99-599: The Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred , and legally known as Super League Europe Ltd. ) is the top-level of the British rugby league system . At present the league consists of twelve teams, of which eleven are from Northern England , reflecting the sport's geographic heartland within the UK and one from southern France . The Super League began in 1996, replacing
198-539: A Betfred customer became the first betting shop millionaire; a customer known only as Ken selected six winners on the totescoop6 and pocketed £1,132,657 in a Salford shop. Betfred's retail expansion continued with shops opening around the United Kingdom. Betfred's five-hundredth shop opened in Cardiff in 2005. In 2013, the company established Betfred TV, an in-house channel that is available in all shops both on
297-427: A Roman numeral rather than year (e.g. Super League 1996 was known as Super League I). The first game was on 29 March which saw PSG beat Sheffield 30–24 in front of 17,873 people at Charlety Stadium . The inaugural Super League title was won by St Helens, breaking Wigan's stronghold for the first time since 1989 while Workington were relegated. St Helens were unable to defend their title as Super League's second season
396-745: A bitterly cold day there was a gate of 2,000 of which over half had travelled from Keighley. Keighley won 6–3. This heralded a run of success which saw them win the First Competition championship in 1899–1900 after having been runners-up the two preceding years. On 12 April 1900, Keighley Rugby Union Club decided to apply for membership of the Northern Union . Keighley were elected into the Yorkshire Second Competition on 14 July 1900. Two days after deciding to change to rugby league , Keighley played Manningham , in
495-653: A boost during the mid 90s Australian Super League war . A Rupert Murdoch backed Super League in Australia was trying to gain broadcasting supremacy over the Australian Rugby League . In an attempt to gain the upper hand, Murdoch, whose broadcasting company bSkyb already had the rights to the First Division , approached the RFL. A £77 million offer and an £87 million payment aided the decision. It
594-503: A club. After 2007 automatic promotion and relegation was suspended for Super League with new teams to be admitted on a licence basis with the term of the licence to start in 2009. The RFL stated that clubs applying to compete in Super League would be assessed by criteria in four areas (stadium facilities, finance and business performance, commercial and marketing and playing strength, including junior production and development) with
693-438: A court case against HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The ruling states that Betfred overpaid Value-Added Tax (VAT), and could see a £100 million refund. In November 2018, punter David Smith took Betfred to court after he claimed to have won a jackpot of £212,000, having mistakenly written "Bailarico", a losing horse, on the betting slip, rather than "Bialco", a winner. The betting arbitrator IBAS ruled against him. Betfred
792-508: A court case that resulted in one customer of Betfred being jailed for three years and four months, after admitting to stealing from his employer. A significant proportion of the stolen money was spent with Betfred. In April 2019 the Commission ordered Betfred and Paddy Power to terminate new betting products. This followed the introduction of reduced maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTS) from £100 to £2. The Commission
891-404: A hundred years, proved unpopular. On Good Friday 1995 it was announced that Toulouse had pulled out and Widnes had their own place alongside Warrington, this as well as anti-merger campaigns and debates in parliament effectively killing any change of mergers happening. The first major change before the Super League happened in the 1994–95 season. It was decided the teams finishing in the top ten of
990-523: A major financial crisis, the existing members of the board resigned and were replaced by an entirely new board. Share capital was increased from £3,000 to £10,000 through the issuing of an additional 7,000 £1 shares. The traditional playing colours of blue and white were discarded in favour of the present colours of red, white and green. In 1957 the board bought the Lawkholme Lane rugby ground, cricket ground, bowling green and cottages for £10,000. In
1089-640: A match with Hunslet F.C. was played under Association rules which ended in a draw. It may be the only Association game ever played by the town's club. In April 1885, the club merged with Keighley Cricket and Football Club, and from that time the club played on the Lawkholme Lane ground. Soon membership had risen to 300 and dressing rooms and headquarters were established at the Black Horse Hotel. The first game at Lawkholme took place on 10 October 1885, against Liversedge. The club's fixture list
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#17327811277901188-611: A matter of three points. Prop-forward Chris Brereton became player-coach on 15 June 1948. Keighley's highest attendance was set at 14,500 for the Challenge Cup clash against Halifax on 3 March 1951. For the second time in their history, Keighley reached the final of the Yorkshire Cup in 1951. On their way to the final held at Fartown, they defeated Castleford, Halifax and Hunslet. Until half-time Keighley were well placed against their opponents – Wakefield Trinity. But in
