St Helens owner throws support behind Super League expansion as vehement support outlined

St Helens owner Eamonn McManus has explained the key factors behind his decision to vote in favour of expanding Super League to 14 teams, citing the need to remove loop fixtures while also ensuring the promoted sides are given an equal recruitment environment.

Last week, it was decided that Super League would once again become a 14-team competition from 2026, with the idea to both grow the game and eliminate loop fixtures.

Of the 12 current Super League sides, Saints were among the nine who voted in favour of expansion and adding two extra teams into the top-flight next year.

Wigan Warriors abstained from voting, while Hull FC and Hull KR voted against the proposal.

12 of the 14 spots in Super League for 2026 will be decided via the IMG grading system, while teams 13 and 14 will be handed their spots in the top-flight following based upon independent panel’s judgement.

‘The in principle majority decision to expand to 14 teams was made by Super League club owners one year ago’

There has been a mixed reaction to the news of Super League’s expansion from pretty much all quarters, with Saints owner – and chairman – McManus very much on the ‘positive’ side of the fence.

The 69-year-old had already thrown his support behind the return of controversial former RFL chair Nigel Wood into the same role alongside the likes of Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont and Leeds Rhinos CEO Gary Hetherington.

And McManus has now outlined his reasoning for voting in favour of the expansion in a lengthy statement.

That statement reads: “The competition structure and size has been subject to perennial and exhaustive review, analysis, and debate by, and between, all Super League clubs over a number of years.

“It has been uniformly recognised that the loop fixtures inherent in a 12-team competition results in material revenue reductions due to understandable unpopularity with fans and the consequent effects on gate receipts, sponsorship, hospitality, and broadcast appeal.

“It also undermines competition parity and integrity. It destroys value in many ways and at many levels.

“The in principle majority decision to expand to 14 teams was made by Super League club owners one year ago, but after discussions with the RFL, it was decided to defer implementation from the 2025 season to 2026 in order to conduct further preparatory measures.

“Detailed analysis carried out by individual clubs was then supplemented by an independent study conducted by the recently formed Strategic Review Committee of the RFL.

“It discussed this and other matters over a period with individual clubs. It was then presented comprehensively to Super League clubs before the shareholders’ meeting last week. It recommended in favour.

“No clubs voted against increasing to 14 teams, although two preferred a further deferral to 2027.”

‘If the stringent standards to be applied by the review panel are not met by two additional clubs, then the competition will remain at 12 in 2026’

Amid all of the criticism that the decision to expand has received, the most common cause for concern has been the way in which teams 13 and 14 will be granted their spots.

But McManus is certain that the process will be a fair one, pointing towards Leigh’s promotion in similar circumstances ahead of the 2021 campaign after they were chosen to replace Toronto Wolfpack following the Canadian outfit’s demise.

McManus’ statement continues: “Importantly, any final decision is conditional upon detailed review and due diligence to be conducted by a highly qualified and experienced panel to be chaired by Lord Jonathan Caine.

“A person of the highest integrity and probity, he oversaw the same process as previously employed to select Leigh to join Super League four years ago.

“Undoubtedly, it worked then and is now tried and tested: Leigh Leopards have gone from strength to strength and have since contributed significant additional value to Super League.

“It is critical that such a process is employed over and above the IMG grading system for existing clubs, as grading alone does not guarantee solvency and growth, as has unfortunately been amply illustrated by the continuing Salford debacle.

“If the stringent standards to be applied by the review panel are not met by two additional clubs, then the competition will remain at 12 in 2026. No unnecessary or unjustifiable risks will be assumed by the competition.

“Throughout each of the 28 years of Super League, our principal broadcast partners have taken the consistent view that it is the decision of the Super League clubs alone to determine the size and composition of their own competition.

“Recent private discussions with them have reconfirmed this longstanding and wholly understandable stance.

“There are some very exciting potential club additions to our competition for next season. The latest success story of Wakefield Trinity amply illustrates the ability of well-funded, ambitious and visionary Championship clubs to add new excitement and value to Super League, even in their first year of participation.

“There is real potential and opportunity to add two more, and the rigorous selection process to be adopted and applied will only in turn strengthen and focus new applicants’ business plans and strategies in time for 2026.

“Certainly, our own view was that 2027 would have presented any Super League newcomers with an even more challenging recruitment environment in view of the then additional demand for players from Perth Bears, and even from the potential new global rugby union franchise which will undoubtedly target the existing rugby league player pool.”

‘Carefully and correctly selected competition growth can only enhance this essential objective’

Having spent circa 20 years in Hong Kong working in investment banking earlier in his career, McManus has been at the heart of Saints for over two decades now.

His statement concludes: “This competition growth decision represents the first component of a more wide-ranging overview of the game by the recently appointed Strategic Review Committee of the RFL.

“It is the only component which constitutionally required shareholders’ approval, and therefore it needed earlier and separate action.

“Recent years have witnessed very significant levels of investment in a number of Super League clubs with new or additional owners. This has undoubtedly added to the competitive strength and prospects of the competition.

“To underpin and expand this trend through a robust and exhaustive independent selection process can only add to the growing investment momentum which individual clubs are experiencing, probably now at its highest level in the history of the game.

“This decision now has to be supported and complemented by a stronger investment case being developed for the game itself.

“Carefully and correctly selected competition growth can only enhance this essential objective.”

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