Saints Heritage Society Year On Year Information 1873 Founded 19 November 1873 St Helens are one of the oldest members of the Rugby Football League. Founded as St Helens Football Club on 19 November 1873 at the Fleece Hotel by William Douglas Herman. 1874 First Match The Saints played their first ever match on 31 January 1874 against Liverpool Royal Infirmary 1890 Knowsley Road: The club moved from the City Ground in 1890 where they had shared with St Helens Recs when neither were members of the Northern Rugby Football Union, to Knowley Road. 1895 Aug St. Helens, along with 20 other clubs, resign from the Rugby Union at a meeting held at the George Hotel in Huddersfield. 1895 Sep Saints defeat Rochdale Hornets 8-3 at Knowsley Road in their inaugural Northern Union fixture. 1897 Apr Batley defeat Saints 10-3 in the inaugural Challenge Cup final played at Headingley.

1906 The number of players on each side reduced from 15 to 13 and Line Outs abolished. 1906 Jan Frank Lee and Tommy Barton appear for England in the 3 all draw with the Other Nationalities at Wigan, and thus become the club's first Internationals. 1908 In December, scum half Arthur Kelly becomes Saints' first colonial import. 1909 Apr Warrington inflict upon St. Helens their record defeat 78-6. 1909 Feb Saints defeat the first Australian Tourists 9 nil. 1912 Billy Briers announces his retirement. The last playing member who had defeated Rochdale Hornets in the first Northern Union match, Billy had scored 114 tries for the club in 512 appearances. 1913 St. Helens Recs join the Lancashire Combination. 1915 May Huddersfield defeat Saints by a record 37 points to 3 in the Challenge Cup final played at Watersheadings, Oldham. 1917 Due to a shortage of players, 12 aside rugby is introduced.

1918 Dec Saints re open and are beaten 20 points to nil by St. Helens Recs at City Road, in a friendly fixture. 1918 Jan Saints are defeated 22 nil by Widnes. They then 'close down' due to a lack of finances. 1919 Jan Competitive rugby restarts and Saints are defeated by St. Helens Recs 24-3 at Knowsley Road. This is the first 'official' fixture between the teams. 1920 Dec 24,000 fans pack Knowsley Road for the 'derby' encounter against Wigan and see Lord Derby open the new Pavilion. 1922 Stan and George Lewis sign from Pontypool RUFC, making their debuts in the 24- 13 home victory over Featherstone Rovers. 1923 Jessie Skepper helped form Saints' Supporters' Club. 1926 Mar Alf Ellaby scores two tries on his debut against Keighley at Knowsley Road. 1926 Nov Saints defeat arch rivals St.

Helens Recs by 10 points to 2 at Wilderspool, Warrington to win the Lancashire Cup for the first time. It was Saints' first major trophy triumph. 1927 Alf Ellaby finishes the season with 50 tries for Saints. A record! 1928 Seven players from St. Helens are selected to tour 'Down Under' for the 1928 Tour. These are thus the first Saints' or Recs' players to earn such a honour. Alf Ellaby, Les Fairclough, Alf Frodsham and Ben Halfpenny were selected from Saints, whilst the Recs provided Frank Bowen, Oliver Dolan and Albert Fildes. 1929 Oct Arthur Atkinson of Castleford, converts a penalty kick from 75 yards, at Knowsley Road. He was kicking towards the Dunriding Lane end of the ground and was assisted by the wind! Castleford won 20-10. 1930 May Widnes surprisingly defeat Saints 10-3 in the Challenge Cup final. It was only the second final to be played at Wembley.

1932 Alf Ellaby and Albert Fildes (now a Saint) are selected for the 1932 Tour. 1932 Mar Alf Ellaby scores 6 tries against Barrow. The first Saint to achieve such a feat. 1932 May St. Helens defeat Huddersfield 9-5 at Bell Vue, Wakefield to win the League Championship for the first time. 1937 Saints become a Limited Liability Company. 1939 Jan Saints defeat St. Helens Recs 5-3 at City Road, in their last ever meeting. 1945 Aug Widnes beat Saints 20-8 at Naughton Park, in their first post 2nd World War match. 1949 Dec a ground record 35,695 fans turn up to watch Saints play Wigan. 1949 Jan Stan McCormick signs for Saints from Bell Vue Rangers for a then record £4000. 1950 In the Training pitch was laid down. 1951 In the newly-completed Eccleston Kop covered enclosure was opened and was named after Supporters Club Secretary George Eddington. 1951 Nov Gt.

Britain v New Zealand 1st Test at Swinton was the first televised Test Match 1952 Wigan and Gt. Britain legend become St. Helens' first full time manager/ coach. 1952 Apr first televised Wembley final took place between Workington Town and Featherstone Rovers. 1952 Jan Wigan v Wakefield Trinity encounter becomes fist televised League match. 1953 Saints finish the 1952/3 season top of the League, go all season undefeated 'away' from home, win the Lancashire League and League Championship and are defeated 15-10 by Huddersfield in the Challenge Cup final. 1954 In the new scoreboard is used for the first time. 1955 Apr Alex Murphy signs for Saints on his 16th Birthday. 1956 Apr Alex Murphy makes his Saints debut in the 21-7 home victory over Whitehaven. 1956 Apr tries by Frank Carlton, Steve Llewellyn and skipper, Alan Prescot, together with two Austin Rhodes conversions enable Saints to defeat Halifax by 13 points to 2 to secure the club's first Challenge Cup final success.

1956 Nov St. Helens defeat Australia by a record 44 points to 2. 1957 Oct Tom Van Vollenhoven scores a try on his debut as Saints defeat Leeds 36- 7 at Knowsley Road, in front of 23,000 spectators. 1958 Six Saints players are selected to tour. Alan Prescott was named as Gt. Britain's captain and Frank Carlton, Vince Karalius, Glynn Moses, Alex Murphy and Ab Terry were chosen alongside him. 1958 In the club's new grandstand is opened by Sir Harry Pilkington. The structure cost £32,000 and can seat 2,400. 1959 Saints top a thousand points in a league season for the first time. Their 1005 points came from 31 wins and a draw in their 38 matches. The finished in first position. 1959 Tom Van Vollenhoven finishes the season with a phenomenal 62 tries for the club. This smashed Alf Ellaby's 32 year old record and no one has bettered this total since. 1959 May St.

