# List of Super League seasons

The Super League is the top tier rugby league competition for teams in Great Britain. It was formed in 1996 replacing the Rugby Football League First Division which was the top tier in Britain from 1895 to 1996.
Since 1998, the winner of the Super League has been determined by a play-off series at the end of each season, culminating in a Grand Final at the Old Trafford. Four teams have won the Grand Final during the history of the Super League, with the Wigan Warriors being the current holders. St Helens are the most successful team in the Super League era, with ten titles. In the first two seasons of Super League, the champion was determined by league position at the end of the season.
The participants of the play-off series are determined by the league position of teams at the end of the regular season. The team at the top the Super League table at the end of the regular season are awarded with the League Leaders Shield. The Wigan Warriors are the current holders of the League Leaders Shield, while St Helens hold the record for most Shields with nine. The League Leaders have been recognised with their own trophy since 2003.

## Seasons
### Team performances
#### Season overview

| Year | Champions | League Leaders | Relegated | Promoted |
| 1996 | St Helens (1) | St Helens (1) | Workington | Salford |
| 1997 | Bradford (1) | Bradford (1) | Oldham Paris St Germain | Hull F.C. Huddersfield |
| 1998 | Wigan (1) | Wigan (1) | None | Gateshead Wakefield |
| 1999 | St Helens (2) | Bradford (1) | None | None |
| 2000 | St Helens (3) | Wigan (2) | None | None |
| 2001 | Bradford (2) | Bradford (2) | Huddersfield | Widnes |
| 2002 | St Helens (4) | St Helens (1) | Salford | Huddersfield |
| 2003 | Bradford (3) | Bradford (3) | Halifax | Salford |
| 2004 | Leeds (1) | Leeds (1) | Castleford | Leigh |
| 2005 | Bradford (4) | St Helens (2) | Leigh Widnes | Castleford Catalans |
| 2006 | St Helens (5) | St Helens (3) | Castleford | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 2007 | Leeds (2) | St Helens (4) | Salford | Castleford |
| 2008 | Leeds (3) | St Helens (5) | None | Crusaders Salford |
| 2009 | Leeds (4) | Leeds (2) | None | None |
| 2010 | Wigan (2) | Wigan (3) | None | None |
| 2011 | Leeds (5) | Warrington (1) | Crusaders | Widnes |
| 2012 | Leeds (6) | Wigan (4) | None | None |
| 2013 | Wigan (3) | Huddersfield (1) | None | None |
| 2014 | St Helens (6) | St Helens (6) | Bradford London | None |
| 2015 | Leeds (7) | Leeds (3) | None | None |
| 2016 | Wigan (4) | Warrington (2) | Hull Kingston Rovers | Leigh |
| 2017 | Leeds (8) | Castleford (1) | Leigh | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| 2018 | Wigan (5) | St Helens (7) | Widnes | London |
| 2019 | St Helens (7) | St Helens (8) | London | Toronto |
| 2020 | St Helens (8) | Wigan (5) | Toronto | Leigh |
| 2021 | St Helens (9) | Catalans (1) | Leigh | Toulouse |
| 2022 | St Helens (10) | St Helens (9) | Toulouse | Leigh |
| 2023 | Wigan (6) | Wigan (6) | Wakefield | London |
| 2024 | Wigan (7) | Wigan (7) | London | Wakefield |
* ↑ This figure includes St Helens' first-placed finish in 2002 which took place before the League Leaders Shield trophy began being awarded.
* 1 2 Champions decided by league table
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Elected in/out of the league without promotion/relegation via league performance

