to form an Under 23 reserve leagues between the Under 19s and 1st team. Wigan, Warrington and St Helens were the first teams to propose the return of the reserve league where players could move from the under 19s and play with professional players before playing in the 1st team. A reserve league was set up in 2016 with a mixture of Super League, Championship and League 1 teams.[citation needed]
Dual registration
[edit]Clubs in both the Super League and the Championships benefit from the new dual registration system which was introduced for the 2013 season.[11] The new system is intended to complement the existing player loan system.
Dual registration refers to an arrangement between clubs whereby a player continues to be registered to his current Super League club and is also registered to play for a club in the Championship.
The dual registration scheme was abandoned in 2025.[12]
Match officials
[edit]All rugby league matches are governed by the laws set out by the RFL; these laws are enforced by match officials. Former Super League and International Referee Phil Bentham is the current head of the Match Officials Department.
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Operational Rules". RFL. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "RFL: Championship and League One to merge into one league for 2026". BBC Sport. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Super League to become a 12-team competition from 2015. Superleague.co.uk (11 July 2013). Retrieved on 20 August 2013.
- ^ "Super League: Competition restructures confirmed". BBC Sport. 24 September 2018.
- ^ Willacy, Gavin (21 September 2018). "Enjoy the tortuous Qualifiers one last time before Super League is revamped". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Cook, Sam (16 September 2024). "'Doesn't sit right' - Rugby League chairman latest to hit out at IMG". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Super League: Wakefield Trinity return for 2025 season under IMG's grading criteria with London Broncos in Championship". Sky Sports. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Steeden become Official Match Ball Partner".
- ^ Craven, Dave (6 October 2021). "Championship seals broadcast deal with Premier Sports for live Monday night games". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ Bassam, Tom (21 July 2022). "Viaplay acquires Premier Sports in UK£30m deal to expand UK offering". SportsPro. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ Wilson, Andy (9 February 2013). "Debate continues over Super League and Championship dual registration". The Guardian.
- ^ Shaw, Matthew (8 July 2025). "Dual registration scrapped with major change made to rugby league loan system". All Out Rugby League. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RFL Championship.
RFL Championship
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Overview
Purpose and significance
The Rugby Football League (RFL) Championship, commercially known as the Betfred Championship, serves as the professional second division in British rugby league, positioned below the elite Super League and above the third-tier League 1.[8] It operates under the governance of the RFL, which oversees the sport's professional and semi-professional structures in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 2003 as National League One under the RFL's professional structure, evolving from earlier second-division formats and the sport's origins in the 1895 schism from rugby union.[13] The Championship plays a pivotal role in the rugby league ecosystem by providing a competitive pathway for promotion to the Super League, where top-performing clubs can advance based on on-field results and grading criteria, fostering ambition and meritocracy across the professional tiers.[7] It also functions as a crucial development hub for talent, bridging grassroots academies and community programs with elite-level play, enabling young players from northern England's rugby heartlands to hone skills in a high-stakes environment.[14] Economically, the competition sustains local clubs in regions like Yorkshire and Lancashire, generating revenue through matchday attendance, sponsorships, and community engagement that bolsters regional economies and preserves the sport's cultural footprint in working-class communities. Furthermore, it upholds the competitiveness of 13-a-side rugby league by maintaining a robust second tier that challenges teams to innovate and invest, ensuring the sport's overall vitality against competing codes.[15] As of 2025, the Championship comprises 13 teams in a transitional season, with preparations underway for a significant restructuring in 2026 that will merge it with League 1 to form a single 21-team division outside the Super League, aimed at enhancing financial stability and competitive balance across the lower professional levels.[10]Current format and teams