Helens defeat Hunslet by 44 points to 22 at Odsal Stadium to win one of the greatest ever League Championship finals. 1961 The new popular side enclosure is erected. The old wooden structure that it replace was given to Liverpool City for their ground at Knotty Ash. 1961 In new metal goal posts replaced the wooden originals after storm damage. 1961 May Tom Van Vollenhoven scores one of the best tries ever seen in a Challenge Cup final as Saints defeat Wigan 12-6. 1964 Oct Saints defeat Swinton 12-4 at Wigan to win their 5th consecutive Lancashire Cup, in their 7th successive final. 1965 Saints win four trophies in one of their most successful seasons. The League Leaders Trophy, Lancashire League, Challenge Cup and League Championship all end up in the trophy cabinet. 1965 Jan Saints' new floodlighting system opened by Sir Harry Pilkington. 1971 May Saints beat Wigan 16-12 at Station Road, Swinton to claim back to back League Championship Trophies for the first time. 1972 Try value increased to four points.

1983 Hand over after 6 tackles introduced. 1983 Players dug outs move from Main stand to popular side. 1984 Oct Mal Meninga and Phil Veivers make their Saints debuts in the 30 points to 16 victory over Castleford at Knowsley Road. 1984 Oct two tries by Mal Meninga inspire Saints, who beat Wigan 26-18, to win the Lancashire Cup for the first time in 16 years. 1985 Saints defeat hot favourites Hull KR 36-16 at Elland Road, to win the Premiership Trophy. 1986 Sep St. Helens defeat Carlisle 112 nil, at Knowsley Road, in a 1st Round Lancashire Cup tie. A club record. Centre Paul Loughlin kicks 16 goals and finishes the match with 40 pointsï¿½both also club records! 1987 May centre, Mark Elia has the ball sensationally knocked from his grasp as he was diving to score a vital late try as Halifax defeat Saints 19-18 in the Challenge Cup final. 1988 St.

Helens defeat Leeds 15-14, at Central Park, to win the John Player Trophy for the only time. 1989 Apr Wigan defeat Saints 27 nil in the Challenge Cup final. 1989 In work starts on 9 Executive Boxes and an electronic scoreboard at the Dunriding Lane end of the Knowsley Road Stadium 1991 Blood bin introduced. 1991 Sep Saints defeat Trafford Borough 104-12, at Knowsley Road in a 1st Round Lancashire Cup tie. Only the 2nd time in the club's history that over 100 points has been scored in one match. 1992 St. Helens defeat Wigan 17 nil, at Gateshead, to win the Charity Shield for the only time. 1993 Saints lose out to Wigan, the Division One Championship, on points difference. They gain ample revenge by defeating their fierce rivals 10-4, at Old Trafford, in the Premiership Trophy final, thus denying Wigan the 'Grand Slam'. 1995 Summer Super League concept agreed to commence in 1996. 1995 In St.

Bernard becomes Saints' mascot. 1995 In Paul Newlove signs for Saints, from Bradford Northern in a deal said to be worth £500.000. A record! 1996 Sky TV's Big Screen Video Referee introduced. 1996 A record eight St. Helens players are chosen to tour with Gt. Britain. They are Keiron Cunningham, Bobbie Goulding, Karle Hammond, Joey Hayes, Alan Hunte, Chris Joynt, Steve Prescott and Anthony Sullivan. 1996 Apr Saints defeat Bradford Bulls 40-32, in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley. It is Saints' first Challenge Cup success for 20 years and is regarded by many as being the best ever final! 1996 Aug St. Helens defeat Warrington 66-14, in front of 18,098 fans, at Knowsley Road, to claim the inaugural Super League Championship. It's their first such triumph for 21 years. 1996 In Shaun McRae is appointed St. Helens Coach. 1996 Mar St.

Helens defeat Workington Town 62 nil, at Derwent Park, in their first Super League match. 1997 May Saints retain the Challenge Cup for the first time by defeating Bradford Bulls 32-22, at Wembley. 1998 Ellery Hanley named as Sean McRae's successor as Saints' Head Coach. 1999 Oct St. Helens win their first Super League Grand Final, by defeating Bradford Bulls by 8 points to 6 at Old Trafford. 2000 Jan Saints defeated by Melbourne Storm 44-6 in the World Club Challenge played at the JJB Stadium, Wigan. 2000 Mar Ian Millward becomes Saints' Head Coach following Ellery Hanley's dismissal 2000 Oct Saints retain their Super League crown by defeating Wigan Warriors 29- 16, in the Grand Final, at Old Trafford. 2001 Apr Saints defeat Bradford Bulls 13-6, at Twickenham, to win the Challenge Cup for the 8th time, thus claiming to hold all 3 available trophies. Scrum Half, Sean Long wins the Lance Todd Trophy 2001 Jan St.

Helens are crowned as 'Champions of the World' for the very first time following their magnificent 20 points to 18 victory over highly fancied Brisbane Broncos, at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton. 2001 Jun Chris Joynt makes his 87th successive appearance for the club, at Hull FC, thus breaking Harold Smith's 72 year old club record. 2001 May At the official 'Civic Reception' at the Town Hall, following an Open Topped Bus tour of the town, St. Helens Council bestow upon the club the honour of 'Freedom of the Borough of St. Helens' 2002 Apr Wigan Warriors defeat Saints 21-12 in the Challenge Cup Final at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. 2002 Aug Chris Joynt scores his 116th try for the club v Halifax Blue Sox, thus overtaking Billy Briers' 90 year old club record for tries scored by a 'forward'. 2002 Oct Sean Long's last minute drop goal wins the Super League Grand Final for St. Helens.

Their 19-18 victory over Bradford Bulls was attained in one of the closest, most exciting RL finals. 2003 Apr Saints lose to Leeds Rhinos 26-33 in an epic Challenge Cup Semi Final that was only decided after 20 minutes 'Extra Time' played at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield. The scores were level at 26 all at Full Time following a last minute converted Leeds try. 2003 Feb Saints defeated by Sydney City Roosters 38-0 in the World Club Challenge played at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton. 2004 Mar Keiron Cunningham scores his 120th try for the club to become highest try scoring 'forward'. 2004 May Saints defeat Wigan Warriors 32-16 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to win the Challenge Cup. Sean Long wins his 2nd Lance Todd Trophy. 2005 Feb Jamie Lyon makes his Saints' debut in a, 40 points to 18, defeat of Widnes Vikings at Knowsley Road. 2005 Jun St.

