What it means is next year The Championship would be 14 teams. This years 1-11, League 1 winner, League 1 Playoff winner and the final place taken by the winner of yet another playoff - League 1 playoff loser vs team that finishes bottom of the Championship

Now confirmed so still the play-off route for us. Apparently the home venue of the losing finalist and bottom championship club will be decided by a coin toss.....



The Betfred Championship structure expands to a 14 team competition in 2019 with all teams playing each other once home and away, plus Summer Bash, ending with a play-off series for the top five teams with the winner promoted to Super League, and relegation for the bottom two clubs.

To get to a 14 team Betfred Championship at the end of this current season two teams from Betfred League 1 will be promoted. As has always been planned this season, the team finishing top of League 1 will be automatically promoted.

Teams 2 to 5 will then play semi-finals with the winners of the Promotional Final being promoted. The final place in the Betfred Championship for 2019 will be decided by a Play-off Final between the team that finishes bottom of the Championship Shield and the loser of the Promotional Final.

Betfred League 1 will consist of 12 teams playing each other home and away with the top team automatically promoted. Teams 2-6 will play-off to decide the second team to be promoted.

The revisions follow substantial discussions within all levels of the professional game, led by the Rugby Football League.

Ralph Rimmer, Chief Executive, The Rugby Football League; “As we have seen this season, the Betfred Championship and League 1 are strong, vibrant and highly entertaining competitions.

We want to see both competitions continue to appeal to Rugby League fans and attract new ones. We have secured guaranteed promotion and relegation to Super League. It is vital that aspiring clubs, players, owners and fans can see their path to the top.

We want to ramp up how we build value in Championship and League 1. This means more marketing and promotion including major focus games; streaming more games as part of a wider digital strategy – already underway with the streaming of Betfred League 1 games exclusively to Our League members; and working with broadcasters to bring these competitions to a wider audience. It also means focusing the investment where it delivers the greatest return for the sport.

We need to now draw a line under the last period and focus on this together as we head to a home World Cup in 2021 and all the opportunity this brings to our clubs and communities.

Confirmed - www.rugby-league.com/article/534 ... structure-

Confirmed - www.rugby-league.com/article/534 ... structure-

It feels marginally better than adding an automatic 2nd promotion place but it's still poor changing it this late in the season.

So we theoretically get an extra opportunity to balls it up?

I heard it explained the other day that the bottom SL club definitely goes down but the Championship have a play off such as this - Top team goes straight into promotion play off final and the other 4 2-5 play off for the second team in the promotion final.

This means the league stays alive till the end if we get a walk away winner as this year with Toronto. Places 2 right down to mid table will still be fighting to get into the 4 team play off and keep their dreams alive.

I have to say that I like that idea as it will keep hopes going even if we are say 5th or 6th half way through the season and one team is miles ahead at the top. I still feel deep down though that the top team should go up but the others have a bit of excitement along the way and sky still get their £1m play off game.

I am happy with it if it works out that way but feel unsure about the long term funding for lower clubs after the next TV deal. The SL clubs do have a selfish agenda in my humble opinion and that will not become fully clear for 3-4 more years. We just need to make sure we build our own income stream to make up for that and try and become one of those super dooper league clubs along with those Giants in the game such as HKR, Salford, Hudds and co.

Well at least if we are promoted it will be on merit, or by beating the lowest placed Championship club according to the latest announcement.

Indeed. Althought considering we're the RFL's pets, we're the only club who hasn't really benefitted

Just missing Adeybull.

So, potentially 3 Lg1 clubs in Championship next year.

So.... wtf is going on?

I genuinely have no idea at all. Mick tweeted that we are automatically promoted. But then apparently that is not true.

Can someone please explain? And I have read all of the press but still have not a clue.

Can't understand why they don't just promote the winners of the league and decide the other promotion spots on alphabetical order.

At least that would be easy to understand.

So York go up. We play whoever finishes 5th. If we win that we have a final against whoever won the 3rd v 4th game.

If we win that we go up.

If we lose that we play the bottom placed championship team. The winner stays in or joins the championship.

Just a thought to chuck in. As we have all known when season ends and presumably it's now extended by one week let's hope we haven't got a load of players on pre booked holidays! Also assuming the champ and league 1 seasons finish on the same day does this mean Rochdale, assuming they finish bottom, get two weekends off whilst team are playing two qualifiers?