Super League clubs joining League One being considered

You may have seen rumours that Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves and St Helens could be playing in the Betfred League One next year but not in the way you would think.

It was rumoured that their reserves teams could be taking places in League One. This is because London Skolars withdrew from the league followed by Newcastle Thunder, causing fear among League One clubs about the prospect of a very unprofitable season.

This was alongside the suggestion of combining the Championship and League One before splitting into two conferences based geography.

But of course padding out the league with Super League Reserve sides would make a lot of sense too. This would provide appeal for League One clubs because you could get big followings at games they might not usually have.

For example, in the reserves over the last few years we have seen big stars make their return from injury and die hard, Leeds, Wigan and Warrington fans would likely attend these games. Likewise, they would likely attend games to see the stars of the future such as Jack Sinfield.

Serious About Rugby League can reveal that this idea has been mentioned but is not in the running for the 2024 season. It had been mentioned in one of the first meetings but is not viewed as a viable solution for next year.

Serious About Rugby League can also confirm that there should be more clarity on the 2024 structure by end of this week or early next.

It seems that they’ll sustain the existing 14-team Championship and hopefully a 9-team League One competition if Newcastle Thunder maintain encouraging progress as they hope to sustain their future.

This does certainly make sense especially seen as though if a Super League club finished top of League One or made it into the play-offs, it would be problematic for the current pyramid.

Promotion and relegation between League One and the Championship is set to remain the same under IMG and this would work against that system.

Hopefully we can see Newcastle maintain their status in the league and we can continue to have a strong three-tier system.