Helens comprehensively beat Wigan Warriors at Knowsley Road 75-0 in a 6th Round Challenge Cup tie thus inflicting upon Wigan, their record ever loss. 2005 May Daniel Anderson succeeds Ian Millward as Saints' Head Coach 2005 Sep Saints win 78-4 at Leigh Centurions to register their highest ever score and their widest margin of victory in an 'away' match. 2005 Sep St. Helens win the Super League X Minor Premiership for finishing top of the League at the end of the regular season. 2006 Aug Saints defeat Huddersfield Giants 42-12 in the Challenge Cup Final played at Twickenham. Sean Long wins a record third Lance Todd Trophy. 2006 Oct Hull FC are defeated 26-4 in the Super League IX Grand Final at Old Trafford. Saints thus won all three domestic Trophies to claim a genuine 'treble'. 2006 Sep Saints claim the Super League XI Minor Premiership, losing only 4 matches throughout the campaign. 2006 Sep Saints claim the Super League XI Minor Premiership, losing only 4 matches throughout the campaign.

2007 Aug Saints retain the Challenge Cup in the first final played at the new Wembley Stadium. Catalans Dragons are defeated by 30 points to 8 and James Roby scores the first try at the new Stadium. Leon Pryce and Paul Wellens share the Lance Todd Trophy. 2007 Feb St. Helens win the World Club Challenge for the 2nd time, following their 18-14 defeat of Brisbane Broncos at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton. The now hold all four club trophies. 2007 Jun The club announces ambitious plans to build a new Stadium on the old U.G.B. Factory site, adjacent to the new Linkway. This involves leaving Knowsley Road, their home of 117 years. A public consultation takes place and in excess of 10,000 people sign in support of the proposed scheme. 2007 Sep St. Helens claim their third consecutive Minor Premiership as the Super League XII Shield is won. Saints have now won the last six Trophies. Sadly a month later Leeds Rhinos ended Saints' run by defeating them 33-6 in the Super League XII Grand Final.

2008 St Helens RLFC : Wikis (The Full Wiki) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia St Helens RLFC White jersey with red 'V', white shorts, white socks with red trim Founded November 19, 1873 (as St Helens Rugby Football Club) Current details Records Premierships 16 (1931-32, 1952-53, 1958-59, 1965-66, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1984-85, 1992-93, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006) Runners-up 15 (1931-32, 1952-53, 1958-59, 1965-66, 1969-70, 197

0-71, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1984-85, 1992-93, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) Most capped 3,413 - Kel Coslett St Helens Rugby League Football Club (known more commonly as St Helens RLFC or simply St Helens) are a professional rugby league club from St Helens, Merseyside , England .

They are nicknamed The Saints and are a founder member of the Northern Rugby Football Union . The club plays in the European Super League , the elite competition of European domestic rugby league, after previously playing in the Rugby Football League Championship and the Rugby League Premiership . St Helens also compete in the Challenge Cup , and have won this on 12 occasions. Their home ground is Knowsley Road , recently renamed the GPW Recruitment Stadium for sponsorship reasons, [1] but the team will move to a new 18,000 capacity stadium in 2011. [2] [3] In light of which, the club, alongside four other teams, have been put on notice by the Rugby Football League that they must have firm plans to leave Knowsley Road or forfeit their place within Super League by the commencement of the 2012 season. This is through the perceived poor condition and fabric of the stadium, resulting in a poor fan viewing experience. [4] The current Head Coach at St Helens is Australian Mick Potter , [5] and the club captain is Keiron Cunningham , of whom a bronze statue has been erected, dignifying him as the greatest ever St.

Helens player, as voted for by the Saints supporters. [6] [7] Their most recent success in the Challenge Cup came when they won the 2008 Challenge Cup , retaining the cup for a third successive year, by defeating Hull FC by 28 points to 16 at Wembley Stadium with full-back Paul Wellens receiving the Lance Todd Trophy for his man-of-the-match display. [8] They last won the Super League title in the 2006 Super League Grand Final , again defeating Hull, [9] but have since lost three consecutive finals to Leeds Rhinos . [10] [11] [12] They won the League Leader's Shield an unprecedented 4 consecutive times in Super League - between Super League X and Super League XIII . [13] [14] [15] [16] Contents Advertisements Early years St. Helens are one of the oldest members of the Rugby Football League .

[17] Founded on November 19, 1873 at the Fleece Hotel by William Douglas Herman, [18] they played their first ever match on 31st January, 1874 against Liverpool Royal Infirmary. [19] The club moved from the City Ground in 1890 where they had shared with St. Helens Recs when neither were members of the Northern Rugby Football Union. [18] They defeated Manchester Rangers in the first match played at Knowsley Road. In 1895 the club were one of 22 clubs that resigned from the Rugby Football Union and established the Northern Union . [17] The first match of the new code was an 8-3 win at home to Rochdale before 3,000 spectators, Bob Doherty scoring St Helens' first try. [20] They played in a vertically striped blue and white jersey - a stark contrast to the well known red vee which would become the kit for the club later. The club reverted back to this kit for one season during the rugby league centenary season in 1995 .

Saints are pictured in the first ever Challenge Cup Final , 1897: Batley (left) vs St Helens (right) The Challenge Cup was launched in 1897 and it was St Helens who contested its first final with Batley , at Headingley , Leeds . The "Gallant Youths" of Batley emerged victorious 10-3, [21] [22] with Dave "Red" Traynor scoring the lone St Helens' try. [23] In 1902/ 03 , the Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues were combined to form two divisions, St Helens were placed in Division 1 but finished next to bottom and suffered relegation. [24] Promotion was gained at the 1st attempt, [25] only for another poor year to see them finish once again in a relegation position. [26] However the two Divisions became one League to save the club from a 2nd relegation. [27] On 14 June 1913, St. Helens Recs joined the Northern Rugby Union after defecting from rugby union and association football .

The Recs were based at the City Road ground, after previously sharing Knowsley Road ground with St Helens when neither played rugby league. The Recs played their first game on 6 September 1913. St Helens now had two professional rugby league teams. However, St. Helens Recs played their last game on 29 April 1939, as, due to the economic depression , it was not possible for the town to sustain two teams. During the First World War years, St Helens struggled to compete and failed to complete the full fixture list of the Emergency War League on two occasions. [28] [29] [30] The club defeated town rivals St. Helens Recs in the Lancashire Cup final by 10 points to 2 in the 1926- 27 season. [31] One year after the Challenge Cup's début at Wembley , St Helens reached the final there where they were defeated by 10 points to 3 by Widnes in 1930.

