2024 RFL League One

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2024 Betfred League One
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The 2024 RFL League One is a professional rugby league football competition played in the United Kingdom and the third tier of the sport for Rugby Football League (RFL) affiliated clubs. The sponsors for the league are the bookmakers, Betfred and the league continued to be known as the Betfred League One.

Nine teams compete in the league playing 20 matches each over 23 rounds in the regular season with the team finishing first being declared the champions and the teams finishing second to fifth taking part in the play-offs.

Team changes[edit]

The league has decreased in size from 2023 with nine teams competing, down from 10 in 2023. At the end of the 2023 season London Skolars announced that the club was reverting to amateur status and was resigning from the professional ranks. Dewsbury Rams and Doncaster were promoted to the Championship and are replaced by Keighley Cougars and Newcastle Thunder who finished bottom of the Championship. When the fixture list was issued on 3 December 2023 there remained some doubt about Newcastle's participation as that club also announced they were withdrawing from the league at the end of the 2023 season. However an attempt to revive the club started in October 2023 and an application to rejoin the league made.[1] Newcastle's application to rejoin the RFL was approved on 22 December when it was also confirmed that the club will continue to play at Kingston Park.[2]

Structure changes[edit]

Until this season promotion and relegation was on a 2-up, 2-down basis between the Championship and League 1 but was subject to a review of the league structure.[3]

In March 2024 the RFL completed the review and announced that the first steps will be taken to equalise the number of teams in the Championship and League 1 at 12 each by the start of the 2026 season. At the end of 2024 the Championship will reduce in size to 13 for 2025 while League 1 will increase to 10 in 2025. This means that at the end of the 2024 season, only the League 1 champions will automatically be promoted to the Championship while the bottom two teams in the Championship will be relegated. The team that wins the League 1 play-offs will play the team finishing third-bottom in the Championship for the 13th place in the 2025 Championship.[4]

As there are only nine teams in the division for 2024, playing the other clubs home and away only would give each team just 16 fixtures. To increase the number of fixtures for each team and make the season more financially sustainable, each club has four additional fixtures, known as loop fixtures, two home and two away.[5]

Rule changes[edit]

A number of changes have been introduced for 2024.[6]

The "six again" rule has been amended so that set restarts will only be awarded if the ball is in the defending team's half of the field. Infringements in the attacking team's half will result in a penalty to the attacking team.

The use of the 18th man will be allowed after two players (reduced from three) have failed head impact assessments or a player is unable to continue through injury (not just a head injury) resulting from foul play where the opposing player was sin-binned or sent-off. The use of the green card by the referee ordering injured players off the field for treatment will be discontinued in the Championship.

A team awarded a penalty at a scrum will have the option to reset the scrum instead of taking the penalty.

For disciplinary processes a category of "reckless tackle" has been introduced.[7]

Clubs[edit]

Stadiums and locations[edit]

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2024 RFL League One teams
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Cornwall RLFC Penryn, Cornwall The Memorial Ground 4,000
Hunslet Leeds South Leeds Stadium 4,000
Keighley Cougars Keighley Cougar Park 7,800
Midlands Hurricanes Birmingham Alexander Stadium 2,000
Newcastle Thunder Newcastle upon Tyne Kingston Park 10,200
North Wales Crusaders Colwyn Bay Eirias Stadium 5,500
Oldham Oldham Boundary Park 13,513
Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Spotland Stadium 10,249
Workington Town Workington Derwent Park 10,000

Results[edit]

Main article: 2024 RFL League One results

Table[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Keighley Cougars 5 5 0 0 260 54 +206 10 Champions
2 Oldham 4 4 0 0 210 26 +184 8 Advance to qualifying semi-final
3 North Wales Crusaders 5 3 0 2 160 107 +53 6 Advance to qualifying play-off
4 Rochdale Hornets 6 3 0 3 195 180 +15 6
5 Workington Town 5 3 0 2 136 164 −28 6 Advance to elimination play-off
6 Hunslet 6 3 0 3 136 196 −60 6
7 Midlands Hurricanes 5 2 0 3 210 110 +100 4
8 Cornwall 4 0 0 4 44 214 −170 0
9 Newcastle Thunder 6 0 0 6 74 374 −300 0
Updated to match(es) played on 21 April 2024. Source: [1]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Walker, Callum (3 December 2023). "Newcastle Thunder still not accepted by RFL for 2024 despite inclusion in 1895 Cup and League One fixtures". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  2. ^ "RFL approve change of ownership at Newcastle Thunder". Rugby Football League. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ^ Walker, Callum (3 November 2023). "Championship Summer Bash set to be scrapped as clubs learn structure fate". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Super 8s to return as part of overhaul of Championship rugby league plans". Love Rugby League. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  5. ^ "2024 League 1 fixtures: Every one of the 90 games listed including newly-introduced 'loop' matches". Love Rugby League. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Five law changes approved by the RFL ahead of 2024 season including 'Six Again' rule, 18th man, 'Reckless' tackles". LoveRugbyLeague. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Head injury assessment laws among RFL board tweaks". BBC Sport. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
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