RFL competitions

The RFL currently runs 13 professional, semi professional and amateur leagues and 4 professional and semi professional cups.

Leagues

Super League (Tier 1)

The RFL's flagship competition and it only fully professional league. It consists of 12 teams (11 from England and one from France) and was originally supposed to be a European competition with teams across Europe taking part however the only non English teams to compete in the Super League have been from France and Wales.

Championship (Tier 2)

The Championship consists of 12 teams some of which are full-time professionals while the others are part-time semi pros. Between none and up to four teams can be promoted to the Super League and 2 teams are relegated to League 1.

League 1 (Tier 3)

League 1 consists of 15 semi professional teams that play in a bi weekly system. Two teams are promoted to the Championship and there is no relegation to the armature leagues, although teams can be promoted by sending an application to the RFL as part of the RFL Expansion.

National Conference League (Tier 4)

The NCL is the RFL's flagship amateur league consisting of 4 divisions that teams can be promoted and relegated between but there is no automatic promotion to League 1 with teams having to apply to the RFL to become semi professional. Two teams that finish at the bottom of the NCL Division Three have to reapply to play in the NCL.

National League South (Tier 4)

The National League South runs alongside the NCL and is the flagship competition for amateur clubs in the south of England.