Super League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Super League

Sport	Rugby league
Founded	1996; 29 years ago (1996)
No. of teams	12
Country	England  France
Most recent champion(s)	Wigan Warriors (6th title)
Most titles	St Helens (10 titles)
TV partner(s)	Sky Sports BBC L’Equipe TV3 International Broadcasters
Level on pyramid	1
Domestic cup(s)	Challenge Cup
International cup(s)	World Club Challenge

The Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons) is the top professional rugby league competition in Great Britain and France. It features twelve teams: ten from Northern England, one from London, and one from southern France.

The Super League started in 1996. It replaced the older First Division and changed the sport from a winter season to a summer season.

The regular season usually runs from February to September. Each team plays 27 games. The top six teams then compete in the play-off series. This leads to the Grand Final, where the champions are decided. As of 2024, teams cannot be moved down to the Championship from the Super League.

The Super League champions also play against the champions of Australia's National Rugby League in the World Club Challenge.

Since 1996, twenty-four clubs have played in the Super League. Four of these clubs have won the title: St Helens (10 times), Leeds Rhinos (8 times), Wigan Warriors (6 times), and Bradford Bulls (4 times).

History of the Super League

How the Super League Started

In the 1950s, rugby league was very popular in Britain. But over the next twenty years, fewer people came to watch games. By the early 1990s, the sport was still having problems. Most clubs had old stadiums, and only one team, Wigan, was fully professional.

In 1992, Maurice Lindsay, who led the Rugby Football League, suggested creating a "Super League." He wanted to make rugby league popular across the whole country, not just in Northern England. He also wanted clubs to play in better stadiums.

The idea got a big boost in the mid-1990s from Australia's "Super League war." A company owned by Rupert Murdoch was trying to get the rights to show rugby league games in Australia. Murdoch's company, bSkyb, already showed games from the British First Division. They offered the RFL a lot of money to create a new league.

It was agreed that a 14-team Super League would begin in 1996. The sport would switch from winter to summer, and all teams would become full-time professional.

The Super League was also planned to be a European competition. Toulouse Olympique from France was invited to join, but they didn't take part in the first season. Another French team, Paris Saint-Germain, was created to join the league.

There were also ideas to merge some English clubs. For example, Castleford, Wakefield Trinity, and Featherstone Rovers might have become "Calder." However, many fans did not like these ideas because the clubs were old rivals and important to their communities. These merger plans were eventually stopped.

Before the Super League started, a new system was put in place for the 1994–95 season. The top ten teams from the First Division would join the Super League. But there was a problem when Keighley won the Second Division but were not allowed to be promoted. Instead, London Broncos were moved up to the First Division because the league wanted more national coverage.

The 1995–96 season was the last one played in winter. It was a short season, ending in January, because the 1995 World Cup was held in October.

First Seasons: 1996–1997

The Super League officially began in 1996 with 12 founding teams:

• Bradford Bulls
• Castleford Tigers
• Halifax
• Leeds Rhinos
• London Broncos
• Oldham Bears
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Sheffield Eagles
• St. Helens
• Warrington Wolves
• Wigan Warriors
• Workington Town

New rules were also introduced. Teams started using squad numbers, a video referee was used for televised games, and a salary cap was put in place. The salary cap helped stop clubs from spending too much money and made the competition fairer. The league also tried to be more like American sports, with clubs using nicknames and seasons being called by Roman numerals (like Super League I for 1996).

The very first Super League game was on March 29, 1996. PSG beat Sheffield 30–24 in Paris. St Helens won the first Super League title, ending Wigan's long winning streak. Workington Town was moved down to a lower league.

In the second season, Bradford Bulls won the title. London Broncos finished second, showing that the decision to fast-track them into the league was a good one. Oldham was moved down, and PSG stopped playing after finishing near the bottom for the second time.