The 2025 RFL Championship season operates with 13 teams, a reduction from prior years implemented to facilitate the transition toward more balanced divisions in the professional rugby league structure.[16] Each team contests 24 regular-season fixtures, comprising home and away matches against all other participants, scheduled across 26 rounds that incorporate two bye weeks per club to accommodate the uneven total.[16] On August 27, 2025, the Rugby Football League announced the merger of the Championship and League 1 into a unified 21-team competition for 2026, positioned as the tier below an expanded 14-team Super League, with the change propelled by reforms to the IMG club grading system that assesses eligibility for top-tier participation based on criteria such as fan engagement, commercial viability, and on-field performance.[10][17] Scheduling for the 2026 season presents ongoing challenges due to the 21-team configuration, ruling out a conventional 40-game round-robin; instead, a proposed format envisions each team playing 24 matches, including 20 games (home and away against 10 seeded opponents) plus four additional "loop" fixtures, while a 10-team play-off series is anticipated to crown the champion, supported by a seeding mechanism to promote competitive balance by pairing clubs of comparable strength.[9][18][19] The 2026 Championship roster will blend established clubs from the prior Championship with sides elevated from League 1, forming a collective of 21 teams whose Super League aspirations hinge on accumulating sufficient IMG grading points to rank among the elite 14.[10]History
Origins and early development (1902–1973)
The Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU), the governing body for professional rugby league in England, established a formal second division in the 1902–03 season to complement the existing first-grade championship, creating a two-tier professional structure that replaced the separate second-grade Lancashire and Yorkshire senior competitions. This move aimed to organize and professionalize the growing number of clubs in northern England, drawing from an initial pool of 18 teams in the second division, all based in the region, such as Keighley, Millom, and Rochdale Hornets. The inaugural season featured a straightforward league format with each team playing 34 matches, culminating in Keighley securing the title with 56 points from 27 wins and 2 draws.[20][21][22] Promotion and relegation were introduced starting in the 1905–06 season, allowing ambitious second-tier clubs to ascend based on performance while providing a competitive pathway for emerging professional teams, though initially managed through re-election votes for lower-placed sides rather than automatic movement. The second division operated for three seasons, with Wakefield Trinity claiming the 1903–04 championship and Dewsbury the 1904–05 title, before it was suspended amid a broader reorganization that merged all 31 professional clubs into a single national league to accommodate the sport's expansion. This period solidified the second division's role in nurturing talent and clubs from industrial northern heartlands like Yorkshire and Lancashire, contributing to rugby league's professional ethos by offering structured competition beyond the elite level.[23][24][20] Following World War I, the NRFU oversaw gradual expansion as the sport recovered, with the single-division league growing to include more teams from northern England and Wales, reaching up to 29 clubs by the mid-1920s and fostering deeper professionalization through increased matches and player development. The ongoing schism with rugby union, rooted in the 1895 breakaway but persisting through the 1920s with bans on dual-code participation and recruitment rivalries, reinforced rugby league's distinct identity and focus on working-class northern clubs, even as some teams faced financial strains. In 1922, the NRFU rebranded as the Rugby Football League (RFL), marking a formal evolution that supported consistent competition.[20][25] The league maintained operations through World War II with adapted schedules and regionalized play to ensure continuity, avoiding full suspension and helping sustain professional structures amid national disruptions. Postwar growth stabilized the top tier at around 30 teams, but by the early 1960s, calls for a renewed second division led to its reintroduction in the 1962–63 and 1963–64 seasons on a trial basis, with Hunslet winning the revived competition in its first year. From 1902 to 1973, the second division's intermittent presence evolved into a foundational element of English rugby league, expanding from an initial 18-team setup to a 14-team format by 1973, enabling clubs like Barrow and Oldham to rise and professionalize the game across generations.[20][26]Reorganizations and expansions (1974–2008)
