Super League (Europe)
Super League XII
Sport	Rugby League
Founded	1996
No. of teams	12
Country	France  United Kingdom
Current champions	St Helens

Super League (Europe) began in March 1996 and is the only full-time professional rugby league competition operating in the northern hemisphere. Most of the teams are based in Great Britain, though there has been French involvement with Paris Saint Germain at the birth of the Super League and French club Union Treiziste Catalane, known as Les Catalans Dragons, have joined for the 2006 season. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Rugby Super League. Image File history File links Current_sport. ... Image:Engage Super League Logo. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2405x1208, 645 KB) Summary The horizontal version of the Super League logo with engage design incorporated. ... Rugby league football is a full-contact team sport played by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ... See also: 1995 in sports, other events of 1996, 1997 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Terry Labonte Rusty Wallace wins the Suzuka NASCAR Thunder 100 at Suzuka City November 24, the first NASCAR... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... St Helens Rugby League Football Club or simply Saints are a professional rugby league club from St Helens, England. ... Rugby league football is a full-contact team sport played by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ... Paris Saint Germain were a rugby league club based in the suburbs of Paris, France who competed for the first two seasons of the Super League. ... Les Catalans are a French rugby league club based primarily in the town of Perpignan in the south of France. ... Super League XI is the official name for the 2006 engage Super League club season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. ...

During the league's regular season, each team plays 28 games over 28 rounds from February to September. At the end of the regular season, the top six teams in Super League play in the playoffs, which finishes with the Grand Final.

Each year the competition winners play a game against the premiers of the Australasian NRL competition in the World Club Challenge. NRL may refer to: National Rugby League Namespace Routing Language National Rookie League Numaligarh Refinery Limited US Naval Research Laboratory North Ronaldsay Airport, the IATA airport code Category: ... The 2005 WCC logo. ...

Teams

Super League (Europe)
Team	Stadium	City/Area
Bradford Bulls	Grattan Stadium, Odsal	Bradford
Catalans Dragons	Stade Gilbert Brutus	Perpignan, France
Harlequins RL	Twickenham Stoop	Twickenham, London
Huddersfield Giants	Galpharm Stadium	Huddersfield
Hull FC	Kingston Communications Stadium	Kingston upon Hull
Hull Kingston Rovers	Craven Park	Kingston upon Hull
Leeds Rhinos	Headingley Carnegie Stadium	Leeds
Salford City Reds	The Willows	Salford
St Helens RFC	Knowsley Road	St Helens
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	Belle Vue	Wakefield
Warrington Wolves	Halliwell Jones Stadium	Warrington
Wigan Warriors	JJB Stadium	Wigan

Image File history File links Bullscolours. ... Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, England. ... Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. ... The larger City of Bradford Metropolitan District includes other settlements in the surrounding area. ... Image File history File links Catalanscolours. ... Les Catalans are a French rugby league club based primarily in the town of Perpignan in the south of France. ... Perpignan (French: Perpignan, pronounced ; Catalan Perpinyà) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France. ... Image File history File links Quinscolours. ... Harlequins Rugby League is a rugby league club representing the greater London area. ... The Stoop is the popular name for the home stadium of the London rugby union club Harlequins, which plays in the second level of English rugby union, National Division One. ... Twickenham is a suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south west London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Giantscolours. ... Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club based at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield, in the Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire. ... The Galpharm Stadium is a multi-use sports stadium in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. ... Huddersfield is a large town in England near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. ... Image File history File links Hullcolours. ... For the football (soccer) team of the same city, see Hull City A.F.C. Hull FC is a professional rugby league club formed in 1865 and based in Hull, England. ... Kingston Communications Stadium (also referred to as the KC Stadium). It is named after the stadiums sponsors, Kingston Communications and is a new facility for the city of Hull hosting football, rugby league and a series of pop concerts. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... Image File history File links HKRcolours. ... Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is a British rugby league club playing in Super League (Europe), having won promotion from League One of the National League in the 2006 season. ... New Craven Park is the home of Hull Kingston Rovers RLFC, situated on Preston Road in Hull. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... Image File history File links Rhinoscolours. ... Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club who are based in Headingley in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire. ... Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley. ... Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... Image File history File links Redscolours. ... Salford City Reds are a British professional rugby league club based in Salford near Manchester. ... The Willows is home of the Salford City Reds Rugby League team. ... Salford is a city in Greater Manchester in the north-west of England. ... Image File history File links Saintscolours. ... St Helens Rugby League Football Club or simply Saints are a professional rugby league club from St Helens, England. ... The home of St Helens Rugby League football Club since 1890, Knowsley Road is one of the most famous grounds in Rugby League. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Wcatscolours. ... Wakefield Trinity Wildcats is a professional rugby league club that plays in the Super League. ... Belle Vue is a multi-use stadium in Wakefield, England. ... Wakefield The Town Hall, Wood St. ... Image File history File links Wolvescolours. ... Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league team in the town of Warrington, Cheshire in England. ... The Halliwell Jones stadium is a state-of-the-art purpose built rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Wigancolours. ... Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league team based in Wigan, England. ... The JJB Stadium is a sports stadium located within the Robin Park Complex in Newtown, Wigan, Greater Manchester. ... Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. ...