Grand Final Introduced: 1998–2008

Harlequins playing against St Helens in 2008

Because Oldham was moved down and PSG stopped playing, two new teams, Hull Sharks and Huddersfield Giants, were promoted. It was also announced that there would be no relegation in 1998, as the league planned to grow to 14 teams in 1999.

Since only English teams were left, the league was no longer called a European competition. It became just the top league in the British rugby league system.

A big change was that a play-off system would now decide the champions. This was not a new idea for rugby league, but it hadn't been used since 1973. The Old Trafford stadium would host the new Grand Final, where the top five Super League teams would compete.

The first Grand Final was held at Old Trafford in front of 40,000 fans. Wigan beat Leeds 12–8, winning their first league title since the old First Division.

In 1999, the league expanded to 14 clubs. Wakefield Trinity was promoted, and a new club, Gateshead Thunder, was given a spot. St Helens won the Grand Final that year.

Gateshead did well on the field but had money problems. They merged with Hull Sharks, becoming Hull FC. Sheffield Eagles also had problems and merged with Huddersfield, becoming Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants. Because of these mergers, the Super League went back to 12 teams after just one season.

Relegation was brought back in 2001, with one team moving down each year. In 2002, the play-offs were expanded to six teams. The League Leaders Shield was also introduced to reward the team that finished first in the regular season.

In 2005, it was decided that a French club would join the league again. Catalans Dragons, a new club formed in 2000, was chosen. They started playing in 2006 and were safe from relegation for their first three years. Their arrival meant two teams were moved down in 2005.

Leeds Rhinos celebrating their win in the 2008 Super League Grand Final

By the mid-2000s, the quality of play had improved, and more people were watching games. However, many clubs still played in old stadiums, and most of the sport was still in Northern England. Also, a few teams, like Bradford, Leeds, Wigan, and St Helens, were winning most of the titles.

Expansion and Licensing: 2009–2014

To help the Super League grow, the RFL introduced a new system called "licensing" in 2009. Instead of teams being promoted or relegated based only on how they played, clubs would be given licenses to be in the Super League. This meant that other things, like stadium facilities, money, marketing, and how well they developed young players, were also important.

Clubs that got an A or B license were automatically given a place in the Super League for three years. Clubs with a C license were looked at more closely.

In 2008, the RFL announced that the Super League would grow from 12 to 14 teams in 2009. The play-offs would also expand to 8 teams. The 12 existing Super League teams kept their spots, and two new teams, Celtic Crusaders (from Wales) and Salford, were given licenses. Celtic Crusaders was the first Welsh team to play in the Super League.

Some teams like Featherstone Rovers, Halifax, Leigh, and Widnes did not get licenses, which disappointed their fans.

During this time, Leeds and St Helens were the strongest teams, with Leeds winning three titles.

For the 2012–14 seasons, Widnes was awarded a Super League license. Crusaders had to withdraw their application because of money problems.

Super 8s: 2015–2018

The 2017 Super League Grand Final

After two periods of licensing, some people felt the system wasn't working well. Some clubs that didn't have great stadiums still got licenses, while successful teams from lower leagues missed out.

In 2013, the Super League clubs decided to change the structure. From 2015, the league would go back to 12 teams, and promotion and relegation would return.

A new league structure called the "Super 8s" was proposed. The 12 Super League clubs and 12 Championship clubs would play each other. After the regular season, the 24 clubs would split into three groups of eight:

• The top eight Super League clubs would play in the Super 8s. The top four teams would then go to semi-finals, leading to the Grand Final.
• The bottom four Super League clubs and the top four Championship clubs would play in The Qualifiers. These games would decide which four teams would play in the Super League the next year.

To prepare for this new system, two clubs were moved down from the Super League in 2014. These were London Broncos and Bradford Bulls.

In 2015, Super League clubs voted to allow a "Marquee Player." This means a club can sign one special player whose salary doesn't fully count towards the salary cap, as long as the club can afford to pay them. This rule started in 2016.