1287-462: A place in Super League in 1999, which was won by St Helens who beat Bradford in the Grand Final. Gateshead had a successful debut season on the field finishing two points off the playoffs however off the field the club was suffering financial difficulties. By the end of the season Gateshead announced they would merge with Hull Sharks who were to revert to being known as Hull FC. Gateshead weren't
1386-404: A place in the Super League, while those who achieved a C Licence underwent further scrutiny before the RFL decided who made the final cut. First licensing period In June 2008, the RFL confirmed that the Super League would be expanded from 12 teams to 14 in 2009 with the playoffs also expanding to 8 teams, and on 22 July 2008 the RFL confirmed the teams awarded licences. The teams announced were
1485-476: A playoff would decide the Champions. This was not new to rugby league as a playoff system had been in use for most of the sports existence although one hadn't been used since 1973. Confusingly a playoff did take place at the end of the season but was separate from the official league season and thus didn't count towards anything. Old Trafford the venue for the old Premiership Playoff Final would be used to host
1584-598: A professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The club play home games at Cougar Park and compete in League One , the third tier of British rugby league . Keighley have never won a major honour. Their main rivals are Bradford Bulls . The club was formed at a meeting held on 17 October 1876 under the presidency of the Reverend Marriner. A committee was elected and
1683-548: A record for a first round tie. The club became a limited company in 1929, but failed to make any immediate improvement. During the 1930s, Keighley began to make progress. Major Norman Harrison, the club secretary/manager, was responsible for signing a side that was to reach great heights. The big coup in 1932, when Ted Spillane , the New Zealand halfback signed for the side. That season saw hundreds of lost supporters return and gates reached unprecedented heights. The result
1782-499: A renewed agreement with the rugby Super League Europe Betfred sponsored the World Snooker Championships from 2009 to 2012, before losing the sponsorship rights. In 2015, it was announced that Betfred were to become the sponsors of the tournament once again, and increase the winner's prize money to £375,000. Betfred was the official betting partner of Manchester United from 2006 to 2013. This partnership
1881-539: A short period of time clearly indicated failings in the effectiveness of Petfre's anti money laundering policies and procedures. In April 2021, Betfred lost a High Court case against Andrew Green from Lincolnshire who had won £1.7 million in a Jackpot Game. Betfred had denied payments due to faulty software but High Court ruled against Betfred. The company are the brand owners of Thesportsman.com (The Sportsman Communications Limited), an online sports news and broadcaster established in 2017. Betfred chairman, Fred Done
1980-411: A slender 5–2 advantage in the first leg at Odsal Stadium , and held Keighley to a 5–5 draw in the return encounter at Lawkholme Lane a week later. That second leg attracted Keighley's biggest wartime 'gate' of 9,487 (£694). Keighley again met Northern in the second round of the Challenge Cup later the same season. They lost both home and away. And in the 1944–45 season the sides met in the third round of
2079-584: A try at the Intermediate Competition and finished sixth with a record of eleven wins and eleven defeats. The following season the club did badly and finished tenth, but in 1895–96, the side came into its own again and finished fourth. The sweet taste of success came Keighley's way in 1896–97 when they won the Second Competition championship. The final match of the competition took place at Mytholmroyd on 3 April 1897, and despite
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#17327811277902178-667: Is a major shareholder of The Sportsman Communications Limited. Starting as a sport news website, the company stepped forward into live sport broadcasting when it signed a deal with the Rugby Football League to show a number of matches from the 2021 Challenge Cup . This was followed with a 2022 deal to show rugby league games from the Challenge Cup , League 1 , the Women's Super League and Wheelchair rugby league. Keighley Cougars The Keighley Cougars are
2277-783: Is one of the largest sponsors of horse racing in the United Kingdom, with races spread across racecourses in the country, including the Midlands National run at Uttoxeter Racecourse , the Dante Stakes and Ebor Handicap both at York Racecourse , and the Betfred Cesarewitch Handicap on the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket Racecourse . In 2005, Betfred became sponsors of the Group One Sprint Cup at Haydock Park . The race
2376-581: Is run over the minimum distance of five furlongs. The sponsorship ended in 2016. Betfred also sponsored the most prestigious jumps race the Cheltenham Gold Cup between the years of 2012 and 2015. In October 2016, Betfred began a three-year period as the main sponsor of rugby league's Super League , the northern hemisphere's top-level professional rugby league with ten teams spread across England, and one in France. In October 2021, Betfred signed
2475-469: The 1984–85 season , which again included 31 debutantes. Despite this, Keighley's results improved and they finished 15th in the league, winning 11 games. 100 years of rugby at Lawkholme Lane was celebrated during the 1985–86 season. With mounting debts and a ground in need of investment in light of the Taylor Report . In October 1985 Keighley were served a winding-up order by Inland Revenue , which
