IMG gradings criteria set for 2025 changes as ‘tweaks’ to system revealed

The gradings system introduced by IMG to rank all rugby league clubs is set to be changed in 2025 as the system continues to evolve over the years ahead.

Every professional club was given an official score last month, with the top 12 teams being awarded places in Super League for 2025.

Of those 12, nine secured Grade A status after achieving a score of 15 or more out of a maximum of 20 points. That group included newly-promoted Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers: two clubs who were perceived to be under threat of not even making the cut for Super League at one stage.

And IMG’s Matt Dwyer admitted on Monday that while the bulk of the system will remain largely unchanged, there will be ‘tweaks’ that have to be made after witnessing what unfolded with the gradings this year.

“The gradings system is now with the RFL and RL Commercial, they own that,” he said.

“What we’ve said is that the main part of it, we want to try and keep the goalposts in the same position to allow every club to work towards Category A to start with. There’s a couple of things we need to tweak having seen how it played out. There’s a couple of things we need to tweak but we don’t want to keep changing the goalposts.”

Dwyer was reluctant to specify what exactly would be tweaked, but there are a number of areas that have been called into question since the gradings were made public last month.

Some clubs have expressed concern over a number of loopholes in the financial aspect of the criteria, which allows wealthy owners to invest sums of cash just before the data submission and then withdraw that money.

Dwyer also hit back at criticism IMG have received over their input into the sport so far. Warrington CEO Karl Fitzpatrick said earlier this year that IMG ‘must do better’ – but Dwyer insisted that is a mantra the whole sport could be labelled with.

Dwyer said: “I’d take Karl’s comment and apply that to the sport. As a sport we need to do better. IMG is one part of that. If we want to continue to grow we all as a sport need to push hard and push those boundaries.

“If we look at all the different aspects of the game we want them all to do better. Grading is about getting the clubs to do better and all stakeholders in the sport, we need to be working together to grow this sport. I’d apply that to everything and everyone.”

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