[21] [32] They won their first ever National Championship in the 1931- 32 season, [33] defeating Huddersfield 9-5 in the final. [34] This was the same season that they won their second Lancashire League , [35] the first coming in the 1929- 30 season. [36] Like during the First World War, the club could not enjoy having a full-time squad during World War II and struggled to compete. They did not compete in the National Championship until a 17 team Emergency War League was formed in the 1941- 42 season, [37] and did not win any regional honours. They finished bottom of the EWL in seasons 1942- 43 [38] and 1943- 44 [39] and next-to-bottom in 1944- 45 .

[40] Post war The arrival of Jim Sullivan as head coach in 1952 [41] heralded a successful era for St Helens, and helped to establish the club as a respected force in Rugby League. Sullivan took them to their first victory in the Challenge Cup Final (against Halifax in 1956), [21] [42] as well as four Lancashire Leagues, in 1952- 53 , [43] 1956- 57 , [44] 1958- 59 [45] and 1959- 60 [46] and two National Championships (1952- 53 [47] and 1958- 59 [48] ). This was in addition to a brace of Lancashire Cups obtained in seasons 1953- 54 [49] and 1960- 61 . [50] On Saturday 24 November 1956, St Helens inflicted a touring Australia its biggest ever defeat with a 44-2 win.

[51] Ex-St Helens captain and prop-forward Alan Prescott took over from Jim Sullivan as head coach in 1961. [41] Perhaps the golden era of the club came in the 1960s , as well as more lately in the recent Super League era . With a galaxy of stars including Tom van Vollenhoven , Alex Murphy, Dick Huddart and Vince Karalius , the 1960s was a decade of great success for the Saints, with the League [52] and Cup [21] [53] double achieved in 1966. During this decade, the recognisable 'red vee' strip first appeared in 1961 for the final against Wigan. St Helens won this epic 12-6, [21] [54] and the kit has since become synonymous with the club. The 1965 New Zealand tourists appeared at Knowsley Road on Wednesday 15 September. Saints inflicted a 28-7 defeat on their visitors, [55] their biggest loss of the tour.

St Helens were beaten by Wakefield in the 1967 Rugby Football League Championship final at Station Road, Swinton on the 10th May 1967 by 20 points to 9 in a replay, [56] after a 7-7 draw 4 days earlier. [57] St. Helens reached three Challenge Cup finals in the 1970s . They defeated Leeds in 1972 16-13, [21] [58] and repeated this success three years later against Widnes in 1976 where they were victorious by 20-5 in the famous 'Dads Army' final. [21] [59] In 1978 Leeds avenged their loss against St. Helens, emerging winners by 14-12. [21] [60] On 13th December 1977, Saints lost 26-11 to Hull Kingston Rovers in the final of the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy . [61] Kel Coslett took over as coach in June 1980.

[41] [62] He held the post for two years before handing over to Billy Benyon . [41] [63] Saints won the Lancashire Cup with a 26-18 win at Wigan in 1984 [64] and won the Premiership in 1985 with a 36-16 victory over defending champions Hull Kingston Rovers. [65] The arrival of Alex Murphy as coach in 1986 [41] [66] produced some colourful displays from a team that was widely regarded as an entertaining team to watch, but seemed to be constant runners-up. This was illustrated by the shock defeat to Halifax in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley 19-18 in 1987. [67] Success was achieved in 1988 when St Helens lifted the John Player Trophy with a thrilling 15-14 victory over Leeds in January 1988, at Central Park . [68] Neil Holding with the crucial, match-winning drop-goal . St Helens lost to Widnes in the Premiership Final at Old Trafford at the end of the season.

[69] Alex Murphy was succeeded by Mike McClennan in February 1990. [41] He was head coach until December 1993, winning the Lancashire Cup , in 1991 against Rochdale , [70] and Premiership in 1993 defeating Wigan. [71] Eric Hughes succeeded Mike McClennan as head coach in 1994 [41] and held the position until 1996. Summer era Saints have also become one of the most successful side of the summer era . Since the inception of Super League they have won the competition on five occasions, and have added seven Challenge Cups to their five previous successes. St Helens defeated Bradford Bulls 8-6 in the 1999 Super League Grand Final , with more than 50,000 people witnessing Chris Joynt lift the trophy at Old Trafford. They also won the World Club Challenge in 2001 and 2007 , beating Brisbane Broncos both times. 1990's The success of the Saints in Super League began under the leadership of Shaun McRae in 1996.

During his tenure the club won one league title ( 1996 ) [72] and back-to-back successes over Bradford in the Challenge Cup (1996 [73] and 1997 [74] ). Ellery Hanley succeeded McRae in 1999 [41] and led Saints to Grand Final success against Bradford in the October of that year. [75] Hanley was considered by many to be a polarising figure and after several acrimonious disagreements with the St Helens board of directors, he was sacked a month into the following season . [76] Ian Millward was appointed as Hanley's successor as head coach. [41] 2000's Jamie Lyon preparing to kick at goal for St Helens in the 2006 Super League Grand Final victory over Hull FC at Old Trafford Under Millward, St Helens quickly became the most exciting team in the competition, playing expansive, attacking rugby.

He saw them soundly beaten in the 2000 World Club Challenge , losing 44-6 to Melbourne Storm , [77] but lead them to retaining their Super League title in 2000 beating Wigan Warriors 29-16. [78] They also won the Challenge Cup in 2001; 13-6 over the Bulls [79] , with the final held at Twickenham Stadium for the first time, [80] and the 2001 World Club Challenge , earning a 20-18 win over the Broncos. [81] [82] Millward then lead Saints to reclaim the Super League title in the 2002 Grand Final , Sean Long snatching a last minute 19-18 win over the Bradford Bulls with a drop-goal . [83] They were hammered in the 2003 World Club Challenge by Sydney Roosters by 38 points-to 0. [84] In this season, they failed to win a trophy after being knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Leeds at the semi-final stage, and the Super league play-offs by Wigan at the same stage.

In 2004 they beat arch-rivals Wigan 32-16 at the Millennium Stadium , Cardiff in front of a capacity crowd of 73,734 people to win the Challenge Cup, [85] Long gaining his second of an eventual three Lance Todd Trophies . [86] Millward's reign was not without controversy and his St Helens career ended controversially after he was suspended in May 2005. [87] He was sacked for gross misconduct a week later. [88] Daniel Anderson was appointed as coach, [41] Millward was then made coach of arch rivals Wigan. [89] Anderson saw his new team become the first team to top the Super League and fail to reach Old Trafford . [13] [90] St. Helens won the 2006 Challenge Cup final on 26 August, beating Huddersfield Giants 42-12. [91] This was their second Challenge Cup victory at Twickenham stadium, the first occasion being in 2001.