In the mid-1970s, the Rugby Football League restructured its top-tier competition to address the growing number of professional clubs, reintroducing a two-division system for the 1973–74 season with the creation of the Second Division alongside the existing First Division Championship. This shift aimed to provide a more national scope by accommodating 30 clubs overall, allowing for greater competition and development opportunities beyond the traditional northern heartlands.[27] Southern expansions gained momentum in the 1980s, as the RFL encouraged growth outside traditional areas; for instance, Fulham Rugby League Club (later London Broncos) was founded in 1980 and joined the Second Division in 1984, marking a significant push to establish the sport in London and the south east. Experiments like the Rugby League Premiership, introduced in 1973 and running through the 1980s as a top-eight post-season tournament, tested playoff formats to determine the overall champion, influencing future structures by emphasizing end-of-season competition over regular-season standings alone.[28] The 1996 Super League war, initiated by News Limited's formation of a breakaway elite competition, profoundly impacted the RFL's structure, leading to a merger in 1997 that transformed the First Division into the primary feeder league for the new 12-team Super League. Traditional clubs such as Oldham, Wakefield Trinity, and Castleford were effectively relegated to this second tier, while the overall professional pyramid was reoriented around Super League as the fully professional pinnacle, with lower divisions focusing on semi-professional development and promotion pathways.[29][30] In the 1990s, the RFL trialed a licensing system as part of Super League's launch, where clubs were awarded franchises based on financial stability, facilities, and commercial viability rather than pure on-field performance, setting a precedent for controlled entry into the elite level. This approach was extended in the early 2000s, with salary caps implemented for Super League clubs starting at £1.8 million in 2002 to promote competitive balance and financial sustainability.[31][32] From 2002 to 2008, the RFL rebranded and expanded its lower tiers into the National Leagues structure, comprising National League One (second tier), National League Two (third tier), and the National Conference (fourth tier for development sides), with playoffs introduced in National League One in 2002 to determine promotion to Super League based on a top-four format. This system facilitated structured progression, as seen with clubs like Widnes Vikings gaining promotion via playoffs in 2002 before licensing requirements took precedence.[20] Expansions during this period included international outreach, with Welsh club Celtic Crusaders entering National League Two in 2006 and securing automatic promotion as league leaders in 2007, aiming to build a pathway to Super League and boost the sport in Wales. Similarly, French interest grew, exemplified by Catalans Dragons' entry into Super League in 2006, which indirectly supported lower-tier development in France through affiliations and player pathways. Salary cap rules were gradually applied to National League One clubs in the mid-2000s to align with Super League standards and prevent financial disparities.[31][20]Modern structure and changes (2009–present)
In 2009, the RFL rebranded the National League One as the Championship, establishing it as a single-division second tier with 14 teams competing in a regular season followed by playoffs to determine promotion to Super League.[33] This structure emphasized a focused competition, where the top four teams advanced to semi-finals and a grand final, with the winner earning promotion, while the bottom team faced potential relegation to Championship 1 based on performance criteria.[33] From 2015 to 2018, the Championship adopted the Super 8s format, a post-season system that split the top two professional tiers into three groups of eight teams to decide league positions and promotion/relegation.[34] In this setup, the top four Championship teams joined the bottom four Super League sides in the Qualifiers group, playing additional fixtures to compete for four Super League spots the following year, while the bottom four Championship teams entered the Championship Shield for a secondary title and positioning against League 1 promotion hopefuls.[35] The format aimed to extend season relevance but faced criticism for creating excessive uncertainty and uneven commercial benefits.[34] In 2019, following a vote by Super League and Championship clubs, the Super 8s were scrapped in favor of a simplified playoff system, with the Championship maintaining 14 teams and reverting to a top-five playoff series for promotion.[35] Under this structure, the regular season leader advanced directly to the grand final, while teams finishing second through fifth contested eliminators and semi-finals, with the winner securing promotion to Super League.[35] Concurrently, the RFL introduced a grading process for Super League membership starting in 2019, which replaced automatic relegation with assessments of clubs' on-field performance, finances, and facilities, thereby stabilizing the top tier and indirectly influencing Championship promotion dynamics through non-mandatory relegation.[36] The 2024–2025 period marked further transitions to align with broader restructuring, including a reduction to 13 teams in the 2025 Championship season to facilitate a balanced progression toward 12-team divisions across tiers by 2026.[7] This involved two relegations from the 2024 Championship and one promotion from League 1, with an additional playoff between the 12th-placed Championship team and the League 1 playoff winners to fill the 13th spot, alongside invitations for League 1 expansion.