2574-553: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport "In terms of the Tote Racing Development Board, I can confirm that as a stand alone concept it has not been set up to date. Betfred has confirmed that Totepool work with race course owners and management on a continuing basis (which may serve the same purpose as the intended Tote racing development board)." The deal gave Betfred exclusive control over
2673-594: The "Red Knights" consortium that were looking to buy English Premier League club Manchester United from the Glazer Family . The reports proved to be incorrect, but Done remained a season ticket holder at Old Trafford. As of July 2017, Betfred operated over 1,650 shops throughout the United Kingdom, after the purchase of 322 shops due to the merger between fellow bookmakers Ladbrokes and Coral in October 2016. Betfred also operates shops on fifty one racecourses around
2772-479: The 12 existing Super League teams along with National League 1 teams, Celtic Crusaders and Salford . Celtic Crusaders became the first Welsh team to play in Super League and the only team to be awarded a licence who had never played in the Super League previously. Featherstone Rovers , Halifax , Leigh and Widnes all failed to attain a licence. Leigh and Widnes, especially, were disappointed with their exclusions with Leigh's chairman being extremely critical of
2871-465: The 12 founding teams being: Along with the new league, new rules were introduced. Squad numbers were adopted, a video referee was at every televised game and the salary cap was introduced to stop clubs overspending and to allow for a more level playing field. Super League was also more Americanised with clubs adopting nicknames and the league seasons copying the NFL Super Bowl by being known as
2970-497: The 1918–19 season. When the game returned to normal there was a hectic period of team rebuilding, and following a really bad season in 1921, six new players were signed from the Furness district. The 1925–26 season was memorable for a first round Challenge Cup tie with Bradford Northern which had to be replayed twice. The aggregate attendance for those three games was nearly 47,000 and the total gate receipts of £3,043 constituted
3069-431: The 1950s, British rugby league experienced a boom in popularity. However the twenty years that followed saw attendances and popularity decline. A "Super League" was first suggested as far back as the 1970s as a way to address the decline. By the early 1990s the sport was still struggling with dwindling attendances, poor facilities and was dominated by one club, Wigan , who were the only full time professional team. In 1992,
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3168-543: The A-team coach, took over and this immediately led to an eight-game unbeaten streak. However this could not be kept up and a spate of injuries helped to create inconsistency, especially away from home. Keighley finished the season in ninth place in the league, winning 15, drawing 5 and losing 12. The 1983–84 season saw the worst results, since World War Two. Lee Greenwood was released after a 30–0 defeat by bottom club, Doncaster on 24 August 1983. His replacement, Geoff Peggs ,
3267-773: The Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo . Betfredsports.com, Betfred's digital and retail presence in the USA, has official partnerships with NFL teams, the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals , whilst they are partners of the Colorado Rockies of the MLB and Loudoun United FC of the USL Championship , which includes a jersey sponsorship. On 3 June 2011, Betfred won
3366-414: The Challenge Cup when Northern comfortably won on aggregate (35–8) after Keighley had established a 5–0 advantage in the first leg at Lawkholme Lane. Guest players who had played for Keighley during the war years returned to their own clubs when regular competition was resumed in 1945. There were also a number of local players who had joined the club during the war years who blossomed into notable members of
3465-623: The Championship. In June 2015 eight of the 12 Super League clubs voted to allow a Marquee Player that could exceed a club's salary cap as long as they could afford their wages. The marquee player rule came into force for the 2016 Super League season. The first Super 8s season was won by the Leeds Rhinos, with all four Super League clubs surviving the Qualifiers. The following year Hull KR were relegated when they lost to Salford in
3564-473: The Commission ordered Petfre, Betfred's parent, to pay £322,000 for money laundering failures. An investigation revealed the operator had failed to carry out adequate "source of funds" checks on a customer who deposited £210,000, and lost £140,000, of stolen money over one twelve-day period in November 2017. The Commission said that one customer who was able to deposit and lose such significant amounts in such
3663-647: The First Division as Lindsay wanted the Super League to have greater national coverage. This resulted in a legal challenge from Keighley and Widnes who were both denied a place in the Super League. The 1995–96 season would be the last to be played in winter and fittingly was the sports centenary year. The season was kept short, starting in August and finishing in January, with the 1995 World Cup taking place in October. Super League finally kicked off in 1996 with