#### Grand Finals

| Year | Champions | Score | Runner Up | Venue | Attendance |
| 1998 | Wigan | 10–4 | Leeds | Old Trafford | 43,533 |
| 1999 | St Helens | 8–6 | Bradford | Old Trafford | 50,717 |
| 2000 | St Helens | 29–16 | Wigan | Old Trafford | 58,132 |
| 2001 | Bradford | 37–6 | Wigan | Old Trafford | 60,164 |
| 2002 | St Helens | 19–18 | Bradford | Old Trafford | 61,138 |
| 2003 | Bradford | 25–12 | Wigan | Old Trafford | 65,537 |
| 2004 | Leeds | 16–8 | Bradford | Old Trafford | 65,547 |
| 2005 | Bradford | 15–6 | Leeds | Old Trafford | 65,728 |
| 2006 | St Helens | 26–4 | Hull F.C. | Old Trafford | 72,575 |
| 2007 | Leeds | 33–6 | St Helens | Old Trafford | 71,352 |
| 2008 | Leeds | 24–16 | St Helens | Old Trafford | 68,810 |
| 2009 | Leeds | 18–10 | St Helens | Old Trafford | 63,259 |
| 2010 | Wigan | 22–10 | St Helens | Old Trafford | 71,526 |
| 2011 | Leeds | 32–16 | St Helens | Old Trafford | 69,107 |
| 2012 | Leeds | 26–18 | Warrington | Old Trafford | 70,676 |
| 2013 | Wigan | 30–16 | Warrington | Old Trafford | 66,281 |
| 2014 | St Helens | 14–6 | Wigan | Old Trafford | 70,102 |
| 2015 | Leeds | 22–20 | Wigan | Old Trafford | 73,512 |
| 2016 | Wigan | 12–6 | Warrington | Old Trafford | 70,202 |
| 2017 | Leeds | 24–6 | Castleford | Old Trafford | 72,827 |
| 2018 | Wigan | 12–4 | Warrington | Old Trafford | 64,892 |
| 2019 | St Helens | 23–6 | Salford | Old Trafford | 64,102 |
| 2020 | St Helens | 8–4 | Wigan | KCOM Stadium | 0 |
| 2021 | St Helens | 12–10 | Catalans | Old Trafford | 45,177 |
| 2022 | St Helens | 24–12 | Leeds | Old Trafford | 60,783 |
| 2023 | Wigan | 10–2 | Catalans | Old Trafford | 58,137 |
| 2024 | Wigan | 9–2 | Hull KR | Old Trafford | 68,173 |
* ↑ Behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions

### Individual performances
#### Top scorers

| Year | Tries | Tries | Tries | Points | Points | Points |
| Year | Player | Club | Tries | Player | Club | Points |
| 1996 | Paul Newlove | St. Helens | 28 | Bobbie Goulding | St. Helens | 257 |
| 1997 | Nigel Vagana | Warrington | 17 | Andrew Farrell | Wigan | 243 |
| 1998 | Anthony Sullivan | St. Helens | 20 | Iestyn Harris | Leeds | 255 |
| 1999 | Matt Daylight & Toa Kohe-Love | Gateshead & Warrington | 25 | Iestyn Harris | Leeds | 325 |
| 2000 | Sean Long, Tommy Martyn & Darren Rogers | St. Helens, St. Helens & Castleford | 20 | Sean Long | St. Helens | 352 |
| 2001 | Kris Radlinski | Wigan | 27 | Andrew Farrell | Wigan | 388 |
| 2002 | Dennis Moran | London | 22 | Paul Deacon | Bradford | 301 |
| 2003 | Dennis Moran | London | 24 | Paul Deacon | Bradford | 286 |
| 2004 | Lesley Vainikolo | Bradford | 36 | Kevin Sinfield | Leeds | 277 |
| 2005 | Mark Calderwood | Leeds | 27 | Paul Deacon | Bradford | 326 |
| 2006 | Justin Murphy | Catalans | 25 | Jamie Lyon | St. Helens | 318 |
| 2007 | Henry Fa'afili | Warrington | 21 | Pat Richards | Wigan | 248 |
| 2008 | Ade Gardner | St. Helens | 26 | Pat Richards | Wigan | 269 |
| 2009 | Ryan Hall | Leeds | 28 | Michael Dobson | Hull KR | 238 |
| 2010 | Pat Richards | Wigan | 29 | Pat Richards | Wigan | 388 |
| 2011 | Sam Tomkins | Wigan | 26 | Brett Hodgson | Warrington | 310 |
| 2012 | Josh Charnley | Wigan | 31 | Scott Dureau | Catalans | 277 |
| 2013 | Josh Charnley | Wigan | 30 | Danny Brough | Huddersfield | 283 |
| 2014 | Joel Monaghan | Warrington | 28 | Marc Sneyd | Castleford | 224 |
| 2015 | Jermaine McGillvary | Huddersfield | 27 | Luke Gale | Castleford | 247 |
| 2016 | Denny Solomona | Castleford | 40 | Luke Gale | Castleford | 262 |
| 2017 | Greg Eden | Castleford | 38 | Luke Gale | Castleford | 317 |
| 2018 | Ben Barba | St. Helens | 28 | Danny Richardson | St. Helens | 287 |
| 2019 | Tommy Makinson | St. Helens | 23 | Lachlan Coote | St. Helens | 247 |
| 2020 | Ash Handley | Leeds | 15 | Lachlan Coote | St. Helens | 152 |
| 2021 | Ken Sio | Salford | 19 | James Maloney | Catalans | 227 |
| 2022 | Bevan French | Wigan | 31 | Tommy Makinson | St. Helens | 230 |
| 2023 | Tom Johnstone & Abbas Miski | Catalans & Wigan | 27 | Stefan Ratchford | Warrington | 200 |
| 2024 | Liam Marshall | Wigan | 27 | Mikey Lewis | Hull KR | 216 |

