Beaumont highlights faults within the IMG grading system

Leopards - along with 11 other clubs - had their Betfred Super League status for 2025 confirmed.

Leigh had jumped to a ranking of seventh with a Grade A score of 15.13.

In a lengthy statement Beaumont congratulated all the clubs who secured their Super League future for the 2025 season.

He said: "In particular, I would like to congratulate Matt Ellis and his Wakefield Trinity club, who deservedly gain their place.

"They can now celebrate promotion accordingly, something they were unable to do with certainty until this announcement, despite having made a clean sweep in the competition, culminating in winning the Championship Grand Final.

“I have been outspoken and critical of the IMG grading process, and indeed their involvement in the sport, since finding out the relationship between the RFL and IMG was one where we were a paying customer of theirs, paying monies that as a game I do not believe we can afford, nor get ‘bang for our buck’ from.

“That of course is just my opinion, and others may disagree, but I thought we were tapping into a global resource, driven on making vast changes, investing in our game to prosper from significant growth from that investment of resource.

“I described it at the time as having a commission only salesman bringing my business additional sales it did not have nor could reach.

"However, I believe what we have is a salesman who is on a comfortable salary without that driven pressure. Time may prove me wrong, and I hope it does, but so far it has not.

“So, the positives of the grading process as there are some. Investment has been made in some stadiums to better facilities with the addition of screens and LED pitch perimeters, which is obviously a good thing.

"We all naturally push to drive our attendances and I believe that any growth talked about in a lot of the areas around crowds and viewership, even digital engagement, is as a result of clubs’ hard work and investment.

"It certainly is where ours is concerned, and I share the viewpoint of Paul Lakin at Hull KR where he believed IMG was being credited for his club’s hard work."

Beaumont looked ahead and suggested the system does not create the certainty for clubs - given the way the points are allocated.

“In the end we got what we would have done: the bottom club got relegated and the top club promoted, yet many clubs were cast in uncertainty for a long period, something that was an issue with the Middle Eights system especially around recruitment," he said.

"This system places more clubs into that bracket and, taking Wakefield as an example, who have done a fantastic job to achieve Grade A marginally like us, they will know they lose the bonus points from this year (as we did our Challenge Cup bonus points the year before) so realistically start the year looking at a Grade B and other ways of finding additional points.

“I have mentioned the negativity of the system around Hull FC utilising their score as a comfort blanket.

"However, looking at the scores, that may serve as a warning for anyone else contemplating that going forward."

Beaumont also highlighted what he sees as a flaw in the drive for more Grade A clubs and the objective of expanding the top flight based on that.

It is an objective, Beaumont argues that is not realistically sustainable if the pie to be divided remained the same size. 

"I suppose the big headline is the number of clubs who achieved Grade A status and how close others are to achieving that.

"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.

“So why am I against or raising issues with a system that guarantees me a Super League place, ranked 7th with a year of Championship stats attached that next year will fall away and mean we can increase our score in at least three areas?

“Simple really. If you look at our transparent, published, individually broken-down pillars of our score, something I think all clubs should have to do, and how the information should be presented to gather increased trust in it from all clubs and the stakeholders in the game, its fans, then you will see our dramatic rise is down to an increase of 2.5 points on finance.

“If we remove that shift, we would be on 12.63 and placed 14th. This is, in my opinion, completely wrong and exposes a system that just isn’t right.

"Call me biased or looking through rose-tinted glasses but had I not been privileged enough to not only write off funds as sponsorship and make a further significant seven figure sponsorship investment then we would not have been able to remain in Super League.

“I don’t think that would give Super League its best representation, losing a club that got promoted off the back of a treble in 2022, then finished fifth in the play-offs in 2023, producing five members of the Dream Team and winning the Challenge Cup.

"Then in 2024, rising to making the semi-final in front of record crowds in a modern, quality facility with a great atmosphere and entertainment, providing a great experience for home and away fans and a good outlook to the broadcaster.

“How sad would today be for our club and the game that all the hard work and success of the rebrand would be cast away into the Championship and potentially leave an investor in the game fed up with trying and facing goals, giving up on the sport, leaving the game, something we have seen at London Broncos.

"In London the sad loss of David Hughes to the game hasn’t been correctly acknowledged in my opinion, given his commitment and significant investment over decades.

“That’s the harsh reality that some clubs are stuck with not having a benefactor. It shouldn’t be about who has a benefactor of course; that will always have its benefits, but it shouldn’t be what determines us as a Super League club.

"That should be our performance, yet of our 15.13 points only 3.2 points count on Performance after the three successful years referred to, yet Finance counts for 3.8 points and Fandom 4.2 points.

“Whilst the finance amendment has ultimately secured our Super League status it was the efforts of the players and fans that got us the magical grade A.

"The players achieved fourth place in Super League, improving our Performance score, while the fans achieved our highest average league attendance for 69 years, thus boosting our utilisation score.

“Facilities that are part of the operational rules in terms of size of pitch are not a requirement of the facility pillar which doesn’t make sense. That’s not right and I would be amazed if anyone had the ability to demonstrate that it is.

“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.

“For now, I will celebrate with our deserved staff, sponsors, players and fans alike that we get to compete at the highest level again next year and have another chance to achieve our dreams.”