3762-593: The First Division would be in the Super League. Teams finishing 11–15 would be relegated to the Second Division while the bottom team would be relegated to the new Third Division. In the current Second Division the top seven teams would remain while the rest would make up the Third Division. Controversy occurred at the end of 1994–95 when Keighley won the Second Division but were denied promotion due to fourth placed London Broncos being fast tracked to
3861-634: The Million Pound Game, with Leigh being promoted. 2017 saw Castleford finish top of the league for the first time in their history although they eventually lost the Grand Final to Leeds who claimed their 8th title. Betfred Betfred Group Holdings Limited is a bookmaker based in the United Kingdom , founded by Fred Done . It was first established as a single betting shop in Ordsall , Salford , in 1967. Its turnover in 2004
3960-573: The RFL. By the end of the 2008 season, Salford and Celtic Crusaders finished 13th and 14th respectively and the Grand Final was won by the League Leaders, Leeds Rhinos for a fourth time. The following season Crusaders made the playoffs but were knocked out in the first round. League Leaders Wigan won the Grand Final. By 2011 the Crusaders were suffering financial difficulties and entered administration and were deducted four points. Salford on
4059-590: The Shay, it's no contest; if you compare playing records, it's no contest; and if you compare the financial position, we have kept our head above water and they haven't." Wakefield had been favourites to lose their licence before Crusaders' withdrawal. After two licensing periods the system started to fall out of favour. Some highlighted clubs such as Wakefield and Castleford which had failed to build new stadiums but were twice awarded licenses over Championship clubs who many thought would be better suited to Super League. There
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4158-523: The annual meeting of the club in 1878, shortly after the headquarters had been moved to Dalton Lane, a second XV was formed. Keighley Athletic were formed on 27 October 1879. There was some rivalry with those who had set up the new club, but a couple of years later these differences had been settled, and on 24 March 1881 a merger was agreed between the two clubs. Keighley officially joined the Rugby Football Union on Tuesday, 8 April 1879, and
4257-557: The auction to purchase The Tote , the government-owned betting operation, in a deal worth £265m. The counter bid was lodged by the SIP (Sports Investment Partners) consortium headed by former city banker and British Airways chairman Sir Martin Broughton . Betfred pledged £155m into racing over the next seven years, as well as creating the Tote Racing Development Board, giving greater say to industry figures. In September 2016, according to
4356-705: The champions. As of 2024 there is no relegation to the Championship . The Super League champions take on the champions of the Australian National Rugby League in the World Club Challenge . Twenty-four clubs have competed since the inception of the Super League since 1996: nineteen from England, three from France, one from Wales and one from Canada. Four of them have won the title: St Helens (10), Leeds Rhinos (8), Wigan Warriors (7) and Bradford Bulls (4). During
4455-408: The club was allowed the use of Holmes' field in Lawkholme Lane. The first kick-off took place on Saturday afternoon, 21 October and the committee met again on 24 October and decided to adopt Association and Rugby football laws. On 18 November 1876, the first game took place at Lawkholme Lane. The visitors were Crosshills and although the game ended in a draw, there are records, which say, "the draw
4554-699: The company's online gambling site, is based in Gibraltar and registered as Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited. Done Bookmakers was first established as a single shop in Ordsall , Salford in 1967. Fred Done financed the first Done Bookmakers shop with capital made from a winning bet he placed on England to win the 1966 World Cup . In 1997, Done Bookmakers acquired the Robert Walker chain of bookmakers, taking their total to one hundred shops. A mixture of organic and acquisition growth has resulted in Betfred being
4653-485: The conclusion of their regular league seasons, the 24 clubs then competed in a play-off series where they split into 3 leagues of 8 based upon league position: Funding for clubs was tiered in both leagues to prevent relegation-related financial difficulties. In preparation for the new structure, two clubs would be relegated from Super League in 2014 to reduce the league to 12. By the end of the season London Broncos and four-time Champions Bradford Bulls were relegated to
4752-472: The country, including Newmarket , Epsom and Cheltenham . In August 2017, Betfred appointed former Nottingham Forest and England footballer Stuart Pearce as its brand ambassador. The company believed Pearce to be the epitome of Betfred: uncomplicated. In September 2017, Betfred celebrated their 50th year of business. A documentary film about the history of the company was released on the official channel of Betfred on YouTube . In July 2018, Betfred won
4851-513: The end of season play-offs. The 1988–89 season was another year of consolidation. Keighley again completed the season in eighth position, winning 16 from 28 games. The average attendance again increased by 135 to 1,193, the best since the 1981–82 season. For the 1989–90 season Colin Dixon moved up onto the board of directors and Les Coulter took over as head coach. The season featured a run of eleven matches with only two victories. Keighley finished