St Helens scrum-half Sean Long was awarded the Lance Todd trophy for the man-of-the-match performance during the 2006 Challenge Cup Final and in doing so became the first ever player to win a third Lance Todd trophy. These added to the awards he won in 2001 and 2004. [86] St Helens followed up their Challenge Cup win by claiming the League Leader's Shield , [14] before cementing their reputation as the team of the year by defeating Hull FC 26 points to 4 in the Super League Grand Final . [9] Once more St. Helens confirmed their status as the outstanding team of the summer era. Additionally, Paul Wellens received the Man of Steel Award . [92] In December 2006 St Helens were awarded with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award at the Annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year Ceremony. This accolade recognises the best team in any sport within the United Kingdom. At the same ceremony Daniel Anderson was given the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award - this was the first time a rugby league coach had won the award.

[93] After a slow start to the 2007 season , Saints added to their history by beating the Brisbane Broncos 18-14 to win the 2007 World Club Challenge . [94] In July, they beat Super League rivals, Bradford Bulls , [95] to reach the first Challenge Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium. [96] Here, St Helens successfully defended their Challenge Cup by defeating Catalans Dragons 30-8 in the final on 25 August 2007. [97] They were beaten in the Grand Final that year by Leeds Rhinos by 33 points to 6, [10] despite finishing at the top of the league ladder for the third successive season. [15] Saints success in the Challenge Cup continued in 2008 with a victory at the new Wembley Stadium , this time defeating Hull FC 28 - 16. [8] Paul Wellens received the Lance Todd Trophy after sharing the award with team-mate Leon Pryce the year earlier.

[86] They also achieved first place again in the 2008 Super League season - for the 4th year running [16] - winning the League Leaders Shield , and beat Leeds Rhinos 38-10 for the right to go to Old Trafford to contest the Grand Final. [98] However, St. Helens were once again defeated by Leeds Rhinos in the Grand Final , by a margin of 24 to 16, on the 4th October 2008. [11] On August 9th 2009, St Helens reached a record 9th consecutive Challenge Cup semi-final, [99] where they were beaten by 24 points to 14 by the Huddersfield Giants . [100] This prevented Saints from reaching the final at the new Wembley Stadium for a third successive time and from winning the cup for a fourth time running.

On the 3rd of October 2009, Saints defeated fierce rivals Wigan to book their place at a fourth consecutive Super League Grand Final , [101] only to loose out to Leeds in the final, 18-10, making Leeds the only team to win the Grand Final three times consecutively. Rivalries Wigan There is a strong rivalry between St. Helens and Wigan Warriors ; the local derby between the two clubs has been traditionally regarded as the biggest in British rugby league .[citation needed] Both being founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union , the derby has been played since 1895, making it amongst the most historical derbys in both British and World rugby league. Remarkably, the first encounter between the fierce rivals ended in a 0-0 draw at Knowsley Road , putting scorelines between the two such as a Saints win by 41 to 26 in Super League I into context. The games were traditionally played on Boxing Day , however were moved to Good Friday , during the busy Easter period in rugby league. More recently, the game was even played on Maundy Thursday in Super League.

In all meetings between the two clubs since Super League's inception in 1996 there have been 59 games - Saints winning 26, losing 30 and drawing only 3 times. [102] In all competitive encounters between the two since 1895, there have been 233 games, Saints winning 82, drawing 11 and losing 140. [103] They too have contested no fewer than 6 Challenge Cup Finals, and have met in one Super League Grand Final in 2000 , St Helens winning 29-16. Wigan and St Helens have also met in 4 Premiership finals, Wigan winning 3, St Helens once, 3 Lancashire Cup finals, St Helens winning two, Wigan one, and one Floodlit Trophy final in 1969, Wigan winning 7-4. Leeds and Bradford Bradford Bulls and Saints have contested several finals in the modern game, as have Leeds Rhinos and Saints, which is arguably the greatest rivalry of the two Yorkshire clubs.

They have contested the last three Super League finals but the football they have produced in recent years is considered the best in Super League and it is sometimes considered a contest in terms of pride between the two counties as there tends to be a lot of 'bad blood' between the two clubs, sometimes resulting in brawls in fans and players. Leeds and St Helens have also contested the 1971-72 and 1977-78 Challenge Cup Finals. Warrington The other "big" North West club in Super League, Warrington Wolves have also built up something of a derby-type contest with St Helens, particularly within Super League. Associates Junior Rugby in St Helens There is a massive junior and youth contingent of rugby league players in St Helens. Clubs such as Thatto Heath Crusaders and Blackbrook Royals have produced many of the former and current superstars in St Helens' squads over the years, and continue to do so.

Clubs in the St Helens area also include Bold Miners, Portico Vine, Pilkington Recs , Haydock Warriors and Haresfinch Hawks which provide players for St Helens through the junior years and the scholarship schemes at the club, before eventually signing professionally at 16. But St Helens' youth roots do not stop in the St Helens area. Indeed, club legend Keiron Cunningham signed for the club from Wigan St Judes, and Saints also look to clubs like Wigan St Patrick's and Orrell St James in the Wigan area, and Halton Farnworth Hornets in the Widnes area for youth talent. However, a criticism of the St Helens scouting system is that they tend not to look at players beyond the junior ages (6-16 years old), and talented players who continue into amateur rugby tend to be signed very rarely. Feeder clubs St Helens have, in recent years, particularly with the recent inception of the dual-registration scheme, built up partnerships with Co-operative Championship sides like Widnes Vikings and Leigh Centurions . St Helens have also been known to loan fringe players to "less strong" Super League sides such as Salford City Reds and Crusaders .

Mascots During the Super League era , the participating teams have adopted mascots and nicknames usually in alliteration with the name of their home town. The St. Helens Mascots are Boots and Bernard. Like the previous mascots St. Bernard and St. Bernadette, they are St. Bernard dogs. Bernard doesn't often appear as much as Boots as he appears a bigger and more angry version of Boots, who is a happy version. Bernard wears the number 1 on his shirt whilst Boots wears Number 2. During the 2009 Magic Weekend , in Edinburgh , Boots took part in the annual Mascot games, he came 2nd in this, behind Rufus the Red Robin of Hull Kingston Rovers . Stadia St Helens' current stadium is Knowsley Road , renamed in 2008 to the GPW Recruitment Stadium for sponsorship reasons. Prior to this, particularly when St Helens were playing simply rugby football, they shared the City Ground with St Helens Recs . They left this stadium in 1890 for Knowsley Road and have been playing there for 120 years since.

