Outgoing RFL President Sir Lindsay Hoyle has called for standard promotion and relegation to return to rugby league in a blow for IMG.
Hoyle made his comments on BBC Radio Manchester as he attended the League One clash between Oldham and Workington Town, which the Roughyeds won 56-0 as they were handed their trophy for winning the league and earning promotion to the Championship.
Promotion and relegation still exist in rugby league between both the Championship and League One, however, it doesn’t apply to Super League with IMG gradings dictating the composition of Super League.
That’s a massively controversial change which fans are still taking issue with, particularly in light of the fact that London Broncos could finish off the bottom of Super League but still be relegated.
In fact, London could have won the Grand Final and they would have likely still been relegated given how the grading system works, something that understandably irritates and alienates fans.
President of the RFL, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is no different as he told BBC Manchester that he believes promotion and relegation should remain in rugby league, across all levels.
He explained: “I’ve always had a personal view, and this is a private view, but my view is that you’ve got to have up and down, that’s how you stimulate the game.”
Only last year had Hoyle argued that Super League needed London Broncos.
Rugby League needs promotion and relegation, argues RFL President
Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
He would then go on to refer to the team he was watching, Oldham, who have bounced back to the Championship after their relegation in 2021. The Roughyeds have done so on the back of big investment, including the appointment of head coach Sean Long.
Hoyle explained: “Oldham are on a journey here. There’s been some big investment, they’re top of the league now and they’re going to lift the trophy today. They’re going on up to the next division.
“Where is the aspiration to make it to the top? Surely it’s got to be about the ability of players to win games to get promotion.
“It shouldn’t be because you’ve got money in the bank. If you take that up and down away, what’s the rest of the season to you when you’ve already picked out your top six teams?”
Hoyle will be replaced as President of the RFL at the end of the year with former Channel 4 presenter and Australia and Warrington Wolves PDRL representative Adam Hills set to take the role.
Despite that, Hoyle has still made his impassioned argument about what he thinks is the ‘best initiative’, accepting that standards must be implemented but not at the expense of performance.
“When there’s something to play for, I always think that’s the best initiative. Of course, you’ve got to make sure you have a proper ground and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got standards, but it’s got to be a combination of the two.
“You’ve got to have aspiration, otherwise why do people bother investing?”
