Championship CEO proposes alternative promotion method for Super League expansion
A Championship match ball
Doncaster CEO Carl Hall has suggested an alternative method for promotion to Super League next year for two clubs following news the competition will expand in size.
The top 12 clubs in the IMG rankings will be automatically assured of a place in the top-flight in 2026, as was originally expected to be the case at the beginning of the season.
But in a surprising twist, it will not be the next two highest-ranked clubs who make up the 13th and 14th teams in Super League – it will be two handpicked clubs chosen by an independent panel.
That has led to outcry over the validity in changing the rules so late into the current season.
Hall insists Doncaster are ‘ready to push the button’ on a place in Super League if asked, with many second tier teams expected to publicly reveal their ambitions over the coming days and weeks.
But he insisted there may be a better method for picking the two extra teams in the competition next year: the pair who reach this year’s Championship Grand Final.
Hall said in a statement: “I strongly believe that the two clubs joining the top flight for 2026 should be decided on merit – and by that I mean on-field performance only.
“The Betfred Championship league leaders and the winners of the play-off final are the two clubs which should make up the 14.
“The foundation of this incredible sport is fearless, full-blooded competition and it is that which should determine how each of the divisions are formed.”
Hall admitted, however, that the Dons were in favour of Super League becoming a 14-team league.
He said: “We welcome the decision to expand Super League to 14 teams from next season. This is a significant step forward in the efforts to strengthen the game in this country.
“If the opportunity presents itself for this club to reach Super League, we are ready to push the button. We are incredibly passionate about growing the Dons both on and off the pitch and know that Super League is the ultimate destination.”