However, in 2008, St Helens were permitted by the council to begin construction on their new ground , and have confirmed that they will move in 2011. Whether the stadium will be ready for 2011 is uncertain, and grounds such as Leigh Sports Village have been suggested to home Saints for the period between. Staff Super League Super League Super League XXII Super League (known officially as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship by Betfred ) is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in Europe. The league has twelve teams: eleven from England and one from France. Commonally known in the UK as the Super League it is referred to internationally as the European Super League (ESL). The current champions are Wigan Warriors . Super League began in 1996, replacing the RFL Championship and switching from a winter to a summer season. Each team plays 23 games between February and July: 11 home games, 11 away games and a Magic Weekend game at a neutral venue. After 23 games, teams enter a Super 8 stage, the top eight play each other once more.

The top four then enter the play-off series leading to the Grand Final (formerly Championship Final ) which determines the champions. The bottom four teams go on to play the top four Championship teams in The Qualifiers to determine who will play in Super League the following season. Leeds Rhinos are the most successful club in the Super League era, having won 7 titles. However, Wigan Warriors are the most successful club overall, having won 21 British Championships . The Super League champions play the National Rugby League champions from Australasia in the World Club Challenge at the start of the season. Contents They were to be included with the following stand-alone clubs: Bradford Northern , Halifax , Leeds , London Broncos , Paris Saint-Germain , St. Helens and Wigan . However this proved so unpopular that only existing clubs were selected for the competition. The clubs finishing below 10th in the existing top flight were excluded, which meant Featherstone Rovers, Hull, Wakefield Trinity and Widnes were left out, as were pioneering club Keighley who had just won the Second Division Championship. London Broncos , who had come fourth in the Second Division, were “fast-tracked” in on commercial grounds.

A new team, Paris Saint-Germain , was created to give a French dimension. Between 1998 and 2000 there was no relegation from Super League. 2002–2008: Promotion and relegation After two years Paris were dropped from the competition. Promotion and relegation between Super League and the Rugby League National Leagues was re-introduced, and in 2002 the Super League Europe (SLE) governing body re-integrated fully into the Rugby Football League (RFL). In 2006, French side Catalans Dragons (also known as UTC or Les Catalans) from Perpignan joined the league, becoming the second non-English team to compete. To facilitate this move, two clubs were relegated from Super League at the end of the 2005 season: Leigh who finished bottom of the league were replaced by the one club coming up from the National Leagues and Widnes who finished 11th (and would have stayed up any other year) were dropped for Les Catalans, thus the number of clubs in Super League remained at 12.

2009–2014: Licensing Super League licences were announced in May 2005 by the RFL as the new determinant of the Super League competition’s participants from 2009 in place of promotion and relegation . The licences were awarded after consideration of more factors than just the on-the-field performance of a club. [1] After 2007 automatic promotion and relegation was suspended for Super League with new teams to be admitted on a licence basis with the term of the licence to start in 2009. [1] The RFL stated that clubs applying to compete in Super League would be assessed by criteria in four areas (stadium facilities, finance and business performance, commercial and marketing and playing strength, including junior production and development) with the final evaluations and decisions being taken by the RFL board of directors. [2] Successful applicants were licensed for three years of Super League competition and [3] three-yearly reviews of Super League membership took place to ensure ambitious clubs lower down the leagues can still be successful. [2] Points attained by each club’s application are translated into licence grades A, B or C.

Clubs who achieved an A or B Licence would be automatically awarded a place in Super League, while those who achieved a C Licence underwent further scrutiny before the RFL decided who made the final cut. [4] First licensing period In June 2008, the RFL confirmed that Super League would be expanded from 12 teams to 14 in 2009, [5] [6] and on 22 July 2008 the RFL confirmed the teams awarded licences. [7] The teams announced were the 12 existing Super League teams along with National League 1 teams, Celtic Crusaders and Salford . Celtic Crusaders becoming the first Welsh team to play in Super League and the only team to be awarded a licence who had never played in the Super League previously. Featherstone Rovers , Halifax , Leigh and Widnes all failed to attain a licence. Leigh and Widnes, especially, were disappointed with their exclusions with Leigh’s chairman being extremely critical of the RFL.

[8] Second licensing period For the 2012–14 seasons Championship sides Batley , Barrow , Featherstone Rovers , Halifax and Widnes all met the on-field criteria needed to submit an application, [9] but despite this only Barrow, Halifax and Widnes decided to submit an application. [10] On 31 March 2011 Widnes were awarded a Super League licence; Barrow , did not meet the criteria and were refused a licence; and Halifax’s application was to be further considered alongside the other Super League clubs. [11] The Rugby Football League ‘s final decision was announced on 26 July 2011, Widnes would be joining thirteen existing Super League teams with Crusaders RL having withdrawn their application and Halifax not meeting the criteria. [12] Crusaders CEO Rod Findlay stated that the club’s finances were not in a good enough condition to justify their place in Super League.

[13] Halifax chairman Mark Steele was critical of the decision to award Wakefield a licence over themselves, saying “If you compare Belle Vue with the Shay, it’s no contest; if you compare playing records, it’s no contest; and if you compare the financial position, we have kept our head above water and they haven’t.” [13] Wakefield had been favourites to lose their licence before Crusaders’ withdrawal. [13] 2015–Present: Super 8s At the 2013 Annual General Meeting at Bradford , the Super League clubs agreed to reduce the number of clubs to 12 from 2015, and also for a return of Promotion and Relegation with a 12 club Championship . [14] The 12 First Utility Super League and 12 Kingstone Press Championship clubs will play each other home and away over 22 “rounds”, including a Magic Weekend for both divisions.

Following the conclusion of their regular league seasons, the 24 clubs will then compete in a play-off series where they split into 3 leagues of 8 based upon league position: [15] [16] The top 8 Super League clubs will continue to compete in the Super 8s . After playing each other once (either home or away), the top 4 clubs will progress to the semi-finals to determine who will compete in the Grand Final and be crowned champions. The remaining (bottom 4) Super League clubs and the top 4 Championship clubs will compete in The Qualifiers . They will play each other once (either home or away) to determine which four of the clubs will compete in Super League the following year. Funding for clubs will be tiered in both leagues to prevent relegation related financial difficulties. In June 2015 8 of the 12 Super League clubs voted to allow a Marquee Player that can exceed a clubs salary cap as long as they can afford their wages. The marquee player rule comes into force for the 2016 Super League season. Clubs *capacity for Rugby League games may differ from official stadium capacity.