#### Man of Steel

The Man of Steel Award is given to the Super League Player of the Season. Various methods of determining the seasons best player have been employed throughout the awards history. The current method involves points being designated to players by a select panel following each fixture. The award is also known as the Steve Prescott Man of Steel, posthumously named after the former St Helens player who established the Steve Prescott Foundation to raise money for cancer research whilst fighting his own battle with cancer, which he tragically lost in 2013.
| Year | Player | Club |
| 1996 | Andy Farrell | Wigan |
| 1997 | James Lowes | Bradford |
| 1998 | Iestyn Harris | Leeds |
| 1999 | Adrian Vowles | Castleford |
| 2000 | Sean Long | St. Helens |
| 2001 | Paul Sculthorpe | St. Helens |
| 2002 | Paul Sculthorpe | St. Helens |
| 2003 | Jamie Peacock | Bradford |
| 2004 | Andy Farrell | Wigan |
| 2005 | Jamie Lyon | St. Helens |
| 2006 | Paul Wellens | St. Helens |
| 2007 | James Roby | St. Helens |
| 2008 | James Graham | St. Helens |
| 2009 | Brett Hodgson | Huddersfield |
| 2010 | Pat Richards | Wigan |
| 2011 | Rangi Chase | Castleford |
| 2012 | Sam Tomkins | Wigan |
| 2013 | Danny Brough | Huddersfield |
| 2014 | Daryl Clark | Castleford |
| 2015 | Zak Hardaker | Leeds |
| 2016 | Danny Houghton | Hull |
| 2017 | Luke Gale | Castleford |
| 2018 | Ben Barba | St. Helens |
| 2019 | Jackson Hastings | Salford |
| 2020 | Paul McShane | Castleford |
| 2021 | Sam Tomkins | Catalans |
| 2022 | Brodie Croft | Salford |
| 2023 | Bevan French | Wigan |
| 2024 | Mikey Lewis | Hull KR |

