RESERVE GRADE TO RETURN

The Rugby Football League and Super League Europe can confirm that the reserve grade is due to return in 2020

The Rugby Football League and Super League Europe can confirm that a Reserve Grade competition will be relaunched in 2020.

The 11 English Betfred Super League clubs have approved a proposal for all Super League clubs, and clubs with Category 1 funded Academies outside Super League (Widnes Vikings and Bradford Bulls), to have a mandated reserve team.

Five further applications from clubs in Betfred Championship and League One have been received, with decisions to be made by the end of July.

The launch of Reserve Grade will be accompanied by a change in the regulations surrounding the Academy, which will now become an Under-18s competition rather than Under-19s, as at present. The dual registration and loan systems will remain unaffected.

Dave Rotheram, the RFL’s Interim Chief On-Field Officer, said: “We have listened to the views of stakeholders  – clubs, coaches and players – before making this proposal.

“The majority view is that the game would benefit from the reintroduction of a Reserve Grade competition, primarily as a next step in the development of players between Academy and senior rugby, but also to provide regular rugby for players on the fringe of selection, returning from injury, and a platform for later developers.

“It was important in making what is a significant change that we also took into account the impact on the other professional competitions – Betfred Championship and League One – and also the community game.”

Giants Managing Director, Richard Thewlis said: “As most know this was not the pathway that we believe is best for the overall game however the decision has been made after much debate and consultation and we must now implement the new structure. 

"For our club this will mean significant additional costs – forecasts for our model show that it’s well over the £100k mark and for the game as a whole I think the RFL figures showed it will be around a million pound spend across the game. 

"We have known it was coming though and with this formal announcement we can now look to contract a number of part time players who may have been lost to the game to supplement the full time players not selected for the Super league team to make up our reserve side for 2020. 

"In consultation with a number of other Super League clubs the hybrid model of a mix of Super league, currently contracted third year academy players and then part time players seems the common way that the majority are proceeding.”

The Reserve Grade competition in 2020 will be administered by the RFL. The fixture schedule will be finalised during the winter but is expected to run on a home and away basis, with no play-offs. The precise rules and regulations have yet to be finalised.