[7] In August 2025, the RFL announced a merger of the Championship and League 1 into a unified 21-team second division for 2026, incorporating all existing clubs such as promoted sides like Widnes Vikings from League 1 pathways, to create a more sustainable competition below the expanded Super League.[17] These changes responded directly to Super League's adoption of a comprehensive IMG grading system in 2024, which evaluated clubs across performance, fan engagement, and infrastructure to determine membership, and its subsequent expansion to 14 teams in 2026 via a combination of top gradings and an independent panel selection.[37] By merging tiers and eliminating interim Super 8s qualifiers in 2025, the RFL sought to enhance financial viability for part-time clubs, reduce fixture imbalances in an odd-numbered league, and foster a competitive second tier capable of supporting Super League's growth without automatic promotion/relegation volatility.[17]League Structure
Regular season
The regular season of the RFL Championship consists of a round-robin format where each of the 13 teams in the 2025 season plays every other team twice, once at home and once away, resulting in 24 fixtures per club.[16] This structure ensures a balanced competition, with matches scheduled across 26 rounds to account for any postponements or byes. The season typically runs from February to September, incorporating mid-season breaks for international commitments such as the World Cup qualifiers or Test matches.[16] Points are awarded as follows: two points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero for a loss. In the event of tied points totals at the end of the regular season, teams are ranked first by points difference (points scored minus points conceded), followed by points percentage (calculated as points scored divided by points conceded, multiplied by 100), and then by the number of tries scored if necessary; further tiebreakers include goals scored, drop goals, and a coin toss as a last resort.[38] Draws in regular season matches are settled by the final score without overtime, though golden point extra time—consisting of two five-minute periods with sudden-death scoring—is applied in specific knockout contexts outside the regular phase.[38] Match officials in the Championship utilize video referee technology, including mandatory pitch-side replay systems for concussion assessments and head injury assessments (HIA), to ensure player safety and accurate decision-making during games.[38] Additionally, the Rugby Football League (RFL) oversees compliance with the Championship's salary cap regulations, which set financial limits on player payments, benefits, and bonuses to promote competitive balance; clubs submit monthly and annual returns, with breaches potentially resulting in fines or points deductions.[38] Looking ahead to 2026, the Championship will merge with League 1 to form a single 21-team division, introducing an uneven fixture schedule based on team seedings from the prior season. Under this format, each club will play 10 opponents home and away for 20 games, plus 4 additional local rivalry matches, for a total of 24 fixtures.[18] The top six teams from the regular season standings qualify for the play-offs.[38]Play-offs and qualification
The Betfred Championship determines its annual champion through a post-season playoff tournament involving the top six teams from the regular season standings, which are ranked by points earned over 26 matches. Qualification is determined exclusively by these league points, with tie-breakers applied as per RFL rules if necessary; no wild cards or additional criteria are used. This structure ensures that consistent performance throughout the season directly influences playoff seeding and home advantages. The playoffs operate as a single-elimination competition across three rounds, commencing in late September. The eliminators feature two matches: the third-placed team hosts the sixth-placed, while the fourth-placed hosts the fifth-placed, both typically at the higher seed's home ground. Winners advance to the semi-finals the following weekend, where the regular season's top two teams—seeded first and second—host the eliminators victors: specifically, the first seed versus the winner of the fourth-versus-fifth matchup, and the second seed versus the winner of the third-versus-sixth. Home venue rights for these semi-finals further reward superior regular season finishes. The semi-final winners then proceed to the Grand Final, a neutral or club-hosted showdown that crowns the season's champion, as seen in 2025 when York Knights hosted Toulouse Olympique at the LNER Community Stadium.[39] Key rules emphasize efficiency and intensity, with all matches played under standard RFL regulations, including golden point extra time for tied scores. The Grand Final winner not only secures the title but also gains 0.25 bonus points in the performance category of the club's overall IMG grading assessment, providing momentum toward Super League promotion eligibility by highlighting end-of-season form.[40] This incentive ties the playoffs directly to broader league progression without altering the core single-knockout format.