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RFL Women's Super League

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This article is about English Rugby Football League Women's Super League. For other uses, see Women's Super League (disambiguation).
Women's Super League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 RFL Women's Super League
SportRugby league
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
No. of teams8
CountryEngland
Most recent
champion(s)		 York Valkyrie
(2nd title)
Most titles
TV partner(s)Sky Sports
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toRFL Women's Championship
Domestic cup(s)Women's Challenge Cup
Official websiteWomen's Super League

The Rugby Football League Women's Super League (known as the Betfred Women's Super League due to sponsorship) is the elite women's rugby league club competition in England. Originally competed between four teams in the 2017 season,[1] the league has developed with the 2023 season being contested by 12 teams playing home and away against each other in two groups with subsequent play-offs and Grand Final. In January 2023 it was announced that the league would be reduced to eight teams in the 2024 season.

History

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Before 2017: Background

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See also: Women's rugby league in the British Isles

The first female rugby league teams in England were formed in the 1980s. The Women's Amateur Rugby League Association (WARLA) was established in the mid-1980s and a league that initially had six teams expanded to 18 teams across two divisions by 1991.[2] In 2008, the Women's Rugby League Conference was inaugurated[3] and this was followed by the RFL Women's Rugby League, set up in 2014. It was mostly made up of community clubs with only Hunslet, Featherstone Rovers and Rochdale Hornets being professional clubs with a women's team. The Bradford Thunderbirds team became Bradford Bulls in 2016.[4] The league had a very low profile and only ran for three years until the Women's Super League was formed in 2017.

2017–2023: Foundations and expansion

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To give the sport a bigger profile, the Super League name used by the men's game was adopted in 2017. The new league was still made up of community clubs but more professional clubs entered a women's team, The four founding clubs were Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Featherstone Rovers and Thatto Heath Crusaders.[5] In the inaugural season Bradford Bulls finished top of the league before defeating Featherstone by 36–6 in the Grand Final to add to their success of having also won the Challenge Cup earlier in the year.[6][7] The league expanded in 2018 with Leeds Rhinos, York City Knights and Wigan Warriors joining while St Helens took over from Thatto Heath Crusaders.[8][9] Leeds took the League Leaders' Shield but were defeated 18–16 by Wigan in the Grand Final.[10] The league was expanded again to eight clubs for 2019 with the addition of Wakefield Trinity.[11] Leeds defeated League Leaders' Castleford by 20–12 to become champions in front of a record crowd for a Women's Grand Final of 1,673.[12]

In 2020, the growth of the league was planned to continue with Warrington Wolves and Huddersfield Giants joining from the Championship.[13] The structure was also slightly changed with the addition of a mid-season split and Shield Final for the bottom five clubs to play for. However, with competition suspended in 2020 the changes did not come in until the 2021 season.[14][15] A Grand Final record crowd of 4,235 saw St Helens complete the treble with a 28–0 win over Leeds and Huddersfield won the Shield Final.[16] 2022 saw the introduction of the RFL Women's Nines as a pre-season tournament for 20 teams which included all the sides in the Super League.[17] In 2022, the league expanded to 12 teams with the addition of Leigh Miners Rangers and Barrow Raiders who had been the top two teams in the 2021 Championship. It was also split into two groups with end of season promotion and relegation between them.[18] League Leaders' York lost 12–4 to Leeds in the Grand Final and Warrington won the Shield Final to earn promotion to Group 1.[19] However, as Castleford had opted to play in Group 2 in 2022 there was no relegation this season.[20]

In the 2023 season Wakefield dropped down to the Championship and were replaced by the Salford Red Devils and Leigh Leopards took the place of Leigh Miners Rangers following a partnership agreement between the two teams.[21] York Valkyrie (the renamed York City Knights) retained the League Leaders' Shield and defeated Leeds 16–6 to become champions in front of a new Grand Final record crowd of 4,547. Barrow won the Group 2 Final to secure their place in the 2024 Super League alongside Featherstone who finished top in Group 2.[22][23]