Grey- Club defunct Table shows current locations and stadiums only Non-English Teams France In 1996 Paris Saint-Germain were chosen to compete in the first season of the newly formed Super League, making them the first team outside England to compete in the top flight of English rugby league . They played in the first ever Super League game against Sheffield Eagles in Paris, winning 30–24 in front of a crowd of over 17,000. After a poor debut season French clubs refused to loan players to PSG, which resulted in bringing Australians over from the NRL which turned out to be very costly as attendances plummeted and the cost of traveling to England became too much. PSG were dissolved in 1997 after two seasons in Super League In 2005 the new franchise was awarded to Catalans Dragons to play in the 2006 Super League. To help make sure the franchise did not fail as the PSG franchise did, the RFL allowed the Dragons to sign players from other French teams for no transfer fee. They were also promised to be exempted from relegation for three years. In their first season they finished bottom of the league but Castleford Tigers were the team relegated.

Over the next few years they continually improved and in 2007 they became the first French team to reach a Challenge Cup Final. Wales Celtic Crusaders became the first Welsh team to play in Super League in 2009 after they were promoted via licence but finished bottom of the league. The next season they reach the playoffs for the first time in their second season but failed to beat Huddersfield in the first round. In 2011 they were deducted 6 points for entering administration and finished bottom of the league for a second time. They initially applied for a licence in 2011 but pulled out. They were turned down when they requested to play in the Championship and folded in 2012. The club was replaced by North Wales Crusaders in 2012 who entered League 1. All Time Super League table Correct up to end of 2016 season Rank Derbies Good Friday Derby The Good Friday Derby is contested between Wigan Warriors and St Helens R.F.C. The two clubs have been the most successful clubs in England winning 31 Challenge Cups and 33 league titles between them. They have also met in three Grand Finals in the Super League era.

Cheshire Derby The Cheshire Derby is a local derby between Warrington Wolves and Widnes Vikings . Both teams struck up a rivalry in the mid and late 20th Century being local rivals and being somewhat dominant forces in the Challenge Cup, Widnes were known as the Cup Kings during the late 1970s and 80s. In recent years the rivalry hasn’t been as strong since Widnes were relegated in 2005 and promoted back to Super League in 2011 and Warrington became bigger rivals on the field with Leeds, Wigan and St Helens. Calder Derby The Calder Derby is the local debry between Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity . Wakefield have traditionally been the more successful side winning 2 Championships and 5 Challenge Cups compared to Castleford never winning a title and winning 4 Challenge Cups. Castleford have been relegated from Super League twice, the second time against Wakefield in a game dubbed the Battle of Belle Vue. In recent seasons Wakefield have had financial difficulties and were denied planning permission for a new stadium. Castleford however have climbed up the table and are currently building a new stadium.

Coaches Structure World Club Series The World Club Series consists of three games, the first two being a series between 2 NRL teams and the Super League League Leaders and Challenge Cup winners. The third game is the World Club Challenge between the NRL and Super League Champions. Regular Super League season 12 teams compete in Super League. They play each other twice on a home-and-away basis, interrupted by the Magic Weekend round in May. The team finishing bottom after 23 rounds collects the Super League Wooden Spoon . After the 23 rounds, the top eight teams carry their points forward and play each other once (home or away) in the Super Eights. A play-off series is used to determine the two teams who will meet in the Super League Grand Final to compete for the championship. Magic Weekend In an attempt to expand out of the traditional rugby league “heartlands”, and market the game to a wider audience, the RFL has staged games in large stadia, in places without a strong rugby league presence. The “ Magic Weekend ” concept, which involves staging an entire round of Super League in such a stadium, was first staged in Cardiff in 2007.

Dubbed “Millennium Magic”, and played in the Millennium Stadium , the concept was held in Cardiff again in 2008. In 2009 and 2010, the event was held in Edinburgh at the Scottish national rugby union stadium, giving rise to the name changing to “Murrayfield Magic”. Generally held during the May Day weekend, 2011 saw the Magic Weekend return to Cardiff, and was held during the weekend 12–13 February, and serving as the season opener. It has since returned to its traditional mid-season slot and is currently held at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Stadium Unable to qualify for play-offs Qualifiers The Qualifiers Super 8s sees the bottom 4 teams from the original Super League table mixed with the top 4 teams from the Championship. The points totals are reset to 0 and each team plays 7 games each, playing every other team once. After 7 games each the teams finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd will gain qualification to the next years Super League season.

Teams finishing 4th and 5th will play in a Promotion Play-off, dubbed the “Million Pound Game” at the home of the 4th place team. This one game fixture will see the winner earn a place in the next year Super League season, whilst the loser, along with teams finishing 6th, 7th and 8th will be relegated to the next years Championship competition. Position Bold – Winners were Super League champions Super League Trophy The winner of the Grand Final is given the Super League Trophy as Super League Champions. This is considered more prestigious than the minor premiership. Each year, the year of a champion team’s triumph, team name and team captain are engraved. The record for most Super League titles won is held by Leeds with seven titles. Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield currently holds the record for captaining the most Super League title winning sides after captaining Leeds to all 7 of their grand final successes.

St Helens contested the final 6 years in a row (from 2006 until 2011) during which time they succeeded only once in lifting the trophy against Hull in 2006; after which they suffered consecutive defeats against Leeds in 2007, 2008, 2009, Wigan in 2010 and Leeds once again in 2011. However, St Helens made a victorious return in 2014, defeating rivals, Wigan 14–6. Following their 2014 and 2015 defeats to St Helens and Leeds respectively, Wigan have now equalled St Helens’s record of losing five Grand Finals. Steve Prescott Man of Steel Award The Man of Steel Award is an annual award for the best player of the season in Super League. It has continued from pre-Super League times, with the first such award given in 1977. It was renamed in honour of Steve Prescott in 2014.

Albert Goldthorpe Medal The Albert Goldthorpe Medal is a award voted for be members of the press who cast a vote after every game of the regular season. The three players who, in the opinion of the reporter, have been the three ‘best and fairest’ players in the game will receive three points, two points and one point respectively. To be eligible for a vote, a player must not have been suspended from the competition at any stage during the season. Super League Dream Team Each season a “Dream Team” is also named. The best thirteen players in their respective positions are voted for by members of the sports press. Player Betfred Betfred Super League As well as title sponsorship, Super League has a number of official partners and suppliers. [19] For the 2017 season these include Kingstone Press Cider , Dacia , Foxy Bingo , Batchelors and Specsavers . The official ball supplier is Rhino Rugby. [20] Competition rules Club trained players The ‘club trained player’ rule stipulates that each club must have a minimum number of players who are aged under 21 years or are graduates from their own academy system in their 25-man first team squad.

