GIANTS IMPROVE IMG SCORE

The Huddersfield Giants’ score has risen from 14.48 in last year’s of the grading system to 14.6578 ensuring a place in the Betfred Super League in 2026.

Giants Managing Director Richard Thewlis explained to www.giantsrl.com some of the detail and frustrations behind the scoring.  

“Firstly we never had any doubt regarding our participation and have planned accordingly so todays confirmation is, of course, welcome news. We are all aware that our search for a new home remains ongoing and whilst we will play at the Accu in 2026 we remain very much in need of the help of the council as regards a new site for 2027 which is simple essential to improving the IMG rating in the longer term. To quantify some unusual nuances of the current IMG scheme despite having the largest “big screen” in the game and more LED advertising than any other clubs neither brings maximum points to the table which our competitors enjoy despite being clearly inferior." 

"We are unable to effect these matters, nor the primacy of tenure issue here or the commercial income that owing your own stadium can bring to the financial pillars within grading. I accept that each club will have their own difficulties with the system and expect the new RFL board who inherited this system to look very closely at its continuation and purpose. We agree the need for improving all aspects of the game of Rugby League and it can be suggested that this system has done so although it is incredibly time consuming and costly to the game at a time when resources are scarce." 

"Like every supporter I now look forward to hearing who the additional clubs into the 2026 Betfred Super League Season are and then I would hope that all attentions and resources at our governing body are turned towards promoting the Ashes which genuinely is a wonderful opportunity to grow our game.”  

Nine of the 12 Betfred Super League clubs have passed the threshold of 15 points required for an A Grade – the same number as in 2024. 

Bradford Bulls are the highest-ranked of 15 clubs who earn a B Grade, climbing from 16th in the 2024 table to 10th by lifting their score from 12.15 to 14.81 – and making them comfortably the highest-ranked club from outside the current Betfred Super League.  

Following a decision by the existing Super League clubs to prioritise expansion of the competition, a Panel has been considering the possibility of admitting two additional clubs for 2026 – with their decision to be announced on Friday morning. 

Those clubs who do not secure Super League places will play in an expanded Betfred Championship in 2026, following a recent decision to merge the Championship with Betfred League One. 

Batley Bulldogs and Whitehaven, the two clubs who were not graded in 2024 because of delays in their submissions, come into the table in 21st and 29th respectively – Batley graded B with a score of 8.16, and Whitehaven one of nine clubs who receive a Grade C with a score of 6.23. 

Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder have not been given a score having failed to meet the deadline for submitting the necessary information, although as in the cases of Batley and Whitehaven last year, the RFL will work with those clubs to assess what their score and ranking would have been should it be relevant in terms of their share of central distributions. 

Salford Red Devils have slipped from 12th with a score of 13.97 to 15th with a score of 12.65, with their Finance score reflecting information submitted for the 2022-24 seasons – and not including the 2025 season. They have had 0.25 points deducted from their score as a result of the deduction of two competition points for breaching operational rules in their team selection for the Round One fixture at St Helens in February. 

Salford are one of three clubs, with Featherstone Rovers and Halifax Panthers of the Betfred Championship, who are the subject of HMRC petitions, which could affect their Finance score for 2026 should the petitions be confirmed.

The full table of grading scores is below...