The first Super 8s season was won by the Leeds Rhinos. In 2016, Hull Kingston Rovers were moved down, and Leigh was promoted.

By 2018, there were questions about how well the Super 8s system was working. Fewer people watched games after the split, and there was more interest in which teams would be moved down than in the Super League play-offs.

Changes and Challenges: 2019–Present

Wigan and Warrington at Magic Weekend 2019

In September 2018, the Super League clubs decided to take more control over the league. They voted to stop the Super 8s and go back to a simpler system with one team promoted and one team moved down each year.

The Super League appointed a new Chief Executive, Robert Elstone. He brought in new branding and new rules, like a "shot clock" to stop time wasting and "golden point" extra time instead of draws.

After a good 2019 season, the 2020 season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The Toronto Wolfpack team, which was new to the league, could not finish the season due to money problems.

In December 2020, Leigh Centurions were chosen to take Toronto's place in the 2021 Super League season.

In February 2021, Robert Elstone resigned. The TV deal for the Super League was also cut, leading to calls for the Super League and the RFL to work together more closely again.

In March 2022, the RFL and Super League officially decided to work together again. A new company was also set up to handle the business side of the sport.

In May 2022, the RFL signed a 12-year deal with a sports marketing company called IMG. IMG plans to change how teams get into the Super League. They want to bring back a licensing system, but it will be different.

Clubs in all three divisions will be given a grade (A, B, or C). Clubs with an A grade will be in the Super League and won't be moved down. The rest of the Super League will be made up of the highest-ranking B-grade clubs, who could move between the Super League and the Championship. C-grade clubs will play in the Championship and League One. The goal is to have a Super League with 12 A-grade clubs.

IMG announced the grading rules in March 2023. Clubs will be judged on things like fan support, how well they play, their money situation, their stadium, and their local area.

How the Super League Works

Regular Season Games

There are 12 clubs in the Super League. From February to September, each club plays every other club twice: once at home and once away. Clubs also play five extra "Loop Fixtures," including the Magic Weekend. These extra games are decided by how teams finished in the previous season. In total, clubs play 27 games.

• Teams get two points for a win.
• If a game is tied after normal time, they play 20 minutes of "Golden Point" extra time. If it's still tied, both teams get one point.
• No points are given for a loss.

Teams are ranked by their points. If points are tied, they look at the difference between points scored and points given up. The team that finishes first after 27 games wins the League Leaders Shield.

Play-offs to Find the Champion

The play-offs have changed formats over the years. Right now, after all 27 games are played, the top six teams go into the play-offs.

• In the first round, the 3rd place team plays the 6th place team, and the 4th place team plays the 5th place team.
• The winners of these games go to the semi-finals, where the 1st and 2nd place teams are waiting.
• The two winners of the semi-finals then play in the Grand Final.

The Grand Final

The Grand Final is the most important game of the Super League season. It decides who the champions are. It is usually held every year at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. In 2020, it was held at the KCOM Stadium in Hull without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

City	Stadium	Years
Manchester	Old Trafford	1998–2019, 2021–present
Hull	KCOM Stadium	2020

Teams in the Super League

Current Clubs

Club	First season in Super League	Seasons in Super League	Titles (Most recent top division title)
Castleford Tigersa	1996	27	0 (N/A)
Catalans Dragons	2007	18	0 (N/A)
Huddersfield Giantsc	1998	27	7 (1961-62)
Hull FCc	1998	27	6 (1982-83)
Hull Kingston Rovers	2007	17	5 (1984-85)
Leeds Rhinosabc	1996	29	11 (2017)
Leigh Leopardsc	2005	5	2 (1981-82)
London Broncosa	1996	21	0 (N/A)
Salford Red Devils	1997	26	6 (1975-76)
St Helensabc	1996	29	17 (2022)
Warrington Wolvesabcd	1996	29	3 (1954-55)
Wigan Warriorsabc	1996	29	23 (2023)