2024: Establishment of a national pyramid

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In January 2023, the Rugby Football League announced a new pyramid structure for women's rugby league based on a long term vision outlined in 2016 in which the Super League would sit above four regional divisions, Midlands, North, Roses and South, who would compete for promotion to the Super League. The WSL South had been established in 2021 and the Midlands and North leagues were launched in 2023. The change meant that the Super League would be reduced to eight teams from 2024, with four of the teams from Group 2 in 2023 joined by clubs from the Championship as part of a new tier two league.[18][24][25][26] On 24 January, when the fixtures for the 2024 Super League season were announced, it was revealed that in 2024 the second tier would have only three leagues: Midlands, Northern and Southern, from which only the winners of the Northern and Southern Championships would meet in the National Championship Final for the chance to face the bottom side of the Super League in play-off for a chance to earn promotion.[27] In October 2024, Featherstone Rovers were relegated following a 34–16 defeat to Championship winners Leigh Leopards,[28] and York Valkyrie became the first side to retain the Super League title by defeating St Helens 18–8 in the Grand Final.[29]

Clubs

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Current clubs

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Clubs in the Super League
Super League clubs
Club Location Stadia
Barrow Raiders Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria Craven Park
Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield, West Yorkshire Laund Hill, John Smiths Stadium
Leeds Rhinos Leeds, West Yorkshire Headingley Stadium
Leigh Leopards Leigh, Greater Manchester Twist Lane
St Helens St Helens, Merseyside Totally Wicked Stadium
Warrington Wolves Warrington, Cheshire Victoria Park, Halliwell Jones Stadium
Wigan Warriors Wigan, Greater Manchester Brick Community Stadium
York Valkyrie York, North Yorkshire York Community Stadium

Clubs by season

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Table of club participation in Super League by season
Super League clubs by season
Club[i] 2017 2018 2019 2020[ii] 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Barrow Raiders X X X X
Bradford Bulls T X X — X X X
Castleford Tigers X X L — X X X
Featherstone Rovers X X X — X X X X
Huddersfield Giants — X X X X X
Leeds Rhinos L D — X G X X X
Leigh Leopards[iii] X X X
Salford Red Devils X
St Helens[iv] X X X — T X X L X
Wakefield Trinity X — X X
Warrington Wolves — X X X X X
Wigan Warriors G X — X X X X X
York Valkyrie[v] X X — X L W G X
Source: [5] [31] [32] [33] [34] [18] [21] [35] [36]
Source: Match Centre
  1. ^ Bold denotes club in 2025 Super League
  2. ^ No competition held in 2020
  3. ^ As Leigh Miners Rangers in 2022[21]
  4. ^ As Thatto Heath in 2017[30]
  5. ^ As York City Knights from 2018 to 2022[21]
Legend
  • X = Participated in season
  • L = League Leaders
  • G = Grand Final winners
  • W = Won both League Leaders' Shield and Grand Final
  • D = Double winners (Grand Final and Challenge Cup)
  • T = Treble winners (League, Grand Final and Challenge Cup)

Season structure

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Historical

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Between 2017 and 2019 the league was played with each team playing all the others home and away. With only four teams competing in 2017, the top team at the end of the regular season qualified for the Grand Final against the winner of a play-off between the second and third-placed teams.[37] In 2018 and 2019, the top four teams played two semi-finals and the winners met in the Grand Final.[38][39] n For 2021 a new structure was introduced. At the start of the season it was planned that the ten teams would play each other once, home or away over nine rounds. After this the top four would play-off for a place in the Grand Final and the remaining six teams would compete for the Shield.[40] However, In July a change to the format was announced in which the league was split in half. The top five went into a play-off section where each team played the others once more. The team finishing top of this play-off section won the League Leaders' Shield. The top four in the play-offs then met in two semi-finals and the winners of these two games competed in the Grand Final. The bottom five teams in the regular season entered the Shield competition which followed an identical format to the play-offs, where the winners of the two semi-finals met in the Shield final.[41]