[10] The current playoff system was adopted in 2019, replacing the more intricate Super 8s format that ran from 2015 to 2018. Under Super 8s, the regular season split into upper and lower qualifiers after 23 rounds, involving eight teams in additional mini-leagues to decide the champion and promotion, but it faced criticism for diluting competition and logistical challenges. The shift to the streamlined top-six playoffs aimed to refocus on merit-based knockouts, enhancing excitement and fairness in crowning the champion.[41][35] For 2026, following the merger of the Championship and Betfred League One into a single 21-team division, the RFL is evaluating an expanded playoff structure, with a ten-team format emerging as the frontrunner. This would incorporate seeding to include lower-ranked teams from the merged league, ensuring broader participation while preserving the Championship's identity and promotion pathway.[42]Promotion, relegation, and grading
The promotion and relegation system in the RFL Championship has evolved significantly since the league's inception, initially featuring straightforward mechanisms that transitioned to more complex licensing and grading frameworks. From 1905, the early second division operated a "two-up, two-down" system, where the top two teams were promoted to the first division and the bottom two were relegated, a model that persisted through much of the 20th century to maintain competitive balance across tiers.[43] This traditional approach continued until the introduction of Super League in 1996, after which promotion and relegation between the top two tiers were suspended in favor of a franchise system from 1996 to 2001, prioritizing financial stability over on-field results.[44] From 2002 to 2008, automatic promotion and relegation resumed between Super League and the Championship. From 2009 to around 2015, the RFL implemented a licensing system that replaced automatic promotion and relegation with periodic assessments of clubs' off-field capabilities, such as stadium standards and financial health, allowing select Championship teams to apply for Super League entry without direct demotion risks.[44] Subsequent years saw varied formats, including the Super 8s (2015-2018) and playoff-based promotion, until the introduction of the IMG grading system in 2023. No automatic relegation from Super League has occurred since 2019, with the lowest-placed teams instead undergoing grading reviews that could lead to demotion to the third tier if standards were not met, though this was rare and focused on sustainability.[45] The IMG grading system, introduced in 2023 following a club vote, formalized these processes into a points-based evaluation out of 20, assessing clubs across five categories: fandom (5 points, including attendance, viewership, and digital engagement), performance (5 points, based on league position over three seasons and cup results), finances (4.5 points, covering income, stability, and revenue diversity), stadium (3 points, evaluating facilities, ownership, and match-day experience), and community (2.5 points, measuring foundation work and local impact).[36] For the 2025 season, Grade A status (15 or more points) guarantees a Super League place and exemption from relegation, while Grade B (7.5 to 14.99 points) makes clubs eligible to bid for Super League spots; the Championship playoff winner applies for Grade A, with automatic promotion if criteria are met, otherwise the playoff runner-up or the highest-graded non-qualifying team fills the vacancy.[36][46] Starting in 2026, the RFL has eliminated traditional promotion and relegation between the second and third tiers by merging the 14-team Championship and 7-team League 1 into a single 21-team competition, where all clubs will compete in a unified regular season and bid annually for the 14 Super League places based solely on IMG gradings, emphasizing long-term viability over short-term results.[17][10] This reform aims to streamline the pyramid structure while preserving competitive incentives through grading outcomes.[9]Participating Clubs
Current clubs (2025 season)
The 2025 Betfred Championship season consisted of 13 professional rugby league clubs, comprising 12 from England and one from France, marking a reduction from the previous 14-team format as part of the Rugby Football League's preparations to form three 12-team divisions starting in 2026.[16] This transitional structure eliminated the Super 8s system for promotion and relegation between the Championship and League One, with team placements influenced by IMG gradings and on-field performance.[10] Key entrants included promoted sides Oldham and Hunslet from League One, alongside London Broncos following their relegation from Super League via the 2024 grading process, while Swinton Lions, Whitehaven, and Dewsbury Rams dropped to League One after the 2024 season.[47][48][49] Toulouse Olympique emerged as a prominent grading contender, securing the Grand Final victory over York Knights to claim their first Championship title.[2] The following table summarizes the participating clubs, their locations, home grounds, average attendances for the 2025 regular season, and notable recent developments.| Club | Location | Home Ground | Average Attendance | Recent Achievements/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Knights | York, England | LNER Community Stadium | 3,500 | Topped the regular season table with 40 points from 24 matches; reached Grand Final but lost 10-8 to Toulouse; promoted to Super League for 2026 via gradings.[50][51] |
