Is it a possibility this season? My last understanding of the new rules was that it is if a grade b club finish bottom and a grade club win the championship play off. Is that right?

I think we can be relegated yeah. I can’t remember though did they announce the gradings last year before officially announcing Londons relegation? So in theory could we finish bottom but be a grade A due to off field improvements and avoid relegation? I can’t remember which way round they did it such a complicated system.

It’s all on IMG scores. Where you finish in the league only matters in as much as it impacts your IMG score (and sporting pride, obvs). Your current score was enough to secure participation in this season’s SL as one of the better Bs. All clubs will get a new score at the end of this season for 2026 - A means you’re in, B means you need to check 12 teams don’t have a better score.

But let's get two games into the season before we think about that eh?

I think the grade B club that win the championship need to be a higher grade B than the lowest club in SL to gain promotion / relegation, maybe I am making that up

Lol. No. It's all on the score. League position is just 25% of the score so is relevant, but there is no relegation based solelh on coming bottom.

SL status primarily based upon pixel quality, length of your TV gantry and match day burger vans.

Thankfully Academies, number of stands (and if covered) and on field success over the past 40 years have no place within the IMG spreadsheet.

Thats what I don’t understand. Hull have given a high grade B for 2025 so didn’t and wouldn’t have got relegated had we finished bottom 24, it was always going to be London to make way for Wakefield.

Say we finished bottom again, but improve our overall score to grade A with off field criteria does that mean we’d be safe for 26?

On the flip side Wakey got an A for 25 so automatically went into SL. Assuming they don’t win a major trophy they won’t get the bonus points and could easily drop to a B, does that mean they could be relegated for the 2026 season despite having a grade A in 2025? Does the grade A only make you exempt for that one season?

Grades are re scored every year with slight changes year on year to keep it fresh

But you're not bitter right

So while Wakefield are a grade A now it’s possible they could be relegated for the 2026 season? I use Wakefield as an example because they scored 15.09, but 0.35 of those points were for winning the championship and 1895 cup, they could easily be a grade B in the next rankings.

Wakefield are currently at a stage in which they have much room to improve, Matt Ellis has already started building plans for the away stand

And yes the only blurred lines is the league finish, in the championship it mirrors the super league pretty much


Salford are the ones who need a good league finish and some off field magic, 0.38 separated them from tolouse