77-967: (Redirected from Super League IV ) Season in rugby league Rugby league season Super League IV League Super League Duration 30 Rounds Teams 14 Highest attendance 24,020 Bradford Bulls vs Leeds Rhinos (3 Sept) Lowest attendance 1,580 Gateshead Thunder vs Hull Sharks (19 May) Broadcast partners Sky Sports 1999 Season Champions St. Helens 2nd Super League title 9th British title League Leaders Bradford Bulls Man of Steel [REDACTED] Adrian Vowles Top point-scorer(s) [REDACTED] Iestyn Harris (325) Top try-scorer(s) [REDACTED] Toa Kohe-Love (25) Left League Merged with Hull FC Merger with Huddersfield Giants Gateshead Thunder ; Sheffield Eagles ← 1998 2000 → JJB Sports Super League IV
154-427: 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
231-646: A club record 29,153 people in the third round of the Challenge Cup. Halifax won their third Championship in 1964-65 after finishing 7th in the league table and progressing through the new 16-team play-offs. They became Champions by beating St Helens 15-7 in the Championship Final held at Station Road, Swinton. Terry Fogerty of Halifax was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy for man-of-the-match. In 1965-66 Halifax again reached
308-505: 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
385-411: A current capacity of 14,061 (5,830 seated). The Shay hosted games during the 2013 Rugby League World Cup . Halifax have traditionally played in blue and white. Their home jersey is blue and hoops and their away colours have been in recent seasons a combination of red, black and white, replacing their traditional red and white hoops. Since its formation in 1873, Halifax used the town's coat of arms as
462-457: A deal that covered the four remaining matches of this season. The club returned to their traditional Halifax RLFC name at the start of 2003. At the end of the 2003 season they were relegated from Super League to National League One. Halifax's financial troubles meant they were unable to retain a full-time team and they struggled in the new league. In 2004 having been saved from insolvency by their new chairman Howard Posner they narrowly avoided
539-563: A disappointing 6th place finish in 2016, the club again reached the qualifiers in 2017 and 2018 finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. This made the club the most successful part-time team in the RFL. Long serving director and chairman Michael Steele stepped down from the Board at the end of 2017. In December 2020, Halifax RLFC adopted the name Halifax Panthers . In the 2021 Championship season, Halifax Panthers finished in third place and qualified for
616-471: A draw. The first home game was played a month later against Wakefield Trinity on a cricket field in King Cross Street, which again resulted in a draw. In these early years, matches were played at Ovenden, Savile Park and Hanson Lane. After winning the first Yorkshire Cup in 1878 beating York in the final at Leeds, they went on to win it on another four occasions. Several players were picked for
693-562: A game against amateurs Cawoods. Fax won only two matches all season and finished bottom of the rugby league pyramid. Chris Anderson was player-coach of Halifax from November 1984 to May 1987, then he retired from playing but remained as coach in 1987–88. He brought over Australian internationals such as Graham Eadie and Tony Anderson. The team climbed out of the Second Division, won the League Championship in 1985–86,
770-404: 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
847-462: 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
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#1732783477673924-408: 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
1001-476: 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
1078-401: A second relegation to National League 2, with a last-gasp victory in a play-off with York City Knights . Anthony Farrell was asked to become temporary coach until the end of the year following the sacking of Tony Anderson. After saving the club from relegation the following season and taking the club within a whisker of a place in the grand final, they lost out to Castleford . The year after
