Can Super League sustain promotion and relegation? It’s the question many are asking over the past weeks.
As the Super 8s system comes to a close, and the relegation decider known as the Million Pound Game approaches, one of three top flight clubs are going down.
Either Catalans, Leigh or Widnes will be playing in the Championship in 2018. For whichever club it is, it will be a tough blow to recover from.
Promotion and relegation was brought back into Super League three years ago, much to joy of many fans, with the introduction of the Super 8s system.
In that period we have seen mixed results for teams both chasing promotion and those fighting against relegation. Wakefield nearly went down through the Million Pound game in 2015, but bounced back spectacularly in 2016 to make the top eight and then have improved even further this season.
On the other hand Bradford lost in the Million Pound game, went bust the following year chasing promotion and have suffered relegation in 2017. Championship clubs Sheffield and Halifax were pushing hard for Super League but both suffered financial troubles and costly missed the cut for the Qualifiers in 2016.
In that year Leigh, a heavily-backed full-time team in the second-tier, became the first Championship outfit to get promoted through the system. Fellow Championship sides Featherstone and Batley, both part-time, were also involved in the Qualifiers but were dominated. The Bulldogs even admitted they didn’t want to be in Super League even if they won their way in. In 2016 Hull KR famously were relegated by Salford in the Million Pound Game, but stayed full-time and have recovered impressively to clinch a return straight back to the top division for next year.
The point is, how many clubs in the Championship are actually equipped – in terms of finance, fanbase, stadia, sponsor support and playing squad – to properly compete in Super League? The Centurions ticked several boxes of that criteria, not all, but they have still been dominated and mostly-outclassed in Super League this year. In terms of stadium and home crowd figures some current Super League sides don’t even meet the criteria, let alone the second tier outfits.
Many Super League coaches have been voicing their displeasure at this system. “Leigh need time - we were given three years,” Widnes coach Denis Betts said. “Leigh and Widnes are two really good clubs who deserve to be in Super League. You can't recruit, you can't get sponsorship, you're struggling to get players out there because of how hard the season has been.
“We've put ourselves in a situation where the game's not strong enough to take it. We haven't got enough teams to create one competition let alone three. You've got to look at the sides in the Championship and what they're doing. Do Featherstone want to be a Super League side? Are Halifax able to? Can London? Definitely, Hull KR can and Leigh have shown they're a Super League side. But you've got to give the Super League sides the right to stay there. Give Leigh a licence for three years and say develop all these kids playing around here.
"You can invest in that. We are not developing the game, we're not enhancing the game. I haven't seen a good game in this competition. I've seen some hair-raising games and some jeopardy and people a bit fearful. But I haven't seen a good game.”
Betts is right in that the standard of most of the Qualifiers matches has been poor. While the drama and tension level has been high, in terms of quality it has failed to deliver. More importantly, have crowd attendances risen in reflection of an exciting competition? No. Has the reintroduction of promotion and relegation seen crowds figures and corporate support spike massively? No. It could be said that it is the introduction of jeopardy for jeopardy’s sake.
“It’s a train smash, we’re all going to watch it to see which one is going to play in the next train smash,” Warrington coach Tony Smith said on Sunday.
“For the amount of pain and agony it can cause clubs, I don’t know whether a million pounds would cover it. Imagine if Catalans go out, what a disaster that would be for the growth of our game and all the hard work that has been done. Widnes as well, they have shown they are a good, hard-working contributor to Super League. It is sad really.
“If you’ve seen a lot of good footy in these Qualifiers games, I must have missed it. There is some interest as it’s like driving past a car accident, you slow down to see what happens. It’s not just coaches who are feeling that way, we need to have a good look at it as a sport and as an entertainment industry.
“It happens in all parts of the world, good businesses should be rewarded for being strong. It shouldn’t just be down to one-off games for a bit of excitement. You should have to fulfil all sorts of criteria to play in Super League. If we would have gone through with the rules of licensing we would have had a healthy and strong competition. Unfortunately, I don’t think we do.”
On Sunday Warrington emphasised the gap between most Super League sides and the Championship with a 68-0 over Featherstone. On Friday a poor Catalans team bumbled and fumbled their way to just beat a second-string Hull KR. It was a close game but a low-quality one. The semi-pro Championship clubs can compete on occasion with the Super League sides, with an ounce of luck and when those teams are off their game, but not week-in-week-out.
The simple truth is there is not enough money, supporters or viewers currently in British rugby league to subsidise 40 professional and semi-professional clubs. Not everyone can be involved in the top party. Something has to give.
