Whitehaven avoid punishment over lack of IMG grading

Whitehaven were relegated to League 1 after finishing 13th in the Championship

Whitehaven will avoid punishment after not receiving a grade status in rugby league's new system.

The Cumbrians and Batley Bulldogs were the only clubs in the top three divisions to not be graded.

After a financially troubled season in which they were relegated from the Championship, the Marras missed a deadline to submit the necessary information to the Rugby Football League.

"There will be no punishment for Whitehaven as this is not intended to be punitive," RFL chief executive officer Tony Sutton told BBC Radio Cumbria.

The grading system, introduced by media giant IMG and Rugby League Commercial, measures clubs under five categories - fandom, performance, finances, stadium and community.

The scores are added up with a maximum of 20 points on offer. All 35 clubs over the sport's three divisions are assessed and marked.

Despite the delay and with no timescale for when it will be completed, Sutton says the RFL is determined to work with Whitehaven to reach their grade with which they will be able to plan their 2025 season.

"The club has been through some well-publicised issues towards the end of the year," Sutton added.

"But our absolute aim is to finish the score with the club. That will go into the financial model that drives the outcomes for next year."

Barrow's promotion to the Women's Super League has been a big success for the club

'Barrow a strong example of social cohesion'

While Whitehaven wait for their score, Cumbria's top club Barrow Raiders improved their performance from 2023.

With a score of 11.22, they moved from 19th to 17th on the list, considerably higher up the order than their league standing after finishing 11th in the second-tier Championship.

Part of that improvement has been put down to the performance of Barrow's women's team who finished a creditable fifth in the Women's Super League following promotion last year.

"A massively positive factor of rugby league clubs is their impact in the communities in which they play and train and the social cohesion and impact that brings with it," said Sutton.

"Barrow is a really strong example of such."

'Game embedded in our towns'

The third Cumbrian club, Workington Town, achieved a score of 7.26, the highest grade C ranking, less than a quarter of a point away from a B grade.

They finished sixth in League 1 this season and will be joined next year in the third tier by neighbours Whitehaven.

Workington played in the inaugural Super League back in 1996 and were relegated, the last time a Cumbrian side played in the competition.

The region is often seen as a forgotten heartland of the game, but Sutton insists that it will not be left behind.

"Our aim for Cumbria and west Cumbria is the same as it is for everywhere else," he said.

"That is [the game] expanded and embedded in our towns and cities as much as possible.

"Our wider view is to have more people playing rugby, more people watching rugby, more people buying club shirts, more involved in the game overall."