| Toulouse Olympique | Toulouse, France | Stade Ernest-Wallon | 3,316 | Finished 2nd in regular season; won Grand Final 10-8 against York for their first Championship title; promoted to Super League for 2026.[50][2] |
| Bradford Bulls | Bradford, England | Odsal Stadium | 3,355 | 3rd in regular season; strong home support with consistent crowds over 3,000; qualified for play-offs.[50] |
| Oldham | Oldham, England | Vestacare Stadium | 1,821 | Promoted from League One in 2024; finished 4th in regular season and reached play-offs in debut Championship campaign.[50][48] |
| Halifax Panthers | Halifax, England | The Shay Stadium | 1,787 | 5th in regular season; reached semi-finals of play-offs.[50] |
| Featherstone Rovers | Featherstone, England | Millennium Stadium | 2,058 | 6th in regular season; qualified for play-offs.[50] |
| Widnes Vikings | Widnes, England | DCBL Stadium | 3,040 | 7th in regular season; solid mid-table performance.[50] |
| Doncaster | Doncaster, England | Eco-Power Stadium | 1,437 | 8th in regular season.[50] |
| Barrow Raiders | Barrow-in-Furness, England | Craven Park | 1,821 | 9th in regular season; maintained steady attendance.[50] |
| London Broncos | London, England | Plough Lane | 800 | Relegated from Super League after 2024 gradings; finished 10th in regular season.[50][49] |
| Sheffield Eagles | Sheffield, England | Olympic Legacy Park | 893 | 11th in regular season.[50] |
| Batley Bulldogs | Batley, England | Dewsbury Rams Stadium (shared) | 1,904 | 12th in regular season; avoided bottom via points difference.[50] |
| Hunslet | Leeds, England | South Leeds Stadium | 872 | Promoted from League One in 2024 after defeating Swinton in play-off final; finished 13th in regular season.[50][47] |
Historical clubs and expansions
The RFL Championship has featured numerous clubs over its history, many of which originated in the traditional rugby league heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Among the long-standing participants, Featherstone Rovers stand out for their enduring presence, having competed in the second tier since the 1920s and accumulating the most seasons in the competition's modern era.[52] Similarly, Salford Red Devils, one of the sport's founding clubs from 1873, spent significant early periods in the Championship's predecessor divisions before ascending to higher levels.[20] Several clubs have experienced multiple stints in the Championship, often cycling between tiers due to promotion and relegation. London Broncos, originally formed as Fulham RLFC in 1980, entered the professional leagues in 1981 as part of efforts to expand southward and have since alternated between the Championship and Super League across various incarnations, including as London Crusaders and Harlequins RL.[20] Toulouse Olympique, a French club established in 1937, joined the Championship in 2017 after prior international experiments and competed there until promotion to Super League in 2021, before returning in 2024 following relegation.[49] Defunct clubs highlight the challenges of sustainability in the second tier. Bramley RLFC, founded in 1879, participated in the Championship until financial difficulties led to its dissolution in 1999, after which its assets were acquired by Leeds Rhinos.[53] Other notable absentees include Blackpool Borough, which folded in 1993 amid relocation issues, and Workington Town, which dropped out of professional rugby in the early 2010s before occasional returns at lower levels.[53] Expansions have occasionally ventured beyond the northern core to broaden the sport's appeal. The 1980s saw a deliberate southern push with Fulham RLFC's entry in 1981, aiming to establish rugby league in London despite initial struggles.[20] In the 2000s, international efforts included precursors to Catalans Dragons, such as Paris Saint-Germain's brief stint in the top flight from 1995 to 1997, which paved the way for French involvement in lower divisions like the Championship.[20] Welsh experiments, such as Crusaders RL (formerly Celtic Crusaders), joined the Championship in 2009 before folding in 2012 due to financial woes.[53] Recent years have seen contractions to streamline the structure. Following the 2023 season, the Championship reduced from 14 to 13 teams for 2025, with Leigh Leopards' promotion to Super League and no direct replacement, as part of a transitional plan toward balanced divisions.[8] This contraction emphasized financial grading over automatic promotion, leading to notable absentees like Newcastle Thunder, which was relegated to League One.[8] Looking ahead, the 2026 season will feature a major expansion through the merger of the Championship and League One into a single 21-team division, incorporating eight teams from League One such as Cornwall RLFC and Midlands Hurricanes to foster growth in emerging regions.[17] This restructuring, driven by Super League's own expansion to 14 teams, aims to create a more competitive pyramid while maintaining the geographic emphasis on northern England, with occasional international and southern outliers.[10] Clubs like Leigh Centurions hold records for multiple promotions, having earned ascent to Super League on four occasions since 2000 through consistent Championship performances.[53] These patterns underscore the Championship's role as a proving ground, where northern powerhouses dominate but expansions test the sport's national reach.[20]Seasons and Results
