IMG ‘return on investment’ admission made by bosses as silence addressed following 2025 gradings

Rugby league will ‘refocus’ its relationship with IMG and look to deliver a significant return on investment: after their silence following the gradings reveal for 2025 was defended by Rugby League Commercial.

IMG and the sport entered a 12-year strategic partnership last year which is still very much in its infancy. It also costs rugby league a fee in excess of £400,000 every year – but no representatives from IMG were present at the RFL’s headquarters on Wednesday to discuss grading.

They are expected to break their silence in the coming fortnight and offer up more detail on how the partnership is developing.

But after gradings were fully implemented and rolled out live for the first time, RL Commercial’s chief executive, Rhodri Jones, admits the relationship must now evolve as the initial stages of the agreement draw to a close, with all clubs now accustomed to grading and the RFL handling the system internally.

He said: “The biggest challenge for us is return on investment. That’s the thing we challenge them on the most, probably on a daily basis now because the initial streams of work are coming to an end at the end of 2024.

“That was the first two year period. So now there’s probably a refocus in terms of priorities in the relationship and return on investment is the key phrase and that’s the bit we’ll look at.”

Jones was asked by Love Rugby League why IMG were not present but said: “Yes, I can understand the question why are they not here today but actually the results show they don’t need to be here.

“IMG put grading in their reimagination framework. That was the recommendation. It was adopted by the whole sport. The majority of the sport accepted grading.

“We have then since taken that baton on with IMG to build the model and then it’s been handed over to the clubs to come back with their scoring system.

“These guys (the RFL) have done the job they’ve done to produce this. So, from an IMG perspective, they have set the framework in place, they have been behind the scenes supporting the guys but in terms of contact directly with clubs, that’s all been doine with the majority of the four people sat here today.

“They would rightly sit here and say, we provided a recommendation to do grading, the sport accepted it, the sport has now gone away and delivered that. Well done the sport and well done to everyone for listening. And look at the rewards we have out of it. That would be their position on this.

“But in terms of addressing it moving forward, we have said to them in the next 10 days they will be available. We want them to do a summary of the season and how it’s all going.”

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