4950-469: The existing First Division and, significantly, switching from a traditional winter season to a summer season. The regular season typically runs from February to September with each team playing 27 games; 11 home games, 11 away games, Magic Weekend and an additional 4 'loop fixtures' decided by league positions. The top six then enter the play-off series leading to the Grand Final which determines
5049-399: The field, attributed to the signing of experienced players Trevor Skerrett , Gary Moorby and Brenden White. Attendances increased, averaging 951 in the league and a 2–16 defeat to Widnes in the second round of the Challenge Cup drew a crowd of 4,358 watched Keighley lose 2–16. Keighley finished in eighth position, winning 15 from 28 games and eventually lost to league leaders Oldham , 24–34 in
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#17327811277905148-507: The final 18–5. After their Wembley appearance, Keighley again suffered a decline. In November 1938, they were at the top of the Rugby League table, for the first time ever, for a spell of three weeks, but this form was not maintained and they finished 16th with 17 wins, 17 defeats and two draws. The main reason for the club's decline was that veterans were not replaced quickly enough, and the one promising young player, Reggie Lloyd ,
5247-456: The final evaluations and decisions being taken by the RFL board of directors. Successful applicants were licensed for three years of Super League competition and three-yearly reviews of Super League membership took place to ensure ambitious clubs lower down the leagues can still be successful. Points attained by each club's application are translated into licence grades A, B or C. Clubs who achieved an A or B Licence would be automatically awarded
5346-484: The final". On 19 December 1906, tragedy overtook the club when Harry Myers died as a result of an accident on the field of play. About that time Keighley were one of the leading teams in the Challenge Cup and again in 1907–08 they advanced to the third round by virtue of wins over Brookland Rovers and Whitehaven . During the years of the First World War the club arranged no fixtures and did not take part in
5445-633: The first ever rugby league match at Lawkholme Lane; Manningham won 5–2. They finished in second place and the following season they were "promoted" to the Yorkshire Senior Competition as fourteen of the leading clubs broke away from the two County Leagues, to form a new Northern Rugby League. In March 1901, Keighley entered the Northern Union Cup (now known as the Challenge Cup ) for the first time. They beat Kinsley before meeting York. Keighley refused £120 to transfer
5544-514: The first three years. Their inclusion in Super League meant two clubs would be relegated in 2005. Bottom team Leigh were relegated with 11th placed Widnes. By the mid-2000s standards on the field had improved and attendances increased but many clubs still played out of crumbling stadiums and most of the sport was still played in the North of England. There was also the emergence of the "Big Four" (Bradford, Leeds, Wigan, and St Helens) who were dominating
5643-533: The first time in front of the television cameras. Keighley were on the wrong end of a thrashing as the Aussies scored a half-century and beat the previous best score for a touring side in an opening match. Bert Cook joined Keighley from Leeds on 21 September 1953, as player-coach. After a major financial crisis, when an entirely new board of directors took over in December 1953. On Wednesday, 9 December, following
5742-407: The following year, in a match at Bingley, there was a peculiar incident. A report of the game states that Bradbury attempted a drop goal, but the ball passed under the crossbar, and Bairstow, following up, touched down. Bingley would not concede the try, alleging that the player who obtained it was offside, and due to their refusal to allow the ball to be brought out, the home players left the field and
5841-401: The game was unfinished. By the end of season 1880–81, the membership of the club was 80; ten honorary members and 70 playing members. In 1882–83 "the team had a most successful experience" . Gate receipts reached £58 and expenditure was £32. In March 1882, the team figured in the Yorkshire Cup for the first time. They met Wakefield Trinity , who were one of the top sides. During that year,
5940-399: The ground, Lawkholme Lane, as Cougar Park . Keighley were excluded from the new Super League competition and continue to play in the Second Division, and the disappointment of being denied promotion for a second time due to marketing decisions, cost them fans and sponsors. Keighley took out an injunction to try to stop the new competition kicking off and only withdrew their legal threat with
6039-663: The high street and on the racecourse. This was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. Fred Done was the first bookmaker to pay out early (i.e., before the result was guaranteed), when in March 1998 it paid out to gamblers who had bet that Manchester United F.C. would win the Premier League , only for Arsenal to pip United by one point. During the 2004–05 FA Premier League season , Done lost £1m to fellow bookmaker Victor Chandler after staking that amount that Manchester United would finish higher than Chelsea . The bet
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#17327811277906138-533: The largest independent retail bookmaker in the UK. By 2000, the total number of shops nationwide had risen to two hundred, and in 2002, Done Bookmakers opened their first shop in the Greater London area. The current name Betfred was first used in 2004. In 2004, Betfred also launched their digital platform Betfred.com and offer sports betting, online casino, online games, bingo, lotto, online poker and virtual sports as well as pool betting. In November 2004,
