'A good outcome': Leeds Rhinos chief hails grading vote but Featherstone Rovers, Hunslet, Batley, say 'no'

A Rugby League Council meeting in Huddersfield polled overwhelmingly in favour of a grading system to be introduced from 2025.

Facilities and other off-field factors will play a major role in determining a club’s place in the three professional divisions, ending automatic promotion and relegation from Betfred Super League.

Only six clubs - Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams, Featherstone Rovers, Hunslet, Keighley Cougars and Barrow Raiders - voted against.

Whitehaven - who did not attend the meeting - and London Skolars abstained. Salford Red Devils abstained in error and asked for their vote to be changed to ‘yes’.

Hetherington said: “It is a good outcome because it continues the direction of travel, where the clubs have been totally supportive of the changes the game is looking to make.

“There was a lot of speculation beforehand that clubs might vote this way or that way, but they didn’t and there is support for the RFL’s recommendation.

“It has been supported by RL Commercial who believe this is the way to go to maximise the commercial value of the game, based on recommendations provided by IMG.

“Clubs have been very supportive and in many ways this is just the first phase of what is going to be a programme of initiatives to increase the popularity of the sport.”

Explaining their position, Rovers said in a statement they were “largely in agreement with the measures presented by IMG and the RFL”.

But the Championship leaders stressed: “There remained a question about the ability for category B teams to be promoted into Super League from the Championship when there are category B clubs remaining in Super League.

“We firmly believe further dialogue needs to take place on this fundamental issue. We were clearly told during the consultation period that a category B club would always replace another category B should a promotion/relegation situation arise. This position has changed in further variations of the proposals.”

The statement added: “We want to be absolutely clear that had the point concerning promotion and relegation for category B clubs been addressed, we would have voted in favour of the proposals.”

Hunslet called for more detail and said they were opposed to the possibility of grading criteria deciding promotion to Super League, rather than the Championship Grand Final result.