Leigh Leopards owner proposes 10-team Super League and makes bold IMG prediction

Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont believes Super League should ultimately head to a point where the elite competition only has 10 teams in it: as he proposed plans for a structure revamp under IMG.

Beaumont’s Leigh were one of the big winners in the gradings reveal for 2025. They secured Grade A status and a score in excess of 15 points alongside eight other Super League teams to secure their place in the elite for the foreseeable future.

But Beaumont admitted he still has major issues with the gradings system and certain aspects of it – and he believes there will be changes to how teams could be graded by IMG in order to potentially allow more clubs into Super League.

He said: “At the launch of the IMG partnership and the grading system it was stated that if 16 teams reach Grade A then that’s what Super League would become.

“But we all know that the game’s cake can’t divide into more than 12 currently and feed those at the table enough, despite there being an obvious appetite to do so to eliminate loop fixtures etc. This problem remains even under this structure should it continue which I don’t believe it should.

“I can already sense the minds ticking on the alterations to the thresholds, some to deal with discrepancies like the zero points for a big screen with pixels too large equalling that of no screen at all, and a method of measuring the reach of a club rather than that of its population, something in which it has no ability to change its performance.

“However, I also sense there will be movements in pillars to lower clubs scores and make it less likely to get more than 12 clubs with a Grade A score to protect the current position, at least until a better deal is done that can expand the competition, something that can be done by introducing Grade B clubs anyway.

“I appreciate the pressure the RFL and RL Commercial are in concerning this situation.”

And Beaumont offered his support for many clubs who were graded B by IMG – and insisted once again that the possible direction of travel for rugby league that would be best is a two-tier system with ten teams in each.

Beaumont said: “Many Grade B clubs bring so much value, as do other clubs, which is why I believe over time we need 2 x 10s to keep scores close and accommodate the depth of clubs with a Championship operating below it. In my opinion we have got out of a pickle this year with it turning out how it would have. 

“Had Toulouse won the Championship grand final the winning team wouldn’t have been promoted but yet the losing team (Wakefield) would still have been promoted. We need to use the space that is provided to get a grip as council members collectively across all facets of the game and grasp the mantle to ensure we don’t continue in this guise.”

IMG GRADINGS REVEAL

👉🏻 Ranking every club’s IMG grading as nine Super League clubs achieve Grade A status

👉🏻 Wakefield Trinity’s first words after Super League return confirmed

👉🏻 How many points every club’s IMG ranking has changed by after 2025 gradings reveal