6237-414: The last 17 games brought some respectability. Albert Fearnley resigned as coach due to poor health and was replaced by Bak Diabira . His first match was a home game against Doncaster on 15 March 1981; Keighley winning 6–5, and completed the last seven games. The team finished the season in 7th position, winning 14 and drawing one from 28 games. Keighley continued the 1981–82 season where they had left off
6336-504: The late 1950s, Keighley had some notable backs, in the 1957–58 season fullback Joe Phillips, and three-quarters Dave Smith, Terry Hollindrake, Derek Hallas and Roy Bleasby, between them scored no less than 89 tries. Rugby league as a whole went through a two-decade slump that started in the 1960s, attendances dropped and so did Keighley's performances. Keighley signed Garfield Owen as player-coach from Halifax on 12 January 1962. The 1980–81 season started badly but 11 wins and one draw from
6435-474: The latter part of the 1930s. Keighley played in their first and so far only Challenge Cup final in 1937. Having beaten Hunslet, Broughton Rangers , Liverpool Stanley in earlier rounds they played Wakefield Trinity in the semi-final. The first semi-final, held in Leeds on the third of April, was a scoreless draw, but four days later at Huddersfield , Keighley beat Wakefield Trinity 5–3. However, Widnes won
6534-450: The league during its first 10 seasons. Announced in May 2005, to try and combat the issues facing Super League, the RFL introduced licences as the new determinant of the Super League competition's participants from 2009 with relegation scrapped, two new teams would expand the league to 14. The licences were awarded after consideration of more factors than simply the on-the-field performance of
6633-403: The lowest gate was broken twice. First against Workington Town on 23 April when the crowd was just 386 and again on 7 May against Whitehaven when only 355 turned up to witness the 0–16 defeat. Peter Roe took over as coach mid-way through the season following the sudden death of Geoff Peggs and the results improved temporarily. Roe left the following year. The 1987–88 season saw a recovery on
6732-401: The new Grand Final in which the top five Super League teams would contest. The first Grand Final took place at Old Trafford in front of a sellout crowd of 40,000 who watched Wigan defeat Leeds 12–8, their first league title since the old First Division. Ahead of the expansion to 14 clubs Wakefield Trinity were promoted from the Second Division and a new club, Gateshead Thunder were awarded
6831-549: The on course betting system for seven years. In 2018, the exclusive licence taken out by Betfred officially ran out. In June 2016 the Gambling Commission required Betfred to pay more than £800,000 in compensation and in contribution towards socially responsible causes as part of a regulatory settlement. This was in response to Betfred's failure to adhere to its anti money laundering and social responsibility policies. The Gambling Commission's investigation followed
6930-405: The on-field criteria needed to submit an application, but despite this only Barrow, Halifax and Widnes decided to submit an application. On 31 March 2011 Widnes were awarded a Super League licence; Barrow did not meet the criteria and were refused a licence; and Halifax's application was to be further considered alongside the other Super League clubs. The Rugby Football League 's final decision
7029-408: The only club struggling, Sheffield announced they could no longer continue and merged with Huddersfield and would be known as Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants. Due to these two clubs resigning from the league it was agreed Super League would revert to 12 teams after just one season. Relegation was reintroduced in 2001 with one team going down each year. The only major change to the league was in 2002 when
7128-428: The other hand despite never making the playoffs in the three years since they were promoted were in a much better financial position. During this period the league was dominated by Leeds and St Helens with Leeds winning three titles and St Helens appearing in every Grand Final. Second licensing period For the 2012–14 seasons Championship sides Batley , Barrow , Featherstone Rovers , Halifax and Widnes all met
7227-498: The playoffs were expanded to six teams. The League Leaders Shield was introduced in 2002 to reward the team who finished top at the end of the regular season. In 2005 it was announced a franchise was to be awarded to a French club, with Toulouse , Villeneuve and Catalans Dragons all applying. In the end Catalans, who were only founded in 2000 after a merger between two Perpignan based clubs, were chosen. Their debut season would be in 2006 and they would be exempt from relegation for
7326-585: The previous season by winning 10 of their first 14 league games. Terrible winter weather with weeks of snow and frost hit and no matches were played between 6 December and 3 January. This break upset Keighley's form and they won only 8 out of the remaining 18 games. Keighley finished in 7th position once again. Despite reaching the Yorkshire Cup semi–final which they lost 3–23 to Hull, the 1982–83 league campaign started badly. Keighley lost their opening three games and Bak Diabira quit as coach. Lee Greenwood ,