Notes

^a: Founding member of the Super League

^b: Appeared in every Super League season since 1996

^c: One of the original 22 RFL teams

^d: appeared in every top flight season since 1895-96

Former Super League Clubs

Club	Seasons in Super League	First season in Super League	Last season in Super League	Titles (Most recent top division title)
Wakefield Trinity	24	1999	2023	1968
Bradford Bulls	19	1996	2014	2005
Widnes Vikings	11	2002	2018	1989
Halifax Panthers	8	1996	2003	1985–86
Sheffield Eagles	4	1996	1999	N/A
Crusaders §	3	2009	2011	N/A
Oldham	2	1996	1997	1956–57
Paris Saint-Germain §	2	1996	1997	N/A
Gateshead Thunder §	1	1999	1999	N/A
Workington Town	1	1996	1996	1950–51
Toronto Wolfpack	1	2020	2020	N/A
Toulouse Olympique	1	2022	2022	(N/A)

• § Denotes club no longer playing

Super League Winners

Champions Over the Years

For the first two Super League seasons, the champions were the team that finished top of the league. From 1998, a play-off series was used to decide the champions, ending with the Grand Final.

	Club	Wins	Runners up	Winning Years
1	St. Helens	10	5	1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
2	Leeds Rhinos	8	3	2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017
3	Wigan Warriors	6	6	1998, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2023
4	Bradford Bulls	4	3	1997, 2001, 2003, 2005
5	Warrington Wolves	0	4	-
6	Catalans Dragons		2
7	Castleford Tigers		1
	Hull FC
	London Broncos
	Salford Red Devils

League Leaders' Shield Winners

The League Leaders' Shield was first given out in 2002. It goes to the team that finishes first in the regular season.

	Club	Wins	Winning Years
1	St. Helens	9	2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022
2	Wigan Warriors	4	2010, 2012, 2020, 2023
3	Leeds Rhinos	3	2004, 2009, 2015
4	Warrington Wolves	2	2011, 2016
5	Bradford Bulls	1	2003
	Huddersfield Giants		2013
	Castleford Tigers		2017
	Catalans Dragons		2021

Winning "The Double"

"The Double" means a club wins both the League Championship and the Challenge Cup in the same season. Six teams have done this during the Super League era.

	Club	Wins	Winning years
1	Wigan Warriors	7	1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2013
2	St. Helens	4	1965–66, 1996, 2006, 2021
3	Huddersfield Giants	2	1912–13, 1914–15
4	Broughton Rangers	1	1901–02
5	Halifax	1	1902–03
6	Hunslet FC §	1	1907–08
7	Swinton Lions	1	1927–28
8	Warrington Wolves	1	1953–54
9	Bradford Bulls	1	2003
10	Leeds Rhinos	1	2015

Winning "The Treble"

"The Treble" means a team wins all three major awards in one season: the Grand Final, the League Leaders' Shield, and the Challenge Cup. Only three teams have done this in the Super League era: Bradford Bulls, St. Helens, and Leeds Rhinos.

	Club	Wins	Winning years
1	Wigan Warriors	3	1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95
2	Huddersfield Giants	2	1912–13, 1914–15
3	St. Helens	2	1965–66, 2006
4	Hunslet FC §	1	1907–08
5	Swinton Lions	1	1927–28
6	Bradford Bulls	1	2003
7	Leeds Rhinos	1	2015

Awards and Recognitions

Super League Trophy

The team that wins the Grand Final gets the Super League Trophy. This is seen as the most important award. The year, team name, and team captain are engraved on the trophy each year.

St Helens has won the most Super League titles, with ten wins. Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield holds the record for leading his team to the most Grand Final wins (seven times).

Steve Prescott Man of Steel Award

The Man of Steel Award is given each year to the best player in the Super League. It started in 1977 and was renamed in honor of Steve Prescott in 2014.

Albert Goldthorpe Medal

The Albert Goldthorpe Medal is an award voted on by sports reporters. After each regular season game, reporters give points to the three best players in that game.