1155-4744: A sinking feeling" . The Guardian . Retrieved 2009-05-06 . ^ Dave Hadfield (1999-05-24). "Saints restore faith in game with emphasis on attack" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-05-25 . Retrieved 2009-05-06 . ^ de la Riviere, Richard, ed. (2009). Top ten: Rugby league rules . Brighouse, UK: League Publications (published August 2009). p. 61. ISSN 1466-0105 . {{ cite book }} : |periodical= ignored ( help ) ^ BBC Sport (2005-09-12). "The 40/20 kick" . British Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 2009-09-23 . External links [ edit ] Super League IV at wigan.rlfans.com Super League IV at rugbyleagueproject.com v t e Super League Current teams Castleford Tigers Catalans Dragons Huddersfield Giants Hull F.C. Hull Kingston Rovers Leeds Rhinos Leigh Leopards Salford Red Devils St Helens Wakefield Trinity Warrington Wolves Wigan Warriors Former teams Bradford Bulls Crusaders Gateshead Thunder Halifax Panthers London Broncos Oldham Bears Paris Saint Germain Sheffield Eagles Toronto Wolfpack Toulouse Olympique Widnes Vikings Workington Town Seasons 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Season results 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Grand Finals 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Major events World Club Challenge Magic Weekend Play-offs Grand Final IMG Grading Awards Albert Goldthorpe Medal League Leaders' Shield Man of Steel Awards Harry Sunderland Trophy Rob Burrow Award Super League Dream Team Fair Play Index Related articles Rugby Football League Championship Super League war Super League Show Licensing 2009–11 2012–14 Super 8s Million Pound Game International Origin Quota players Dual registration Super League records Players with 100+ tries Players with 1,000+ points List of venues List of club owners Women's Super League v t e St Helens R.F.C. St Helens Rugby Football Club Est. 1873 in St Helens , England The Club History Records Honours Players International representatives Coaches Hall of Fame Home grounds City Ground Knowsley Road (1890–2010) Halton Stadium (2011) Totally Wicked Stadium (2012–present) League Super League World Club Challenge (3) 2001 2007 2007 Championships (17) 1931–32 1952–53 1958–59 1965–66 1969–70 1970–71 1974–75 1996 1999 2000 2002 2006 2014 2019 2020 2021 2022 Challenge Cup (13) 1955–56 1960–61 1965–66 1971–72 1975–76 1996 1997 2001 2004 2006 2007 2008 2021 League Leaders Shield (9) 2002 2005 2006 2007 2008 2014 2018 2019 2022 Other honours 4—time Premiership Champions 1—time Western Division Champions 1—time Regal Trophy Champions 2—time BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Champions 11—time Lancashire County Cup Champions 11—time Lancashire League Champions 1—time Charity Shield Champions BBC Sports Team of
1232-475: A winter to a summer season. In the lead-up, the Halifax President, Tony Gartland, and former Chairman, Peter Marsland, left the board over plans to merge with rivals Bradford Northern and join the proposed Super League as single club. Halifax joined the Super League in 1996, the local newspaper did a poll of suggested nicknames for the club with Halifax Bombers topping the list. But the Board upon
1309-589: Is different from Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2024 Super League 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
1386-435: The 1953–54 Challenge Cup , featuring in the first ever drawn final against Warrington in 1954, losing in the replay at Odsal Stadium , Bradford in front of what was then a world record rugby league crowd officially given as 102,569, although estimates suggest another 20,000 plus entered unofficially. After securing a Yorkshire league and cup double in 1955–56, the club was in sight of winning " All Four Cups " . Wembley
1463-709: The Championship , the second tier of British rugby league . Halifax Panthers have won the League Championship four times the Challenge Cup five times. They have rivalries with neighbours Bradford of the Championship, Huddersfield of Super League, and also fellow Championship side Featherstone Rovers and Pennines rivals Rochdale . clubs traditional home colours are blue and white hoops, white shorts and blue and white socks. The club
1540-473: The New Zealand All Blacks , including George Nēpia and Charles Smith , and these players now joined Halifax. In 1938, Halifax reached the semi-final of the Challenge Cup, after winning three replays in a row, before they were knocked out by Barrow at Fartown , Huddersfield in the dying seconds of the game. In 1939, Halifax became the last team to win the Challenge Cup final before
1617-474: The Rugby Football Union over issues related to leglising payments to players and playing in competitive leagues. In 1896, Halifax lost out on winning the first ever Rugby Football League Championship by a single point, with Manningham becoming the inaugural champions. In 1902–03, they achieved the 'double' by winning the Challenge Cup and finishing top of Division One. They won the cup again
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#17327834776731694-667: The play-off series leading to the Grand Final which determines 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
1771-479: 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
1848-465: 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