Championship winners
The RFL Championship, as the professional second tier of British rugby league, has awarded titles since 1902, initially based on final league standings in a limited number of seasons before a prolonged hiatus in the divisional structure. The second division operated sporadically in its early years (1902–1905), was absent from 1906 to 1961 due to a single-division format, revived briefly in 1962–1964 and 1973 onward, and has run continuously as the Championship since 1996 with evolving formats. Prior to 2002, champions were determined solely by topping the regular season table, reflecting consistent performance over the campaign.[54] From 2002, a playoff system was introduced, culminating in the Grand Final to decide the title, adding high-stakes drama and crowning multiple repeat winners like Leigh Leopards (five playoff-era titles) and Castleford Tigers (two). This era has highlighted the competitiveness of the division, with no club dominating beyond three consecutive titles (Leigh, 2014–2016, though 2015–2016 were league leaders without playoffs). The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving no champion. Overall, Leigh holds the record for most titles with eight, followed by Salford with five, underscoring the historical strength of Lancashire-based clubs.[55][5] Geographically, winners have predominantly come from traditional heartlands in Yorkshire (e.g., Dewsbury, Sheffield Eagles) and Lancashire (e.g., Oldham, Swinton), with expansions bringing in outliers like French club Toulouse Olympique (2021, 2025) and Canadian Toronto Wolfpack (2019). Early champions like Keighley and Wakefield Trinity established a Yorkshire bias in the nascent division, a pattern that persisted amid the sport's northern English roots.[56]| Season | Champion | Method/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1902–03 | Keighley | League leaders |
| 1903–04 | Wakefield Trinity | League leaders |
| 1904–05 | Dewsbury | League leaders |
| 1962–63 | Hunslet | League leaders |
| 1963–64 | Oldham | League leaders |
| 1973–74 | Bradford Northern | League leaders |
| 1974–75 | Huddersfield | League leaders |
| 1975–76 | Barrow | League leaders |
| 1976–77 | Hull | League leaders |
| 1977–78 | Leigh | League leaders |
| 1978–79 | Hull | League leaders |
| 1979–80 | Featherstone Rovers | League leaders |
| 1980–81 | York | League leaders |
| 1981–82 | Oldham | League leaders |
| 1982–83 | Fulham | League leaders |
| 1983–84 | York | League leaders |
| 1984–85 | Swinton | League leaders |
| 1985–86 | Leigh | League leaders |
| 1986–87 | Hunslet | League leaders |
| 1987–88 | Oldham | League leaders |
| 1988–89 | Leigh | League leaders |
| 1989–90 | Hull Kingston Rovers | League leaders |
| 1990–91 | Salford | League leaders |
| 1991–92 | Sheffield Eagles | League leaders |
| 1992–93 | Featherstone Rovers | League leaders |
| 1993–94 | Workington Town | League leaders |
| 1994–95 | Keighley Cougars | League leaders |
| 1995–96 | Salford Reds | League leaders |
| 1996 | Salford Reds | League leaders |
| 1997 | Hull Sharks | League leaders |
| 1998 | Wakefield Trinity | League leaders |
| 1999 | Hunslet Hawks | League leaders |
| 2000 | Dewsbury Rams | League leaders |
| 2001 | Widnes Vikings | League leaders |
| 2002 | Huddersfield Giants | Grand Final (38–16 vs Leigh) |
| 2003 | Salford City Reds | Grand Final (15–12 vs Leigh) |
| 2004 | Leigh Centurions | Grand Final (40–6 vs Whitehaven) |
| 2005 | Castleford Tigers | Grand Final (25–12 vs Whitehaven) |
| 2006 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Grand Final (29–16 vs Widnes) |
| 2007 | Castleford Tigers | Grand Final (25–16 vs Widnes) |
| 2008 | Salford City Reds | Grand Final (30–14 vs Celtic Crusaders) |
| 2009 | Barrow Raiders | Grand Final (22–12 vs Halifax) |
| 2010 | Halifax | Grand Final (23–22 vs Featherstone Rovers) |
| 2011 | Featherstone Rovers | Grand Final (20–16 vs Sheffield Eagles) |
| 2012 | Sheffield Eagles | Grand Final (44–22 vs Featherstone Rovers) |
| 2013 | Sheffield Eagles | Grand Final (19–0 vs Batley Bulldogs) |
| 2014 | Leigh Centurions | Grand Final (18–12 vs Featherstone Rovers) |
| 2015 | Leigh Centurions | League leaders (no playoffs) |
| 2016 | Leigh Centurions | League leaders (no playoffs) |
| 2017 | Hull Kingston Rovers | League leaders (no playoffs) |
| 2018 | Toronto Wolfpack | League leaders (no playoffs) |
| 2019 | Toronto Wolfpack | Grand Final (21–12 vs Featherstone Rovers) |
| 2020 | None | Season cancelled (COVID-19) |
| 2021 | Toulouse Olympique | Grand Final (40–12 vs Featherstone Rovers) |
| 2022 | Leigh Leopards | Grand Final (44–12 vs Batley Bulldogs) |
| 2023 | London Broncos | Grand Final (18–8 vs Toulouse Olympique) |
| 2024 | Wakefield Trinity | Grand Final (36–0 vs Toulouse Olympique) |
| 2025 | Toulouse Olympique | Grand Final (10–8 vs York Knights) |