2022 saw further changes with the Super League expanded to 12 teams and split from the outset into two sections; Group 1 and Group 2. This decision was made to introduce more competitive fixtures as the 2021 season drew criticism for the number of very one-sided matches.[42] The same format was retained for 2023.[43]

2024 format

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In early 2023, it was announced that from 2024 the league would be reduced to eight clubs as part of a new integrated structure for the women's game in the United Kingdom. At the end of the season, the bottom side in the competition will face a national champion (the winner of play-offs between the tier-two regional divisions) for a place in the Super League the following season. In previous years admission to the Super League had been by invitation only.[43]

Final venues

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Four venues have so far hosted the Grand Final. In 2017 and 2018 the Grand Final and the Championship Final were played at the Manchester Regional Arena before the men's Grand Final at Old Trafford.[44][45] The 2019 final was played at the Totally Wicked Stadium on a Friday night. It was originally planned to take place at Headingley, but was rescheduled due to the Rugby League World Cup 9s.[46] Headingley was also the intended venue for the 2020 Grand Final.[47] It eventually hosted the event in 2021 when the Grand Final and the Shield final were played as double-headers,[48] as they also were in 2022 at the Totally Wicked Stadium.[49] In 2023, the Grand Final was played at York Community Stadium along with the Group 2 promotion final.[50]

City Stadium Years
Manchester Manchester Regional Arena 2017–2018
St Helens Totally Wicked Stadium 2019, 2022, 2024
Leeds Headingley 2020–2021
York York Community Stadium 2023

Results

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See also: RFL Women's Super League Grand Final
List of grand final winners, runners-up and league leaders by season
Season Champions Score Runners-up League Leaders
2017 Bradford Bulls 36–60 Featherstone Rovers Bradford Bulls
2018 Wigan Warriors 18–16 Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos
2019 Leeds Rhinos 20–12 Castleford Tigers Castleford Tigers
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021 St Helens 28–00 Leeds Rhinos St Helens
2022 Leeds Rhinos 12–40 York City Knights York City Knights
2023 York Valkyrie 16–60 Leeds Rhinos York Valkyrie
2024 York Valkyrie 18–80 St Helens St Helens

Champions

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List of teams by number of Grand Final wins
Club Wins Runners up Winning Years
1 Leeds Rhinos 2 3 2019, 2022
2 York Valkyrie 2 1 2023, 2024
3 Bradford Bulls 1 0 2017
3 Wigan Warriors 1 0 2018
3 St Helens 1 1 2021
6 Featherstone Rovers 0 1
6 Castleford Tigers 0 1

League Leaders' Shield

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The League Leaders' Shield is awarded to the team finishing the regular season top of Super League.

List of teams by number of League Leaders' Shield wins
Club Wins Winning years
1 York Valkyrie 2 2022,[51] 2023[52]
St Helens 2 2021,[53] 2024[54]
2 Bradford Bulls 1 2017[55]
Leeds Rhinos 1 2018[56]
Castleford Tigers 1 2019[57]

The Double

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Main article: Double (rugby league)

In rugby league, the term 'the Double' is referring to the achievement of a club that wins the top division and Challenge Cup in the same season. Since the establishment of the Super League it has been achieved by the following teams:

Club Wins Winning years
1 Bradford Bulls 1 2017[58]
Leeds Rhinos 1 2019[59]
St Helens 1 2021[58]

The Treble

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Main article: Treble (rugby league)