1925-713: The 1986–87 Challenge Cup against St. Helens and made a second successive appearance in the Challenge Cup final in 1988 when they lost to Wigan . Despite this on-field success, Halifax were banned from signing new players by the RFL after complaints of non-payments in November 1988. In 1989, John Dorahy took up a position as captain-coach of Halifax for the 1989–90 season. Halifax players threatened strike action over unpaid wages in April 1990. The club sold Neil James for £20,000 to pay wages but were still in financial trouble including an unpaid tax bill of £70,000. Halifax went into
2002-557: The Championship Final through the play-offs, after finishing 10th in the league table. Their opponents were again St Helens who this time ran out comfortable winners by 35-12. Halifax was hit hard by revenue shortfalls during the late 1960s, and 1970s. Fortunes on the pitch suffered as the shortfall was met by selling players. In 1970, a concert was held at Thrum Hall in an attempt to alleviate these financial troubles. Horrific weather conditions meant that only around 3,000 arrived to watch
2079-704: 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
2156-528: 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
2233-539: The French leagues 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
2310-692: The Future". Lindsay's Super League was given 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
2387-552: The Halifax Pop and Blues Concert which made a loss of £6,000. Despite victory in the inaugural Regal Trophy Final (called the Players No. 6 Trophy for sponsorship purposes) in 1971–72, financial problems continued for the next decade. In 1983, local businessman, David Brook provided much needed investment in the club. The 1977-78 season saw Halifax hit rock bottom with a losing streak of 24 consecutive defeats, including
1999 Super League season - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-669: The Qualifiers. The following year Hull KR were relegated when they lost to Salford in 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. Halifax R.L.F.C. The Halifax Panthers are a professional rugby league club in Halifax, West Yorkshire , England . They play home games at The Shay and compete in
2541-574: 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
2618-532: The Second Division Final at Old Trafford . During this season, In October 1990, the set its still current record victory – an 82–8 win over Runcorn Highfield at Thrum Hall. Roe was removed from office 24-hours after the 1991 Final, when he refused to a demand that he re-apply for his own job; the Halifax board had told him that he did not have the required experience for a club in
2695-592: 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
2772-4372: The Year Award (2006) Seasons 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Culture NRFU Founder Super League Founding Member Rivalry with Wigan Affiliation Rugby Football League (1895) St Helens Ladies v t e Super League Dream Team – 1999 1 Kris Radlinski 2 Jason Robinson 3 Gary Connolly 4 Paul Newlove 5 Matt Daylight 6 Iestyn Harris 7 Willie Peters 8 Dean Sampson 9 James Lowes 10 Brian McDermott 11 Chris Joynt 12 Adrian Morley 13 Adrian Vowles v t e 1999 in rugby league « 1998 2000 » International Rugby League Anzac Test Tri-Nations World Cup qualifying Play-off British Rugby League Competitions Super League Grand Final Northern Ford Premiership Challenge Cup SL Teams Bradford Bulls Castleford Tigers Gateshead Thunder Halifax Blue Sox Huddersfield Giants Hull Sharks Leeds Rhinos London Broncos Salford City Reds Sheffield Eagles St Helens Wakefield Wildcats Warrington Wolves Wigan Warriors Australian Rugby League Competitions State of Origin NRL season Grand Final Queensland Cup NSWRL First Division By club Auckland Warriors Balmain Tigers Brisbane Broncos Bulldogs Canberra Raiders Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Melbourne Storm Newcastle Knights North Queensland Cowboys North Sydney Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers Sydney Roosters St. George Illawarra Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs Western Suburbs Magpies Other domestic competitions France New Zealand Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1999_Super_League_season&oldid=1209988735 " Category : 1999 Super League season Hidden categories: CS1 errors: periodical ignored Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Short description
2849-670: The Yorkshire County side in these years, and five were for the England rugby union team . In 1886, the club moved to Thrum Hall , which would be their home ground for the next 112 years. The first game there was played on 18 September 1886 against Hull F.C. and drew 8,000 spectators. After the 1890-91 season, Halifax along with other Yorkshire Senior clubs Batley, Bradford, Brighouse, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Hull, Hunslet, Leeds, Liversedge, Manningham and Wakefield decided that they wanted their own county league starting in 1891 along
