IMG grading system ranks Broncos 24th out of 35 clubsSeven Super League clubs achieve Grade A status
London Broncos need to improve as a club across “all categories” to stand a chance of being a long-term Super League club beyond next season, IMG has conceded after their provisional and groundbreaking gradings system was revealed on Wednesday.
Only the clubs ranked in the top 12 at the end of next season will be in Super League in 2025, and Broncos now look all-but certain to have a one-season sojourn back among the elite after being ranked significantly lower than many expected. They won promotion to Super League when they beat Toulouse in the Championship Grand Final on 16 October.
With 12th-ranked Leigh scoring 12.45 points out of the maximum of 20 and London scoring just 8.07 and finishing 24th out of the 35 professional clubs, it seems practically impossible they would be able to make that ground up via various on and off-field metrics by the time the gradings take full effect at the end of next season.
Clubs are scored on on-field performance, but also on areas like attendances and social media metrics and somewhat farcically, even if the Broncos won Super League, they likely wouldn’t score the requisite points to stay in the competition. IMG’s vice-president of sports management, Matt Dwyer, stopped short of admitting it was likely they would be replaced for 2025 but admitted it would be difficult given the work the club would have to do both on and off the field to survive.
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