# 2024 RFL League One

The 2024 RFL League One was a professional rugby league football competition played in the United Kingdom and the third tier of the sport for Rugby Football League (RFL) affiliated clubs. The sponsors for the league were the bookmakers, Betfred and the league continued to be known as the Betfred League One.
Nine teams competed in the league playing 20 matches each over 23 rounds in the regular season with the team finishing first being declared the champions and the teams finishing second to fifth taking part in the play-offs.
Oldham won the title and automatic promotion to the 2025 Championship with two matches to spare. The play-off final was won by Hunslet earning the club a chance to travel to Swinton Lions in the Championship play-off match, where the Yorkshire club also won promotion.

## Team changes

The league had decreased in size from 2023 with nine teams competing, down from 10 in 2023. At the end of the 2023 season London Skolars announced that the club was reverting to amateur status and was resigning from the professional ranks. Dewsbury Rams and Doncaster were promoted to the Championship and were replaced by Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder who finished bottom of the Championship. When the fixture list was issued on 3 December 2023 there remained some doubt about Newcastle's participation as that club also announced they were withdrawing from the league at the end of the 2023 season. However an attempt to revive the club started in October 2023 and an application to rejoin the league made. Newcastle's application to rejoin the RFL was approved on 22 December when it was also confirmed that the club will continue to play at Kingston Park. In May 2024 Newcastle announced that the club would be playing all remaining games at Gateshead International Stadium.

## Structure changes

Until this season promotion and relegation was on a 2-up, 2-down basis between the Championship and League One but was subject to a review of the league structure.
In March 2024 the RFL completed the review and announced that the first steps will be taken to equalise the number of teams in the Championship and League One at 12 each by the start of the 2026 season. At the end of 2024 the Championship would reduce in size to 13 for 2025 while League One would increase to 10 in 2025. This means that at the end of the 2024 season, only the League 1 champions would automatically be promoted to the Championship while the bottom two teams in the Championship would be relegated. The team that won the League One play-offs would play the team finishing third-bottom in the Championship for the 13th place in the 2025 Championship.
As there were only nine teams in the division for 2024, playing the other clubs home and away only would give each team just 16 fixtures. To increase the number of fixtures for each team and make the season more financially sustainable, each club had four additional fixtures, known as loop fixtures, two home and two away.

## Rule changes

A number of changes have been introduced for 2024.
The "six again" rule was amended so that set restarts would only be awarded if the ball is in the defending team's half of the field. Infringements in the attacking team's half resulted in a penalty to the attacking team.
The use of the 18th man was allowed after two players (reduced from three) had failed head impact assessments or a player was unable to continue through injury (not just a head injury) resulting from foul play where the opposing player was sin-binned or sent-off. The use of the green card by the referee ordering injured players off the field for treatment was discontinued.
A team awarded a penalty at a scrum had the option to reset the scrum instead of taking the penalty.
For disciplinary processes a category of "reckless tackle" was introduced.

## Clubs
### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Cornwall | Penryn | The Memorial Ground | 4,000 |
| Hunslet | Leeds | South Leeds Stadium | 4,000 |
| Keighley Cougars | Keighley | Cougar Park | 7,800 |
| Midlands Hurricanes | Birmingham | Alexander Stadium | 2,000 |
| Newcastle Thunder | Newcastle upon Tyne | Kingston Park | 10,200 |
| Newcastle Thunder | Newcastle upon Tyne | Gateshead International Stadium | 11,800 |
| North Wales Crusaders | Colwyn Bay | Eirias Stadium | 5,500 |
| Oldham | Oldham | Boundary Park | 13,513 |
| Rochdale Hornets | Rochdale | Spotland Stadium | 10,249 |
| Workington Town | Workington | Derwent Park | 10,000 |

## Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Oldham | 20 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 885 | 144 | +741 | 38 | Champions |
| 2 | Keighley Cougars | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 694 | 352 | +342 | 31 | Advance to qualifying semi-final |
| 3 | Rochdale Hornets | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 687 | 432 | +255 | 27 | Advance to qualifying play-off |
| 4 | Hunslet | 20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 522 | 534 | −12 | 26 | Advance to qualifying play-off |
| 5 | Midlands Hurricanes | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 566 | 424 | +142 | 18 | Advance to elimination play-off |
| 6 | Workington Town | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 504 | 549 | −45 | 18 | Advance to elimination play-off |
| 7 | North Wales Crusaders | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 464 | 472 | −8 | 16 | |
| 8 | Cornwall | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 306 | 787 | −481 | 6 | |
| 9 | Newcastle Thunder | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 190 | 1124 | −934 | 0 | |

## Play-offs
### Team bracket

| Qualifying & elimination play-offs | Qualifying & elimination play-offs | Qualifying & elimination play-offs | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Play-off final | Play-off final | Play-off final |
| | | | 2 | Keighley Cougars | 26 | | | | 2 | Keighley Cougars | 6 |
| | | | 3 | Rochdale Hornets | 22 | | | | 4 | Hunslet | 20 |
| 3 | Rochdale Hornets | 30 | | | | 3 | Rochdale Hornets | 26 | | | |
| 4 | Hunslet | 18 | | | | 4 | Hunslet | 46 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Hunslet | 18 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Midlands Hurricanes | 14 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Midlands Hurricanes | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Workington Town | 22 | | | | | | | | | |

### Week 1: Qualifying and elimination play-offs

* 15 September 2024 15:00
| Rochdale Hornets | 30–18 | Hunslet |
| Tries: Juma, Else (2), Andrade, Forber, Harrop Goals: Harman (3) | | Tries: Ferreira, Goddard, Render (2) Goals: Beharrell |
* Spotland Stadium Attendance: 826 Referee: K. Moore
* 15 September 2024 15:00
| Midlands Hurricanes | 24–22 | Workington Town |
| Tries: Hewitt, Luke-Kirby, Chrimes Goals: Sweeting (6) | | Tries: Burns (2), Brennan, Bickerdike Goals: Forber (3) |
* Alexander Stadium Referee: M. Lynn

### Week 2: Semi-finals

* 22 September 2024 15:00
| Keighley Cougars | 26–22 | Rochdale Hornets |
| Tries: Lanskey, Lynam, Miller, Ioane Goals: Miller (5/6) | | Tries: Roberts, Andrade, Forber, Harrop Goals: Harman (3/4) |
* Cougar Park Attendance: 1,037 Referee: B. Thaler
* 22 September 2024 15:00
| Hunslet | 18–14 | Midlands Hurricanes |
| Tries: Ferreira, Delaney, Render Goals: Beharrell (3/4) | | Tries: Clavering, Barcoe Goals: Sweeting (3/3) |
* South Leeds Stadium Attendance: 474 Referee: R. Cox

### Week 3: Preliminary final

Played between the losing team of the qualifying semi-final and the winning team of the elimination semi-final. The match was played at the ground of the team that finished higher during the regular season.
* 29 September 2024 15:00
| Rochdale Hornets | 26–46 | Hunslet |
| Tries: Derbyshire, Nelmes, Andrade, Taulapapa, Forber Goals: Harman (3/5) | | Tries: Flanagan (2), Berry, Turner, Render (2), Ferreira, Wood Goals: Beharrell (7/8) |
* Spotland Stadium Attendance: 428 Referee: S. Mikalauskas

### Week 4: Play-off final

Played between the winning team of the qualifying semi-final and the winning team of the preliminary final. The match was played at the ground of the team that finished higher during the regular season.
* 6 October 2024 15:00
| Keighley Cougars | 6–20 | Hunslet |
| Tries: Flanagan Goals: Miller (1/1) | | Tries: Wood, Turner, Render Goals: Beharrell (4/6) |
* Cougar Park Attendance: 1,057 Referee: C. Worsley

### Promotion play-off

The Championship promotion play-off match between the winners of the play-off final and the team finishing 12th in the Championship was played on 13 October 2024.
* 13 October 2024 19:30
| Swinton Lions | 20–22 | Hunslet |
| Tries: Williams, Cox, Wood, Vaughan Goals: Abram (2/4) | | Tries: Turner, Berry, Flanagan, Render Goals: Beharrell (3/4) |
* Heywood Road Attendance: 885 Referee: J. Vella