2926-405: The club as assistant coach from Rochdale Hornets and took full charge after Gary Mercer 's resignation. With the club threatened again by financial problems and the danger of relegation Halifax sacked coach Steve Linnane in August 2002, the morning after a 64–0 loss to St. Helens, which came after nine losses from ten games which put the club at risk of relegation. Replacement Tony Anderson signed
3003-478: The club on a sound financial footing, Howard Posner stepped down as chairman and was replaced by long time supporter and director Michael Steele. In 2010, Halifax won the Co-Operative Championship, beating Featherstone Rovers 23–22 in the final after extra time. It was the first trophy Halifax had won in 23 years. But the club were not promoted back to Super League as promotion to super league
3080-400: 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
3157-529: The decision. It 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
1999 Super League season - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-459: 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
3311-564: The final of the Northern Rail Cup but this time were victorious over favourites Featherstone Rovers beating them 21–12 in a match watched by over 7,000 spectators. In 2015 Halifax finished the regular season in the top four of the Championship, earning them a place in the qualifiers. Despite being the lowest ranked team in the competition, and part-time, they beat promotion favourites Leigh and Sheffield Eagles to finish 6th out of 8, and secured improved central funding for 2016. After
3388-514: 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
3465-606: The first week of the play-offs by York City losing 26-24. In September 2024, the club was threatened with closure due to an outstanding bill to HMRC . On 11 September 2024, the club managed to stave off liquidation after paying their outstanding debt to the HMRC. Shortly after they were founded in 1873, Halifax bought some land in Halifax from a farmer with the aim to build a multipurpose sports venue. Thrum Hall hosted rugby league finals and test matches as well as speedway . Halifax played at Thrum Hall for 112 years, until they sold
3542-429: The following season, and were the first ever Championship play-off winners in 1906–07. Halifax won their first Wembley Challenge Cup final in 1931, beating York F.C. 22–8. An estimated 100,000 people lined the route to a civic reception at the town hall. Towards the end of the 1937 season, Streatham and Mitcham folded after just one full season in the league. The club had made a number of high-profile signings from
3619-619: The ground during home fixtures and other fund-raising events, were able to raise £55,000. Howard Posner then came forward and announced that he would loan the club the remaining £35,000 in order to keep Halifax alive, repayment of the loan was waived. Posner and the new board of directors subsequently invested further sums to ensure the club could survive and that Halifax would be playing in National League One during 2007. Howard Posner, again became club Chairman and Martin Hall took up
3696-472: The hands of receivers, £760,000 in debt, a take-over bid having failed after the players refused to take a pay cut. The club was re-formed and the assets were purchased by the Marsland/Gartland consortium of local businessmen. Peter Roe was appointed as head coach at Halifax for 1990–91, during which the team achieved promotion to the First Division along with Salford, who were their opponents in
3773-546: The land for £1.5 million to ASDA to move to a new stadium in the Super League era. Thrum Hall was notable for its distinctive slope. As it was built on the side of a hill, the ground had a four yard slope from the main grandstand side to the outer wing. Thrum Hall had a spectator capacity of 9,832 when it closed as a sports venue. Halifax first played at the Shay in the 1998 Super League season and ground shared with association football team Halifax Town . The Shay has
3850-450: 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
3927-605: The lines of a similar competition that had been played in Lancashire. The clubs wanted full control of the league but the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union would not sanction the competition as it meant giving up control of rugby football to the senior clubs. Halifax were founding members of the breakaway Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895 when leading rugby clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire left
