The unification of the Championship and League One will help to secure the future of rugby league below the Super League. That’s the belief of Rochdale Hornets owner Andy Mazey, who will be taking his club forward into what he hopes will be a bright new era.
The Hornets are currently fourth in League One and had been pushing to earn a spot in this year’s Middle Eights, with promotion the goal. The Middle Eights will not go ahead though with every League One club set to be elevated into an expanded second tier from next season.
It comes following the news that Super League will be expanding to 14 teams next year, meaning the top flight will be absorbing at least two sides from the Championship. The full details of next year’s competition are yet to be decided upon and released, including fixture format and potentially even the teams involved.
That will be made public on October 16, with all clubs being consulted as the structure is molded and developed.
Mazey is one of the most experienced voices the Rugby Football League (RFL) board will be listening to in the coming weeks and he’s made his thoughts perfectly clear.
“I’m in favour of the move, not just from a Rochdale perspective but from a whole game approach,” Mazey told Serious About Rugby League, adding: “I think it’s important that all clubs are on the same footing and we all have the same opportunities and we’ll all either sink or swim.
“League One is just killing teams, as has been evident with clubs falling by the wayside, London Skolars, West Wales, Cornwall etc. Clubs are struggling and this gives us an opportunity really to try and bring all ships up with the tide.
“I don’t think it’s just a money thing, I think it’s a geography thing as well. All the expansion clubs were ported into League One and if you were one of the heartlands clubs, it made your life almost impossible, because there’s next to no local derbies.
“For us at Rochdale this year, we’ve only got a game against Swinton but there’s other local games. There’s not rivalries and you can’t build them because you’re not geographically close to you. A division where we’re all in one, we can create those rivalries now with Widnes, Halifax, Oldham. We can create local rivalries. I just think it works.
“We’ve looked at various models and concepts, there’s been a lot of consultation and I give credit to Nigel Wood, I know he’s a bit of a marmite figure, but for the last 12-14 years I’ve been involved heavily in that Championship forum, I honestly can say that since March and Nigel and his review team have come in, they’ve engaged with us with transparency and it’s felt like more than just lip service.
“It feels like we’re being listened to and they’re trying to come up with something that works for everybody.”
Combined second tier in rugby league ‘encourages shareholders’
Of course, in theory one single competition below Super League offers clubs a clearer path to make strides forward and improve on and off the field, with every club starting on a level footing. It also gives clubs like Rochdale the opportunity to drive income and invest without as many risks.
“It encourages me to invest more, it encourages other shareholders and it excites them,” Mazey added.
“We’ve been like ‘what’s the point in investing in League One?’ over the last few years, I just don’t see any future in it. It’s a gamble to try and get out of it and it creates a rat race, clubs are spending money they haven’t got in the Championship to stay in and clubs doing the same in League One to get out.
“A merger removes all that. In theory now clubs don’t need to take those risks and have the jeopardy and they can build sustainably, but it gives you the ambition to push up the division and over a five to 10 year period, potentially start talking about Super League.”
So how does that affect Rochdale’s recruitment plans heading into next season?
“We’ve been quite sensible and smart on that,” Mazey adds. “Our emphasis has been on retaining younger talent and we’ve retained a lot of the younger guys who have potential over the next few years to become the next stars that we’ve produced.
“We’ve got a good track record of developing talent and we want to keep that mantra going and give opportunities to young players who’ve maybe not made it at Super League but are looking for another route or developing kids of our own. We can supplement that with experience.
“If you get the balance right you can be competitive. Our aim in ’26 now, it’s probably accelerated to a level which we might not have been promoted, but we have to get up and be competitive in that league now. We’ll recruit accordingly.”
Expansion opportunities boosted by merged comp
Expansion is of course, one of the hot topics to discuss following the announcement. Goole Vikings were the last outfit to join the professional ranks the club have added value to the competition this season.
However, there’s a number of other expansion sides that haven’t quite found the same traction in recent years, with Cornwall ceasing to exist back in April, just three games into the season.
Further expansion looks uncertain to say the least then, but Mazey believes the new competition might actually lend itself to new ventures down the line, should it be done right, with Midlands Hurricanes being an example of recent success.
“I’m firmly pro-expansion but pro-expansion done the right way. I think where we’ve failed as a sport is we’ve never done it the right way,” he said. “We’ve never had a plan to do it properly, it’s been done on a whim.
“What’s exciting about this Championship is, Midlands are doing quite well and they should be something we look to build on. Granted they’ve struggled in the last couple of years but we’ve got a good base in the North East with Newcastle and I know they’re working strategically with York.
“I think there’s room for other clubs to come into that and I think a merged competition facilitates that pretty well. If we’re 21 clubs next year, come 2027 if someone came along with the right bid and a sustainable plan, you could do to 22 easily. I think a merged comp facilitates future expansion pretty well.”