History

The competition was first mooted during the Australian Super League war as a way for Rupert Murdoch to gain the upper hand during the battle for broadcasting supremacy with the Australian Rugby League. Murdoch also approached the British clubs to form Super League (Europe) (SLE). A large sum of money aided the decision, and the competition got under way in 1996. Part of the deal saw rugby league switch from a winter to a summer season. The Super League war was a battle for the control of broadcast rights for the sport of Rugby League. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Australian Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. ...

Initially, several mergers between existing clubs were proposed:

• Castleford, Wakefield and Featherstone Rovers would form Calder
• Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers would form Humberside
• Whitehaven RLFC, Workington Town, Barrow and Carlisle would form Cumbria
• Warrington and Widnes were to form Cheshire
• Salford and Oldham were to form Manchester
• Sheffield and Doncaster were to form South Yorkshire

They were to be included with the following stand-alone clubs: Castleford Tigers are one of the most famous rugby league clubs in England. ... Wakefield Trinity Wildcats is a professional rugby league club that plays in the Super League. ... Featherstone Rovers are a professional rugby league team, based at Post Office Road in Featherstone, West Yorkshire in England. ... For the football (soccer) team of the same city, see Hull City A.F.C. Hull FC is a professional rugby league club formed in 1865 and based in Hull, England. ... Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is a British rugby league club playing in Super League (Europe), having won promotion from League One of the National League in the 2006 season. ... Whitehaven RLFC is a rugby league team playing in Whitehaven in West Cumbria. ... Workington Town is a rugby league team playing in Workington in West Cumbria. ... Barrow Raiders are a British rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. ... Carlisle RLFC were a rugby league team based in Carlisle, Cumbria. ... Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league team in the town of Warrington, Cheshire in England. ... Widnes Vikings are a professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. ... Salford City Reds are a British professional rugby league club based in Salford near Manchester. ... Oldham Roughyeds are a British Rugby league club, founded in 1876 and currently playing in the League One of the National Leagues. ... Sheffield Eagles RLFC are a rugby league team based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. ... Doncaster Lakers are a British rugby league club, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire. ...

• St Helens
• Wigan
• Leeds
• Bradford
• Halifax
• London
• Paris
• Toulouse

However this proved so unpopular that only existing clubs were selected for the competition. Several clubs currently in the existing top flight were excluded, including Widnes and pionerring club Keighley Cougars, who had been feted by then Prime Minister John Major for their massive success, huge attendance increases (300 to over 6,000 in 3 years), unique community involvement (drugs education classrooms, etc.) and investment in top flight players and facilities. The denial of Premier League status eventually caused Keighley Cougars' collapse. Other teams from the lower divisions (such as London Broncos, now known as Harlequins Rugby League) were “fast-tracked” in on commercial grounds. A new team, Paris Saint Germain, was created to give a French dimension. Keighley Cougars are a semi-professional rugby league team from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. ... Sir John Major, KG, CH, PC (born 29 March 1943) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the British Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. ... Harlequins Rugby League is a rugby league club representing the greater London area. ... Paris Saint Germain were a rugby league club based in the suburbs of Paris, France who competed for the first two seasons of the Super League. ...

After two years Paris were dropped from the competition, thus the 'Europe' in 'Super League (Europe)', became somewhat otiose; it was however retained. Promotion and relegation between Super League and the Rugby League National Leagues was re-introduced, and in 2002 the SLE governing body re-integrated fully into the Rugby Football League. For most intents and purposes, Super League is now simply a re-titled first division of British Rugby League. However, in 2006, French side Les Catalans (also known as UTC or Catalans Dragons) from Perpignan joined the league (giving more credence to the Super League (Europe) name). In order to facilitate this move, two clubs were relegated from Super League at the end of the 2005 season, with only one club coming up from the National Leagues, thus the number of clubs in Super League remained at 12. Promotion may mean: Promotion (chess), a term used in the game of chess Promotion (marketing), a marketing term Promotion (rank), an increase in position in a hierarchy Promotion (academic), German academic degree that is roughly equivalent to the Ph. ... In the sports leagues — especially soccer leagues — of many countries, relegation (or demotion) means the mandated transfer of the worst team(s) (often the bottom three) of a higher league into a lower league at the end of the season. ... The Rugby League National Leagues (currently known as the LHF Healthplan National Leagues as a result of sponsorship) form the basis for rugby league competition in Great Britain below Super League. ... The Rugby Football League logo The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. ... Les Catalans are a French rugby league club based primarily in the town of Perpignan in the south of France. ... Perpignan (French: Perpignan, pronounced ; Catalan Perpinyà) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France. ...