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#17327834776734004-401: 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
4081-408: 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
4158-408: 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
4235-428: 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
4312-491: The play-offs. After defeating Whitehaven in the first week, Halifax travelled to Featherstone with the winner to play Toulouse Olympique in the Million Pound Game . Halifax would lose the match 42-10 which ended their season. It was also the final game for the retiring Scott Grix . In the 2022 RFL Championship season, Halifax finished third and qualified for the play-offs. However, they would be eliminated in
4389-499: 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
4466-439: The post of director of football in October 2006. Assistant coach Matt Calland was then named the new head coach of Halifax. In the 2009 Challenge Cup Halifax came within moments of reaching the quarter-finals, losing by one point in extra time to Castleford. They also lost the final of the Co-Operative Championship to Barrow 26-18. However, Barrow were later stripped of the title due to salary cap breaches. In April 2010, with
4543-426: The recommendation of Chief executive Nigel Wood chose Halifax Blue Sox . However, this proved to be unpopular with most supporters who continued to refer to them as 'Fax'. Halifax finished third in Super League in 1998 under John Pendlebury . Halifax sold Thrum Hall for £1.5 million to Asda for a supermarket development in 1998, and moved across town to their present home, the Shay stadium, which they share with
4620-503: The season London Broncos and four-time Champions Bradford Bulls were relegated to 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
4697-513: The sport's geographic heartland within the UK and one from southern France . The Super League began in 1996, replacing 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
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#17327834776734774-442: The title: St Helens (10), Leeds Rhinos (8), Wigan Warriors (7) and Bradford Bulls (4). During 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
4851-440: The top division, and would have to stand against other new applicants. Roger Millward took the coaching job at Halifax, but was only there 17 months before resigning. Mal Reilly became the coach in 1992. In August 1993, in financial trouble again, Halifax put seven players on the transfer list for a total of £170,000. In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural Super League season and changed from
4928-405: The town's football club Halifax Town . The proceeds from the sale were supposed to enable Halifax RLFC to make a contribution to the costs of a redevelopment of the Shay stadium, but the money was swallowed up by debts. Under Chief Executive Nigel Wood, Halifax went to Jacksonville University , Florida , in 2000 to help develop American rugby league, along with Salford . Steve Linnane joined
5005-575: The war. Favourites Salford were beaten 20–3 in front of a record 55,453 spectators. During the Second World War, Halifax reached the Challenge cup finals in 1941 and 1942, but lost both times to Leeds in matches held at Odsal. In 1947, Halifax's Hudson Irving died from a heart attack while playing at Dewsbury. In 1949, Halifax's David Craven died after breaking his neck playing against Workington Town . The 1949 Challenge Cup final
5082-405: 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
5159-526: 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
5236-452: 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
5313-591: Was dominated by one club, Wigan , who were the only full time professional team. In 1992, 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
5390-618: Was founded as Halifax in 1873 when a group of young men from the Halifax Rifle Volunteers put an advert in the local press to invite anyone interested in "football" to a meeting at the Upper George Hotel. A year later, Halifax played their first inter-club rugby football game when they played Leeds Athletic Club in a match held at Woodhouse Moor in Leeds on the 21st of November 1874. This first game resulted in