The Treble refers to the team who wins all three domestic honours on offer during the season; Grand Final, League Leaders' Shield and Challenge Cup. In 2012, Featherstone Rovers won the first Challenge Cup, finished top of the Women's Rugby League Premier Division and won the Championship final.[60][61] In 2013, Thatto Heath Crusaders matched the achievements of Featherstone to claim their first treble.[62][63][64] When Thatto Heath won the treble again in 2016[65] they also defeated French champions Biganos to claim the European Challenge title.[66] Since the establishment of the Super League the treble has been achieved by the following teams:

Club Wins Winning years
1 Bradford Bulls 1 2017[58]
St Helens 1 2021[58]

Awards

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Woman of Steel award

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The Woman of Steel is an annual award for the best player of the season in Super League. It was formed in 2018 to become a part of the Man of Steel Awards at the end of the men's Super League season.[67]

Sponsorship

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In August 2019, a sponsorship deal with bookmakers Betfred was announced to start immediately and run until the end of the 2021 season (concurrent with Betfred's sponsorship of Super League).[68] In October 2021, it was announced that the sponsorship deal had been was extended for a further two years.[69] A three-year extension to the sponsorship was announced in October 2023 as part deal that included men's, women's and wheelchair cup and league competitions.[70]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Women's Super League kicks off..." Rugby Football League. 24 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  2. ^ "These Girl Can: The Wider Impacts of the Development and Growth of Women's & Girls' Rugby League (March 2021)" (PDF). Rugby Football League. p. 14. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Women Ready For Kick Off". Rugby league Conference. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011.
  4. ^ "Club of the Week: Bradford Bulls". Rugby-League.com. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b "These Girl Can: The Wider Impacts of the Development and Growth of Women's & Girls' Rugby League (March 2021)" (PDF). Rugby Football League. p. 16. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Bradford Bulls become first-ever Women's Super League champions". Rugby-League.com. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Bradford Bulls to take on Leeds Rhinos in headline act of Women's Super League round one". Rugby-League.com. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Women's Super League fixtures announced". Rugby-League.com. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  9. ^ "St Helens join forces with Thatto Heath Crusaders to enter Women's Super League". Rugby-League.com. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Women's Super League Grand Final: Wigan Warriors beat Leeds Rhinos to win title". BBC Sport. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Wakefield Trinty join Women's Super League for 2019 season". BBC Sport. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Leeds triumph in Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final". Rugby-League.com. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  13. ^ Heppenstall, Ross (8 November 2019). "Women's Super League expands again as Warrington Wolves and Huddersfield Giants sign up". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  14. ^ "2020 Betfred Women's Super League fixtures released". Rugby-League.com. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Covid-19 forces cancellation of Women's Competitions in 2020". Rugby-League.com. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  16. ^ "St Helens complete historic treble". Rugby-League.com. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Rugby Football League confirm Women's Nines competition". Love Rugby League. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  18. ^ a b c "Betfred Women's Super League to expand again in 2022". Rugby-League.com. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final and Shield Final Round-Up". Rugby-League.com. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Statement: Castleford Tigers Women". Rugby-League.com. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  21. ^ a b c d "Salford Red Devils and Leigh Leopards to join BWSL in 2023". Rugby-League.com. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  22. ^ "York Valkyrie win first Betfred Women's Super League title in front of record Grand Final crowd". Rugby-League.com. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League Update – September 10". Rugby-League.com. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  24. ^ "New second tier competitions fuel expansion of Women's Super League". Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final 2023: Official Programme (PDF). p. 34. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  25. ^ "RFL reveal exciting national pyramid for growing women's game". Love Rugby League. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  26. ^ Walker, Callum (31 January 2023). "RFL reveals groundbreaking new structure for Women's Super League and lower tiers". TotalRL.com. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  27. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League 2024 fixtures confirmed". Leeds Rhinos. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Leigh look forward to life at the top". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3451. 7 October 2024. p. 22.