#### Harry Sunderland Trophy / Rob Burrow Award winner

The Harry Sunderland Trophy was awarded to the Man of the Match of the Super League Grand Final. The award predated the Super League and was previously awarded to the Man of the Match of the Rugby League Premiership Final. From the 2024 season, the honour was renamed to the Rob Burrow Award in tribute to the former Leeds and Great Britain scrum-half who had raised awareness and funds for charity after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease.
| Year | Player | Club |
| 1996 | Andrew Farrell | Wigan |
| 1997 | Andrew Farrell | Wigan |
| 1998 | Jason Robinson | Wigan |
| 1999 | Henry Paul | Bradford |
| 2000 | Chris Joynt | St. Helens |
| 2001 | Michael Withers | Bradford |
| 2002 | Paul Deacon | Bradford |
| 2003 | Stuart Reardon | Bradford |
| 2004 | Matt Diskin | Leeds |
| 2005 | Leon Pryce | Bradford |
| 2006 | Paul Wellens | St. Helens |
| 2007 | Rob Burrow | Leeds |
| 2008 | Lee Smith | Leeds |
| 2009 | Kevin Sinfield | Leeds |
| 2010 | Thomas Leuluai | Wigan |
| 2011 | Rob Burrow | Leeds |
| 2012 | Kevin Sinfield | Leeds |
| 2013 | Blake Green | Wigan |
| 2014 | James Roby | St. Helens |
| 2015 | Danny McGuire | Leeds |
| 2016 | Liam Farrell | Wigan |
| 2017 | Danny McGuire | Leeds |
| 2018 | Stefan Ratchford | Warrington |
| 2019 | Luke Thompson | St. Helens |
| 2020 | James Roby | St. Helens |
| 2021 | Kevin Naiqama | St. Helens |
| 2022 | Jonny Lomax | St. Helens |
| 2023 | Jake Wardle | Wigan |
| 2024 | Bevan French | Wigan |
* 1 2 Award won in a Premiership Final inside the Super League Era
* 1 2 3 Won the award despite playing for the losing team in the final

### League structure

Throughout the history of Super League, the competition has been structured in various formats effecting awarding of championships, participation in play-off series, and inclusion in the league itself.
| Year | No. teams | Champions | Play-offs | Relegation |
| 1996 | 12 | League position | None | League position: Bottom place relegated to First Division |
| 1997 | 12 | League position | None | League position: Bottom place relegated to First Division |
| 1998 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 5 | No relegation |
| 1999 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 5 | No relegation |
| 2000 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 5 | No relegation |
| 2001 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 5 | League position: Bottom place relegated to National League One |
| 2002 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to National League One |
| 2003 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to National League One |
| 2004 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to National League One |
| 2005 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom two relegated to National League One |
| 2006 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to National League One |
| 2007 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to National League One |
| 2008 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | Licensing: Participating clubs decided by centrally awarded licenses |
| 2009 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 8 | Licensing: Participating clubs decided by centrally awarded licenses |
| 2010 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 8 | Licensing: Participating clubs decided by centrally awarded licenses |
| 2011 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 8 | Licensing: Participating clubs decided by centrally awarded licenses |
| 2012 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 8 | Licensing: Participating clubs decided by centrally awarded licenses |
| 2013 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 8 | Licensing: Participating clubs decided by centrally awarded licenses |
| 2014 | 14 | Grand Final | Top 8 | League position: Bottom two relegated to Championship |
| 2015 | 12 | Grand Final | Super 8s: Top 4 | Super 8s Qualifiers: Bottom three and Million Pound Game losers relegated to Championship |
| 2016 | 12 | Grand Final | Super 8s: Top 4 | Super 8s Qualifiers: Bottom three and Million Pound Game losers relegated to Championship |
| 2017 | 12 | Grand Final | Super 8s: Top 4 | Super 8s Qualifiers: Bottom three and Million Pound Game losers relegated to Championship |
| 2018 | 12 | Grand Final | Super 8s: Top 4 | Super 8s Qualifiers: Bottom three and Million Pound Game losers relegated to Championship |
| 2019 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 5 | League position: Bottom place relegated to Championship |
| 2020 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | No relegation |
| 2021 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to Championship |
| 2022 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to Championship |
| 2023 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | League position: Bottom place relegated to Championship |
| 2024 | 12 | Grand Final | Top 6 | IMG Grading: Clubs graded and ranked annually with top 12 eligible for Super League |
* ↑ Two teams relegated rather than one to allow Catalans to join in 2006
* ↑ Catalans exempt from relegation for their first two seasons in Super League
* ↑ Two teams relegated to transition to a 12-team league
* ↑ Reducing to 8 teams in the Super League Super 8s partway through the season, with the bottom 4 competing in The Qualifiers
* ↑ Reduced to 11 following the withdrawal of Toronto midseason
* ↑ Play-off structure amended due to COVID-19 disruption
* ↑ Relegation was cancelled due to significant financial and operational challenges caused by COVID-19 disruption