Clubs are also required to have a minimum number of UK-trained players (or in the case of the Catalans Dragons , France-trained players) in their squads, and also are limited to a maximum number of “overseas” trained players. The table below shows how the figures for the ruling from 2008 to 2011. [21] club trained players 5 Salary cap The Super League operates under a real-time salary cap system that will calculate a club’s salary cap position at the start of and throughout the season: [21] The combined earnings of the top 25 players must not exceed £1.825 million. Clubs will only be allowed to sign a new player if they have room under the cap. Clubs are allowed to spend a maximum of £50,000 on players outside the top 25 earners who have made at least one first grade appearance for the club during the year. Costs for players outside of the top 25 earners who do not make a first team appearance will be unregulated.

Any player who has played for the same club for at least 10 consecutive seasons will have half their salary excluded from the salary cap for his 11th and subsequent seasons. This is subject to a maximum of £50,000 for any one club. Clubs are allowed one Marquee Player who can exceed a clubs salary cap as long as they can afford the players wages. Squad announcement system Before each Super League and Tetley’s Challenge Cup fixture, each club must announce the squad of 19 players it will choose from by 2.00pm on the second day before the match day. [21] Criticism 6 4 Since its formation in 1996 only four teams have won the Super League ( Leeds Rhinos , Bradford Bulls , Wigan Warriors and St Helens RLFC ) and a total of six have taken part in the Grand Final ( Hull FC and Warrington Wolves being the other two).

Six different teams have also been the league leaders, however only one of these ( Huddersfield Giants ) is a different team to those that have appeared in the grand final, meaning that only seven different teams have been involved in the grand final or topped the regular season table, however a total of 23 teams have taken part in Super League since its inception. In comparison, in the same 20-year period, 10 different teams have won the Australasian National Rugby League competition and 13 different teams have appeared in the Grand Final . Licensing Between 2009 and 2014 teams had to apply for a license to play in Super League, this also meant there was no automatic promotion between Super League and the Championship. This was unpopular with Championship clubs because there was no fair and easy way for them to get promoted into Super League and it was seen as a closed shop. Attendances in the lower divisions dropped as a result of this system because it was felt that there was little appeal in these leagues when there was no incentive for the clubs to win the Championship . Also the only time that lower division clubs got the chance to play Super League opposition was in the early rounds of the challenge cup .

With no route to the Super League however, teams were unable to compete with top division opposition because there was no way that clubs could attract top talent when players would not be playing in top-level rugby league. M62 Corridor Another Criticism of the Super League is that most of the teams that have competed in it have been in its heartlands of the M62 Corridor between Yorkshire and Lancashire. Catalans Dragons are the only team currently playing in Super League who are outside its traditional headland in the North of England and are considered a success compared to teams such as London Broncos and Celtic Crusaders . Expansion was a key policy of the RFL when Super League was created. Along with the above-mentioned teams, Paris Saint-Germain RL competed from the beginning of the competition but departed after just two seasons due to a lack of interest and investment. Another team to fail from outside the heartlands was Gateshead Thunder who competed in the first season of Super League. After that first season they found themselves with debts of £700,000 and so accepted a grant of £1,250,000 to merge with Hull FC .

Expansion has taken place in the lower divisions and this is a continuing policy of the RFL . At present nine expansion clubs take part in the lower divisions with 1 in the Championship and 8 in the Championship 1 . In 2015, it was announced that Toulouse Olympique had been granted entry into League 1, the third division of European rugby league; the team has previously competed in the Championship. This brought the total number of expansion teams across the top 3 divisions to 10 (out of 39 clubs). In 2016 it was announced that a team based in Toronto , Canada had also been granted access to League 1. Toronto Wolfpack will begin play in the 2017 season and will take the number of expansion clubs to 11 (out of 40 clubs). This also means that teams taking part in the top 3 divisions will come from 4 countries and 2 continents. Match officials All Super League matches are governed by the laws set out by the RFL; these laws are enforced by match officials. Former Super League and International Referee Steve Ganson is the current Acting Head of the Match Officials Department and Technical Director.

Former Hull player and Huddersfield Head Coach Jon Sharp was the previous Head of the Match Officials Department of the RFL. Sharp was sacked in July 2015 and took up the role of Head Coach at Featherstone Rovers. He assumed his role at the RFL following Stuart Cummings ‘ departure in March 2013 having previously held the role of Match Officials Coach & Technical Director. Academies Reserve League In 2014 and 2015 Super League clubs were unhappy with the Dual registration system and wanted to form a Under 23 reserve leagues between the Under 19s and 1st team. Wigan, Warrington and St Helens were the first teams to propose the return of the reserve league where players could move from the under 19s and play with professional players before playing in the 1st team. A reserve league was set up in 2016 with a mixture of Super League, Championship and League 1 teams. Dual registration Clubs in both the First Utility Super League and the Kingstone Press Championships benefit from the new dual registration system which was introduced for the 2013 season.

[22] The new system is intended to complement the existing player loan system. Dual registration refers to an arrangement between clubs whereby a player continues to be registered to his current First Utility Super League club and is also registered to play for a club in the Kingstone Press Championship. The system is aimed at young Super League players who are thought to be not quite ready to make the step up to ‘week in, week out’ Super League first team duties but for whom first team match experience is likely to be beneficial for their development. Only First Utility Super League players can be dual registered and the receiving club must be a club in the Kingstone Press Championships, meaning that Super League to Super League club dual registrations are not available. A dual registered player will be eligible to play and train with both clubs in a format agreed between the clubs, subject to registration, salary cap and competition eligibility rules. The player is restricted to playing in one fixture per scheduled round of fixtures in any given week and would not be eligible to play for his First Utility Super League club on a Thursday and in a Kingstone Press Championship fixture at the weekend, for example. A receiving club will be limited to a total of five dual registered players per matchday squad.

Under 19s In 2014 the following teams will run in each of the Senior Academy divisions: [23] Super League Academy – U19s:

Question: St Helens RLFC won all three trophies in Super League 2006. Which is the only other club ever to do this?
Answer: Bradford Bulls