  29. ^ "Valkyrie fight back to stun Saints and retain title". BBC Sport. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  30. ^ "St Helens join forces with Thatto Heath Crusaders to enter Women's Super League". Rugby Football League. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  31. ^ "Women's Super League fixtures announced". Rugby-League.com. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Wakefield Trinity join 2019 Women's Super League". Rugby-League.com. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Giants and Wolves to join Betfred Women's Super League in 2020". Rugby-League.com. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  34. ^ Marsden, Lorraine (10 March 2021). "Betfred Women's Super League to return next month". TotalRL. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  35. ^ "Women's Super League and Challenge Cup 2024 fixtures and kick-off times". Sky Sports. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  36. ^ "Leigh Leopards Promoted to Super League!". www.womensrl.com. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  37. ^ "Bradford Bulls seal Super League Grand Final place". Rugby-League.com. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Castleford secure top four spot". Rugby-League.com. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  39. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League semi-final preview". Rugby-League.com. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  40. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League 2021 fixtures confirmed, and regular coverage on Twitch". Rugby-League.com. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  41. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League brings forward mid-season break". Rugby-League.com. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  42. ^ "Women's Super League: Barrow Raiders and Leigh Miners Rangers join expanded 12-team competition for 2022". Sky Sports. 2 November 2021.
  43. ^ a b Ibbetson, Stephen (5 February 2023). "RFL take national view in restructure of women's leagues from 2024". TotalRL.com.
  44. ^ "Two Super League Grand Finals coming up in Manchester!". Rugby-League.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  45. ^ "Women's Rugby League Finals Day to be streamed live on Our League". Rugby-League.com. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  46. ^ "Totally Wicked Stadium confirmed as venue for Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final". Rugby-League.com. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  47. ^ "2020 Betfred Women's Super League fixtures released". Rugby-League.com. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  48. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final Preview". Rugby-League.com. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  49. ^ "Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final going live to viewers in Northern and Southern hemispheres". Rugby-League.com. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  50. ^ "York Valkyrie win first Betfred Women's Super League title in front of record Grand Final crowd". Rugby-League.com. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  51. ^ "York City Knights claim Betfred Women's Super League Leaders' Shield". Rugby-League.com. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  52. ^ "Women's Super League: York Valkyrie secure top spot to retain Leaders' Shield". BBC Sport. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  53. ^ "St Helens Women clinch League Leaders' Shield". Rugby-League.com. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  54. ^ "Saints crush Barrow to win shield as Leeds beat Wigan". BBC Sport. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  55. ^ "Bradford Bulls seal Super League Grand Final place". Rugby-League.com. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  56. ^ "Leeds Rhinos win League Leaders' Shield as semi-finals confirmed". Rugby-League.com. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  57. ^ "Castleford lift League Leaders' Shield". Rugby-League.com. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  58. ^ a b c d "Rugby League World Cup: 'It's been a long journey with lots of tears', says Amy Hardcastle". BBC Sport. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  59. ^ "Women's Super League Grand Final: Leeds Rhinos 20-12 Castleford Tigers". BBC Sport. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  60. ^ "Featherstone win Women's Challenge Cup". Love Rugby League. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  61. ^ "Women's Rugby League". Women's Rugby League. Archived from the original on 29 December 2012.
  62. ^ "Civic salute for for[sic] triumphant women's rugby league squad". St Helens Star. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  63. ^ "Premier League Table". Women's Rugby league. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014.
  64. ^ "News". Women's Rugby League. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014.
  65. ^ "Bradford Bulls Women's Team". Bradford Bulls Foundation. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  66. ^ "Club of the Week | Thatto Heath Crusaders". Rugby-League.com. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  67. ^ "First ever Woman of Steel shortlist announced". Rugby Football League. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  68. ^ "Betfred sponsor Women's Super League as Grand Final brought forward". Love Rugby League. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  69. ^ "Betfred boost for Championship, League 1, Women's Super League and Wheelchair Super League". Rugby-League.com. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  70. ^ "RL Commercial and Betfred confirm a record-breaking three-year extension". Rugby-League.com. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
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