Super League Dream Team

Each season, a "Dream Team" is chosen. This team is made up of the best thirteen players in their positions, as voted by sports reporters. The 2023 Dream Team is:

	Player	Team	Appearance
1	Jack Welsby	St Helens	3
2	Josh Charnley	Leigh Leopards	3
3	Shaun Kenny-Dowall	Hull Kingston Rovers	2
4	Jake Wardle	Wigan Warriors	1
5	Tom Johnstone	Catalans Dragons	2
6	Bevan French	Wigan Warriors	3
7	Lachlan Lam	Leigh Leopards	1
8	Paul Vaughan	Warrington Wolves	1
9	Edwin Ipape	Leigh Leopards	1
10	Tom Amone	Leigh Leopards	1
11	Kallum Watkins	Salford Red Devils	3
12	Liam Farrell	Wigan Warriors	6
13	John Asiata	Leigh Leopards	1

Players and Records

Most Appearances

Former St Helens captain James Roby has played the most games in Super League, with 495 appearances.

This list includes games where players started on the bench.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Apps
1	James Roby	495
2	Kevin Sinfield	454
3	Andy Lynch	452
4	Paul Wellens	442
5	Jamie Peacock	438
6	Leon Pryce	432
7	Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook	430
8=	Ben Westwood	429
8=	Rob Burrow	429
10	Danny Tickle	419
Italicised players still playing professional rugby league. Bolded players still playing in Super League.

Most Tries Scored

Danny McGuire has scored the most tries in Super League history, with 247.

Most tries

Rank	Player	Tries
1	Danny McGuire	247
2	Ryan Hall	246
3	Josh Charnley	239
4=	Paul Wellens	199
4=	Keith Senior	199
6	Jermaine McGillvary	196
7	Ryan Atkins	186
8	Tommy Makinson	185
9	Leon Pryce	173
10	Luke Dorn	170
Italicised players still playing professional rugby league. Bolded players still playing in Super League.

Most Points Scored

Most points

Rank	Player	Points
1	Kevin Sinfield	3,443
2	Danny Brough	2,462
3	Paul Deacon	2,415
4	Andy Farrell	2,376
5	Pat Richards	2,280
6	Danny Tickle	2,267
7	Lee Briers	2,240
8	Sean Long	2,202
9	Marc Sneyd	2,094
10	Iestyn Harris	1,678
Italicised players still playing professional rugby league. Bolded players still playing in Super League.

Winning Captains

Kevin Sinfield led the Leeds Rhinos to seven Grand Final wins, more than any other player.

12 players have been captains of teams that won the Super League.

	Captain	Wins	Winning years
1	Kevin Sinfield	7	2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015
2	Sean O'Loughlin	4	2010, 2013, 2016, 2018
3	James Roby	4	2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
4	Chris Joynt	3	1999, 2000, 2002
5	Robbie Paul	3	1997, 2001, 2003
6	Bobbie Goulding	1	1996
7	Andy Farrell	1	1998
8	Jamie Peacock	1	2005
9	Sean Long	1	2006
10	Paul Wellens	1	2014
11	Danny McGuire	1	2017
12	Liam Farrell	1	2023

Sponsorship and Branding

League Sponsors

Since it started in 1996, the Super League has had different sponsors. The first sponsor was Stones Bitter. The league has had a main sponsor every year except 2013.

The Super League also has other official partners and suppliers, like Steeden for rugby balls.

Super League Logos

Logo used from 1996 to 2016

The Super League has had three main logos. The first one was used from 1996 to 2016. It had a big "S" for Super League. The sponsor's name would appear above the logo.

Logo from 2017 to 2019

A new logo was introduced in 2017 as part of a big rebrand for British rugby league. This design looked similar to the new logos for the Rugby Football League and the England team. It had a rectangular shape (like the hotel where rugby league started), thirteen lines (for the thirteen players), a chevron (a common design on rugby league shirts), and an "S" that looked like a ball. The winning team got to wear a gold version of this logo.