7425-401: The same competition. On 13 November 1943, Keighley won the first leg of the Yorkshire Cup semi-final at Lawkholme Lane against Huddersfield 21–0. Although Keighley lost the second leg at Fartown 13–4 and they qualified for the final on aggregate. Keighley played Bradford Northern in the final. This as well, was a two-legged affair with Northern just coming out the better overall. They achieved
7524-415: The season 19th out of 21 clubs and winning only 6 games out of 28. Tony Fisher replaced Les Coulter for the 1990–91 campaign which began modestly with just the one win out of eight games, a streak of 11 wins out of 14 games turned things around. Two new directors joined the board – Mick O'Neill and Mike Smith. They embarked on re-branding; the first being to rebrand the club Keighley Cougars and to rename
7623-418: The second period Trinity played some fine rugby and went on to win 17–3. The Yorkshire Cup defeat seemed to have an adverse effect on Keighley who won only one of their 20 remaining games up to the end of the 1951–52 season and they finished third from the bottom of the league. The 1952–53 season opened on 6 September. The eighth Australian touring side opened their campaign with a game at Lawkholme Lane – for
7722-421: The semi-final of the Challenge Cup for the first time by beating Castleford , Egremont , Hull F.C. and Featherstone Rovers before falling to Salford in the semi-final at Warrington . An old newspaper clipping says that "dissatisfaction among the players with regard to terms of payment was the reason for this defeat, and but for this very discreditable piece of business Keighley would have opposed Bradford in
7821-401: The senior side. Keighley finished sixth from the bottom of the league table. On 14 February 1948, Keighley were the victims of one of the biggest Challenge Cup upsets when they were defeated 2–10 by Cumbrian junior club, Risehow and Gillhead. Fortunately for Keighley they had established an 11–0 lead in the first leg of first round at Lawkholme Lane, though they only scraped home on aggregate by
7920-466: The shirt sponsorship rights for RCD Mallorca for the next two years. In July 2019, Betfred announced that it had been installed as the official sponsor for the PDC 's World Matchplay tournament until 2022. Betfred announced before the 2022 event that they had renewed the sponsorship deal, which will see them become sponsors of the tournament until 2025. In August, 2024, Betfred was the title sponsor of
8019-525: The then Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League , Maurice Lindsay reopened the idea for a Super League. He wanted the new league to break the stereotype of rugby league being a sport only played in Northern England, and had a vision for clubs to play out of new facilities under a set of minimum standards in an unpublished document called "Framing the Future". Lindsay's Super League was given
8118-496: The tie, and despite a sending-off, earned a 5–5 draw in front of a crowd of 5,293. In the replay York had a player sent off but won 12–0. In 1902–03, the Lancashire and Yorkshire leagues were combined to form a second division . Keighley was one of the new clubs to join the second division, which they topped with 27 wins out of 34 games and were duly promoted. Keighley had their greatest cup season up to that time. They reached
8217-600: Was "concerned that the new products undermine the changes made". The Guardian accused the companies of trying to circumvent the government's enforced FOBTs £2 reduction, with their new games. Betfred's "Virtual Cycling" product offered customers the chance to wager up to £500 per stake. Both Paddy Power and Betfred withdrew their games. The Gambling Commission said it was investigating the matter and that both bookmakers could "still face regulatory action", as it investigated "key senior staff at bookmakers who are responsible for bringing those products to market". In October 2019
8316-584: Was agreed a 14 team Super League would take place in 1996, switching the sport from winter to summer and making every team full time. As part of the agreement, the Super League would be a European competition. Rugby league held a traditional heartland in the South of France and so Toulouse Olympique were invited (however never ended up taking a place in Super League I). A second club from the French leagues
8415-405: Was also announced ahead of the 1998 season that there would be no relegation as the league planned to expand to 14 teams from 1999. Following PSG folding, and as a result only English teams being present in the competition, the league was not referred to as a European competition from then on out and acted solely as the top tier of the British rugby league system . The other major change was that
8514-467: Was also planned to be invited but the French government refused their backing unless there was a team from Paris, thus Paris Saint-Germain were founded as the second French club playing under the same name and colours as the association football club. As well as two French clubs being involved, several merges between English clubs were put forward: The proposal to merge neighbouring clubs, many of whom were local rivals and had been part of communities for
8613-525: Was also unrest in the Championship with clubs feeling their success on the pitch should be rewarded. At the 2013 Annual General Meeting in Bradford , the Super League clubs agreed to reduce the number of clubs to 12 from 2015, and also for a return of promotion and relegation with a 12 club Championship . A radical new league structure was proposed. The 12 Super League and 12 Championship clubs would play each other home and away over 22 rounds. Following
