Weeks ago now, the first ever IMG grades were revealed with the likes of Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors leading the way.
In total, seven clubs were awarded the all important Grade A status such as Warrington Wolves and Hull FC, whilst 17 clubs, including the rest of the current 12 Super League clubs, were awarded Grade B status.
Though these grades are at present only illustrative and do not impact Super League status unlike the 2024 grades, there was still plenty of controversy around them and where teams ranked with Super League’s London all the way down in 24th.
Castleford Tigers were the other club who missed out on the important top 12 just behind Leigh Leopards who finished 12th whilst Championship duo Wakefield Trinity and Toulouse Olympique made the 12.
The Tigers though released a statement that their standing was because of a mistake that had been made that had not been corrected by the time the grades were released.
Thus, the Tigers were the only club who appealed their grading and RL Commercial stated that it would be dealt with in a matter of days.
However, it has now been weeks and there has still been no official verdict. There had been rumours that the appeal had been delayed but Serious About Rugby League can confirm that these were not true and that the appeal is being worked on.
That being said, the RFL are no closer to making a decision which is a slight concern and means this situation continues to cloud the Tigers.
Despite this negativity, the Tigers have a lot to be positive about such as their new coach and 16 sponsorship deals among them Tip Tankers have extended their partnership for the 2024 and 2025 season to include main stand advertising, hospitality plus sponsorship of two of our foundation players in the academy and scholarship.
Having very recently celebrated their 55th anniversary, TIP is the market leading provider of trailer and truck rental operating in 18 countries, from more than 130 locations. The internationally established firm have a specialist tankers division with its head office in Knottingley. TIP have been supportive of Castleford Tigers for many years.
Commercial Director at the Tigers, Laura Kirk, welcomed Tip Tankers backing for another two seasons: “I’m delighted that Tip Tankers, who are well known across most of the Western World in their industry, are continuing their support of the club. We look forward to working with Peter and the team joining on an exciting 2024 season”.
Operations Director at TIP Tankers, Peter Hughes, commented on the announcement:
“TIP Tankers is a global transport brand but we have a strong roots in the Castleford area with sites in Knottingley and Morley and so supporting and investing in our local community club is really important to us. Also, as well as being able to promote TIP to the local area, especially of our local recruitment opportunities, we’ve found hospitality at the games to be a great event for our customers, suppliers and staff and we look forward to the 2024 season.”