Before the 2020 season, a brand new, simpler logo was revealed. In 2024, this was updated to three separate logos, one for each Super League competition: teal for men's, purple for women's, and green for wheelchair rugby league.

Competition Rules

Overseas Player Rules

Since 1996, there have been rules about how many foreign players a club can have. However, players from the European Union or those under the Kolpak ruling did not count towards this limit. This meant some clubs had many non-British players.

To encourage clubs to develop their own players, a "homegrown player" rule was introduced in 2007. As of 2017, Super League clubs can have no more than five overseas players. Also, teams can have a maximum of seven players who were not trained by a rugby league federation.

Salary Cap Rules

A salary cap was first introduced in 1998. Clubs could spend up to 50% of their income on player wages. From 2002, the cap became a fixed amount of £1.8 million to make the league fairer.

The Super League uses a real-time salary cap system:

• The total earnings of the top 25 players cannot be more than £1.825 million.
• Clubs can only sign new players if they have enough room under the cap.
• Clubs can spend up to £50,000 on players outside the top 25 who play at least one first-team game.
• The cost of players outside the top 25 who don't play in the first team is not limited.
• If a player has played for the same club for at least 10 seasons, half of their salary (up to £50,000) does not count towards the cap for their 11th season and beyond.
• Clubs can have one "Marquee Player" whose salary can go over the cap, as long as the club can afford it.

In 2017, clubs agreed to increase the salary cap to £2.1 million by 2020. Clubs were also allowed to sign a second marquee player.

Squad Announcements

Before each Super League game, clubs must announce a squad of 19 players they will choose from. This must be done by 2:00 PM two days before the match.

Media Coverage

Television Coverage

Sky Sports has shown Super League games since 1996. The current deal (2024-2026) means Sky Sports will show all six matches live each week.

In 2024, Super League+ (superleagueplus.co.uk) was created. This is a streaming service that shows four out of six matches live each week. The other two matches are available 48 hours later.

From 2024, the BBC also has the rights to show ten matches, including eight regular season games and two play-off games. Extra matches are shown on the Red Button and iPlayer.

Sky Sports broadcasts live Super League games in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Games are usually shown on Thursdays and Fridays, and at different times on weekend afternoons.

International Coverage

Super League games are shown live in many countries around the world.

Country/ Region	Broadcaster
Australia	Fox League, NITV
Africa	ESPN Africa
Asia	Premier Sports
United States	Fox Sports
Canada	Sportsnet
Caribbean	Sports Max
France	L'Équipe
New Zealand	Sky Sport
Pacific Islands	TVWan
Worldwide (Online)	SuperLeague+

Radio Coverage

Talksport is an official radio broadcaster of Super League. They have game commentaries and other shows on Talksport 2. BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra covers over 70 Super League games each season.

Super League is also covered by local BBC radio stations:

Other radio stations also cover the games:

• Radio Yorkshire covers two matches per round for Yorkshire clubs.
• BCB 106.6 (Bradford Community Broadcasting) has full commentary for Bradford games.
• Wish FM has full commentary for Wigan and St Helens matches.
• Wire FM has full commentary for Warrington matches.
• Grand Sud FM covers every Catalans Dragons home match (in French).
• Radio France Bleu Roussillon covers every Catalans Dragons away match (in French).

All Super League radio commentaries can be listened to online through the stations' websites.

Internet Coverage

Since 2007, ESPN3 has had the rights to show Super League games online around the world.

In the UK, you can watch Sky Sports matches live online through Sky Go and Now TV.

Many commercial radio stations and BBC radio stations also stream their Super League commentaries online. The 5 Live Rugby League podcast is available to download each week.

Images for kids

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  Super League logo used since 2020

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  Super League logo used from 1996 to 2016

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  Super League logo from 2017 to 2019