8712-450: Was announced on 26 July 2011, Widnes would join thirteen existing Super League teams with Crusaders having withdrawn their application and Halifax being refused a license. Crusaders CEO Rod Findlay stated that the club's finances were not in a good enough condition to justify their place in Super League. Halifax chairman Mark Steele was critical of the decision to award Wakefield a licence over themselves, saying "If you compare Belle Vue with
8811-399: Was avoided only by selling the cricket field for a reported £30,000 and the training pitch for £65,000. Keighley for the second time in three years finished the season in the second from bottom position of the second division and had taken some heavy defeats along their way. These included the worst ever defeat 2–92 away to Leigh. These poor results affected attendances and Keighley's record for
8910-415: Was forced to rely on trialists; a total of 54 players were used including 31 debutantes during this campaign. Without this step, there would have been a danger of being unable to fulfil the fixture list. Keighley finished second from bottom of the second division with only seven wins and three draws from 34 games. The club announced massive debts and planned to sell part of the ground. 53 players were used in
9009-418: Was improved and in 1886–87 played clubs such as Hipperholme and Lightcliffe, Bramley , Otley, York , Shipley, Ossett, Bingley, Pudsey, Halifax Free Wanderers, Morley, Skipton and Hunslet . The club reached one of its best seasons in 1892–93 when the team figured in several rounds of the cup and won no less than 22 matches during the season. Leagues were being formed about this time and in 1893–94 Keighley had
9108-669: Was in the visitors' favour". The first important match appears to have been played on 13 January 1877 against Bingley . Under the scoring system of the day, the visitors won by two tries and two touchdowns to two touchdowns. Keighley also lost a further two games against Bingley. One of the earliest games of the following season was a fixture with Kildwick on 13 October 1877 when Keighley won by one goal to five touchdowns. Other teams met during that second season were Bradford Zingari, Manningham , Cleckheaton, Leeds Athletic, Skipton and Bradford Juniors. Up to April 1878, Keighley and Bingley had met seven times with Keighley losing every match. At
9207-410: Was introduced the following season, some players who guested for Keighley include Jim Sullivan , Les "Cowboy" Jones, and Melville De Lloyd . Keighley and Bradford Northern became regular cup-tie opponents during the war years. In season 1941–42 Keighley lost both legs in the first round of the Challenge Cup , but got their revenge a year later when they triumphed home and away in the second round of
9306-494: Was offered to other high profile bookmakers yet only Chandler took him up on the offer. Chelsea finished 18 points clear of third placed Manchester United and won their first Premiership title under José Mourinho . Betfred also paid out early on Manchester United to win the 2011–12 Premier League title, only for Manchester City to beat them on goal difference. It was widely reported in April 2010 that Fred Done formed part of
9405-538: Was renewed ahead of the 2022/2023 football season In May 2016, it was announced that Betfred would take over sponsorship of the Scottish League Cup for three years, rebranding it the Betfred Cup. In June 2017, Betfred was confirmed as the new official shirt sponsors of Championship side Bolton Wanderers , in an agreement which will initially last for two years. In June 2019, Betfred took over
9504-587: Was reported to be more than £3.5 billion, having risen from £550 million in 2003 and has continued to grow to over £10 billion in 2018-2019. Following a drop in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the Covid pandemic, published turnover for the year to September 2022 was £8.8 billion. It has its head office is in Birchwood , Warrington , and also has offices in Media City , Salford Quays , Salford . Betfred.com,
9603-468: Was that the directors launched a big scheme of ground improvements. The new stand and improvements were opened on 9 September 1933 when Leeds were the visitors to Lawkholme, and though that particular match was lost the season was to be a notable one. With such fine forwards as Harold "Hal" Jones and George Dixon from Wigan , and Jimmy Gill from Leeds , already having joined Keighley during their period of revival, there came more important signings in
9702-501: Was transferred to Castleford in 1938. In the season after Wembley, Keighley were 13th in the league table. This was to be the last season of competitive peacetime rugby before the Second World War . During the war years many young players were naturally called into the armed forces. The Rugby League decided to form the Lancashire and Yorkshire Emergency Leagues at the beginning of the 1939–40 season. A system of "guest" players
9801-515: Was won by the Bradford Bulls with London Broncos justifying the decision to be fast tracked into Super League by finishing second. Oldham were relegated and PSG, who had finished 11th for the second consecutive time were dissolved after it was discovered some of their overseas players had tourist visas to avoid paying French tax. Due to Oldham being relegated and PSG folding, two teams, Hull Sharks and Huddersfield Giants , were promoted. It
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