Frontline Fair Play Index returns

The Frontline Fair Play Index will return in 2010 to identify the most disciplined clubs in the Engage Super League and The Co-operative Championship for the fourth successive season.

The most disciplined club in each competition will be rewarded with a trophy and £5,000 worth of Frontline Bathrooms product at their respective end-of-season award ceremonies.

RFL Match Officials Director Stuart Cummings said: “The Frontline Fair Play Index is now well established as the weekly barometer for on-field discipline.

“The Index has become a key part of the statistical review process, being monitored by referees, coaches, players and fans.”

The Frontline Fair Play Index was launched in 2007 as part of the RFL’s five-year Official Partnership with Frontline Bathrooms, one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the bathroom industry through showrooms and plumbers merchants.

Covering league matches only, the Frontline Fair Play Index debits clubs in the Engage Super League and Co-operative Championship with points for the amount and type of penalty conceded, sin-bins, sending offs and match bans.

The Frontline Fair Play Index is published every Wednesday during the league campaigns, taking into account the previous night’s RFL Disciplinary Committee findings.  The winner in each division is the club with the lowest number of points.

The only difference in The Co-operative Championship is that all penalties conceded count for one point – in Engage Super League technical penalties count for one point and misconduct penalties count for two.

Michael Sammon, Marketing Director of Featherstone-based Frontline Bathrooms, added: “The prestigious status of being an Official Partner of the RFL focuses on the Frontline Fair Play Index, as well as advertising and hospitality at major matches.

“This major investment in the 13-a-side code enables our expanding company to project nationwide market awareness of the famous Frontline Bathroom catalogue, which is available in bathroom showrooms and on-line at www.frontlinebathrooms.co.uk.”

The Frontline Fair Play Index roll of honour is:

Season – Super League – Championship/NL1
2007 – Harlequins RL – Castleford Tigers
2008 – St. Helens – Widnes Vikings
2009 – Hull FC – Halifax

The scoring system for the Frontline Fair Play Index in Engage Super League is:

1pt       Technical penalty
2pts     Misconduct penalty
3pts     Sin bin
4pts    Sending off sufficient
5pts     Each match ban (ie five matches is 25 points)