5467-5142: Was introduced to reward accurate kicking in general play. The rule, which had been used in Australia since 1997, gave the head and feed at the resulting scrum to a team that kicked the ball from behind their 40-metre line so that it bounced in the field of play before going into touch behind their opponent's 20 metre line. Teams [ edit ] Legend Reigning Champions Promoted Team Stadium Capacity City/Area [REDACTED] Bradford Bulls Odsal 27,000 Bradford, West Yorkshire [REDACTED] Castleford Tigers Wheldon Road 11,750 Castleford, West Yorkshire [REDACTED] Gateshead Thunder Gateshead International Stadium 11,800 Gateshead, Tyne and Wear [REDACTED] Halifax Blue Sox Thrum Hall 9,832 Halifax, West Yorkshire [REDACTED] Huddersfield Giants Galpharm Stadium 24,500 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire [REDACTED] Hull Sharks The Boulevard 10,500 Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire [REDACTED] Leeds Rhinos Headingley 21,500 Leeds, West Yorkshire [REDACTED] London Broncos The Valley 27,000 Charlton, Greater London [REDACTED] Salford Reds The Willows 11,363 Salford, Greater Manchester [REDACTED] Sheffield Eagles Don Valley Stadium 25,000 Sheffield, South Yorkshire [REDACTED] St. Helens Knowsley Road 17,500 St Helens, Mersyside [REDACTED] Warrington Wolves Wilderspool 9,200 Warrington, Cheshire [REDACTED] Wigan Warriors Central Park 18,000 Wigan, Greater Manchester Table [ edit ] Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification 1 [REDACTED] Bradford Bulls (L) 30 25 1 4 897 445 +452 51 Semi Final 2 [REDACTED] St Helens (C) 30 23 0 7 1034 561 +473 46 Qualifying Semi Final 3 [REDACTED] Leeds Rhinos 30 22 1 7 910 558 +352 45 4 [REDACTED] Wigan Warriors 30 21 1 8 877 390 +487 43 Elimination Semi Final 5 [REDACTED] Castleford Tigers 30 19 3 8 712 451 +261 41 6 [REDACTED] Gateshead Thunder 30 19 1 10 775 576 +199 39 7 [REDACTED] Warrington Wolves 30 15 1 14 700 717 −17 31 8 [REDACTED] London Broncos 30 13 2 15 644 708 −64 28 9 [REDACTED] Halifax Blue Sox 30 11 0 19 573 792 −219 22 10 [REDACTED] Sheffield Eagles 30 10 1 19 518 818 −300 21 11 [REDACTED] Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 30 10 0 20 608 795 −187 20 12 [REDACTED] Salford Reds 30 6 1 23 526 916 −390 13 13 [REDACTED] Hull Sharks 30 5 0 25 422 921 −499 10 14 [REDACTED] Huddersfield Giants 30 5 0 25 463 1011 −548 10 Source: Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored; (C) Champions; (L) League Leaders Play-offs [ edit ] Qualifying play-off Qualifying semi-final Preliminary final Grand Final 1 [REDACTED] Bradford Bulls 40 [REDACTED] Bradford Bulls 6 [REDACTED] St. Helens 4 [REDACTED] St. Helens 8 2 [REDACTED] St. Helens 38 [REDACTED] St. Helens 36 3 [REDACTED] Leeds Rhinos 14 Elimination semi-final [REDACTED] Castleford Tigers 6 [REDACTED] Leeds Rhinos 16 4 [REDACTED] Wigan Warriors 10 [REDACTED] Castleford Tigers 23 5 [REDACTED] Castleford Tigers 14 See also [ edit ] 1999 Super League Grand Final References [ edit ] ^ Andy Wilson (2004-08-09). "Moran leaves Vikings with
5544-460: Was less successful and after a poor series of results including a club record loss to Hull Kingston Rovers , Farrell lost his job. Martin Hall took over the role of head coach in June 2006. In August 2006, Halifax was on the verge of going bust. The club announced that it needed to raise £90,000 or it would go into liquidation. Rugby league fans nationwide rallied behind 'Fax', and through visits to
5621-474: Was on a franchise basis at that time. In 2011, Halifax reached the Northern Rail Cup Final at Bloomfield Road , Blackpool , losing narrowly to Leigh in the last minute. They were also unable to defend their Championship title, losing heavily to Sheffield Eagles in the play-offs. Karl Harrison took over as head coach at the end of the season. The following season, Halifax made it to
5698-412: Was reached after an 11–10 Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Wigan at Odsal and Halifax beat St. Helens 23–8 in the Championship semi-final. However, St Helens ran out 13–2 winners in the Challenge Cup and a week later, Halifax lost in the Championship match against Hull at Maine Road , Manchester , a last minute penalty goal securing a 10–9 victory for Hull. In 1959, Halifax hosted Wigan before
5775-474: Was sold out for the first time as 95,050 spectators saw Bradford Northern beat Halifax. In the 1950s, Halifax were Championship runners-up three times, beat Hull F.C. in Yorkshire Cup finals in 1954 and 1955, and were Yorkshire League winners in 1950, 1953, 1954 and 1956. Halifax were unbeaten at their home ground of Thrum Hall between December 1952 and November 1956. They played in a Wembley final of
5852-527: Was the official name for the year 1999's Super League championship season, the 105th season of top-level professional rugby league football in Britain, and the fourth championship run by the Super League . The start of Super League IV saw the emergence of a North East based Rugby League Club, Gateshead Thunder as well as newly promoted Wakefield Trinity Wildcats to expand the league to fourteen teams. Rule changes [ edit ] The 40/20 rule
5929-516: 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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