The Future

After 2009 there will be no automatic promotion or relegation from Super League and new teams will be admitted on a franchise basis. 3 yearly reviews of franchises will take place to ensure ambitious clubs lower down the leagues can still be successful. However some teams including newly crowned champions Saints, newly promoted Hull KR & Wakefield are not yet guaranteed entry due to ground requirements St Helens Rugby League Football Club or simply Saints are a professional rugby league club from St Helens, England. ... Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is a British rugby league club playing in Super League (Europe), having won promotion from League One of the National League in the 2006 season. ... Wakefield Trinity Wildcats is a professional rugby league club that plays in the Super League. ...

Structure

Currently, 12 teams compete in Super League. They play each other twice on a home-and-away basis. An additional five fixtures are then played, including the Millennium Magic round (prior to 2007,an additional six fixtures were added). After the 27 rounds, a play-off structure is then used to determine the two teams who will meet in the Super League Grand Final to decide the championship. Currently the top six teams enter the play-offs. The structure is designed to reward the teams finishing nearer the top with easier routes to the Grand Final, which is played at Old Trafford. The system works like this: Millennium Magic is a concept by the Rugby football league (RFL) to take an entire round of Super League matches to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. ... A play-off structure involving the top six teams has been used to determine the winners of the Super League competition in British rugby league since 2000. ... Old Trafford (given the nickname The Theatre of Dreams by Sir Bobby Charlton) is a football stadium in the Greater Manchester borough of Trafford, and is the home of Manchester United F.C.. The ground has been Uniteds permanent home since 1910, bar an eight year absence from 1941...

Week One

• Elimination Semi-final A: 3rd vs 6th ( Leeds 17-18 Warrington )
• Elimination Semi-final B: 4th vs 5th ( Bradford 52-6 Salford )

Week Two Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• Elimination Final: Winners of Elimination Semi-final A vs Winners of Elimination Semi-final B ( Warrington 24-40 Bradford )
• Qualification Match: 1st vs 2nd ( St Helens 12-8 Hull FC )

Week Three Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Saintscolours. ... Image File history File links Hullcolours. ...

• Final Qualifier: Winners of Elimination Final vs Losers of Qualification Match ( Hull FC 19-12 Bradford )

Week Three Image File history File links Hullcolours. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• Grand Final: Winners of Qualification Match vs Winners of Final Qualifier ( St Helens 26-4 Hull FC )

In earlier seasons the championship was decided on the basis of the league table alone, with the play-offs leading to a separate Premiership Final. Now a minor prize is given to the team finishing top (the League Leader's Shield); the real prize is to win the Grand Final. Image File history File links Saintscolours. ... Image File history File links Hullcolours. ... The Rugby League Premiership was a competition for British rugby league clubs that operated between 1973 and 1995. ... The League Leader’s Shield is a trophy awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League (Europe) in the sport of rugby league. ...

Results

See Rugby League Championship for full list of championship winners (1895-date). The Rugby League Championship was the major professional competition organised by the Rugby Football League in Great Britain. ...

This making St. Helens RLFC, or the Saints, the most successful team in all compitions in the superleague era to date. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article details the second year of the top-level professional rugby league championship held in Europe: Super League (Europe). ... Super League VI is the official name for the 2001 super league season in the sport of rugby league. ... Super League X is the official name for the 2005 engage Super League season in the sport of rugby league. ... Super League XI is the official name for the 2006 engage Super League club season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. ... Image:Engage Super League Logo. ...

2006 Season

Main article: Super League XI

The competition kicked off the weekend after the World Club Challenge. This season saw the entry of Catalan Dragons, who are the first French team to compete since the demise of Paris Saint Germain at the end of Super League II. Super League XI is the official name for the 2006 engage Super League club season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. ... Les Catalans are a French rugby league club based primarily in the town of Perpignan in the south of France. ...

