British rugby league system

The British rugby league system is based on three separate structures: the professional leagues administered by the Rugby Football League, the amateur leagues administered by British Amateur Rugby League Association and the Rugby League Conference.

There is no system of automatic promotion and relegation between the three systems although teams have moved between them in the past.

Professional structure

* Super League
* National League One
* National League Two

The league pyramid of rugby league in the United Kingdom is topped and very much dominated by Super League, with the 12 top teams from England and France competing. The top six teams enter the play-offs and the winner is determined by a Grand Final. French side Catalans Dragons were awarded their place on a franchise basis and were given guaranteed immunity from relegation for three years. This means that the lowest placed English side is relegated to National League One.

After 2007 there will be no automatic promotion or relegation from Super League. From 2009, 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.

Below Super League, there are National Leagues one and two.A play-off structure is used to determine the winners of League One. Two teams are relegated from League One, being replaced by the team finishing top of League Two and the winner of a play-off structure involving the six teams finishing behind the league leaders in League Two. The play-offs in each National League division are a top-six format.

Rugby League Conference

* RLC National
* RLC Premier North / Midlands / South / Wales
* RLC Regional divisions
* London League and RL Merit League

The Rugby League Conference is an 'open' rather than amateur though most teams do not pay their players. There is no promotion or relegation between divisions, teams may apply to join higher divisions and may or may not be accepted based on different criteria.

There is a minimum criteria attached to membership of the premier divisions including the organization of at least one junior team. There will also be a requirement over time to add additional teams at junior level and to register for clubmark. It is also recommended to have a second open age team.

The London League and RL Merit League act as feeders for the Conference but there is no automatic promotion system and no relegation.

There is no automatic promotion between the Conference and the National Leagues but one of the aims of the Conference is provide teams that will join the National Leagues. To date only London Skolars have done so.

Amateur leagues

* National Conference League Premier division
* National Conference League Division one
* National Conference League Division two
* The Five Elite Regional leagues (North West Counties League, CMS Yorkshire League, Pennine League, Cumberland League, and the Hull & District League)

BARLA administer different amateur competitions which run throughout the winter in the heartlands. The leading competition is the National Conference League which consists of three divisions (Premier Division, Division One and Division Two) of up to 14 teams each. There is promotion and relegation between each division:- three up and three down. The bottom two teams from Division Two face re-election, but usually they are both re-elected as enough teams resign from the league to allow any new teams to enter.

Teams from regional leagues can apply for election to the National Conference League if they meet minimum criteria. There is not normally promotion or relegation from BARLA leagues into the National League structure.