Castleford Tigers were relegated from Super League on Saturday 16 September after finishing the regular season in 11th place (Catalans Dragons were exempt from relegation and finished 12th, therefore 11th placed-team was relegated). September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ...

In the Grand Final St. Helens beat Hull FC by 26-4 at Old Trafford, Manchester in front of a crowd of 72,575 which is a record for a Super League Grand Final. At half time the score stood at 10-4 for St. Helens. The Saints raced ahead in the second half with several tries. This victory, in addition to their Challenge Cup win and League Leader's Shield, meant that they had completed the league treble. For the football (soccer) team of the same city, see Hull City A.F.C. Hull FC is a professional rugby league club formed in 1865 and based in Hull, England. ... Old Trafford (given the nickname The Theatre of Dreams by Sir Bobby Charlton) is a football stadium in the Greater Manchester borough of Trafford, and is the home of Manchester United F.C.. The ground has been Uniteds permanent home since 1910, bar an eight year absence from 1941... This article is becoming very long. ... Super League is the name of various sports competitions in different disciplines: // Football (soccer) Football Association of Malaysia Swiss Super League Turkish Premier Super League. ...

The 2006 Super League generated the highest weekly average attendance in the 11-year history of the competition. The average weekly attendance for the regular season stood at 9,026, generated by an aggregate attendance of 1,516,342 supporters. This is an increase on the 2005 season average of 8,887.[1]

2007 Season

Main article: Super League XII

The 2007 season kicked off on the weekend of February 2, 2007 at the Galpharm Stadium. For the first time, the league had a staggered start due to the World Club Challenge between St Helens RLFC and Brisbane Broncos. The first round of matches began on the weekend of February 9th-11th 2007. The 2007 season will also see the first Millennium Magic weekend in Cardiff. Image:Engage Super League Logo. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... The Galpharm Stadium is a multi-use sports stadium in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. ... The 2005 WCC logo. ... St Helens Rugby League Football Club or simply Saints are a professional rugby league club from St Helens, England, United Kingdom. ... The Brisbane Broncos are a professional rugby league football team based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ... Millennium Magic is a concept by the Rugby football league (RFL) to take an entire round of Super League matches to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. ...

See also

• Super League VI (2001 Super League season)
• Super League XI (2006 Super League season)
• Super League XII (2007 Super League season)
• Challenge Cup
• World Club Challenge
• Rugby League National Leagues
• Sports league attendances
• Super League Dream Team

Super League VI is the official name for the 2001 super league season in the sport of rugby league. ... Super League XI is the official name for the 2006 engage Super League club season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. ... Image:Engage Super League Logo. ... The Challenge Cup is a knockout competition for British Rugby League clubs that has been held since 1896. ... The 2005 WCC logo. ... The Rugby League National Leagues (currently known as the LHF Healthplan National Leagues as a result of sponsorship) form the basis for rugby league competition in Great Britain below Super League. ... The table below lists domestic sports leagues from around the world by total attendances for the last completed season. ... // The Super League Dream Team is an award given to the players deemed to have been the best in their position in the Super League. ...

References

Super League - the first ten years, Phil Caplan and Jonathan R. Doidge, ISBN 0-7524-3698-8

External links

• Official site
• Rugby League Today

European rugby league links
Rugby League European Federation This article is about the continent. ... Rugby league football is a full-contact team sport played by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... Logo of the RLEF The Rugby League European Federation (RLEF) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league across Europe, and the Mediterranean area. ...
Competitions European Nations Cup | Super League | Challenge Cup | The European Nations Cup (formerly known as the European Championship) is a rugby league tournament for European nations. ... The first ever Challenge Cup Final, 1897: Batley(l) vs St Helens(r) The Challenge Cup is a knockout competition for rugby league clubs in Europe. ...
Test nations France | Great Britain | Russia
Non-test Nations England | Georgia | Greece | Ireland | Italy | Lebanon | Malta | Moldova | Morocco | Netherlands | Serbia | Scotland | Wales England lines up against New Zealand in Warrington, 2005. ... The Serbia national rugby league team has been participating in international competition since 2003. ... Scotland rugby league team shirt There is comparatively little rugby league played in Scotland, and what there is at an amateur level only. ... First international New Zealand 8 - 9 Wales (Aberdare, Wales; 1 January 1908) Biggest win USA 4 - 92 Wales (Philidelphia, USA; 11 June 1995 Biggest defeat Australia 74 - 4 Wales (Bridgend, Wales; 19 August 2003) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1975) Best result Semi-finals, 1995; 2000 The Wales national...