1979–80 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy

The 1979–80 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy was the fifteenth occasion on which the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy competition had been held.

This year, for the last time, a new name appeared on the  trophy when Hull F.C. won the trophy by beating Hull Kingston Rovers by the score of 13-3

The match was played at Boulevard, in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. The attendance was 18,500, and the receipts were £16,605

The attendance was a record for a BBC2 Floodlit Trophy, never to be beaten

Background
This season saw no changes in the entrants, no new members and no withdrawals, the number remaining at twenty-two.

The format remained as a knock-out competition from the preliminary round through to the final.

The preliminary round involved twelve clubs, to reduce the numbers taking part in the competition proper to just sixteen.

Preliminary round
Involved six matches and 12 clubs

First round
Involved eight matches and 16 clubs

Second round
Involved four matches with eight clubs

Semi-finals
Involved two matches and four clubs

Final
The attendance was a record for a BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final, never to be beaten.

The road to success
This tree excludes any preliminary round fixtures

Notes and comments
1 * the first BBC2 Floodlit Trophy match to end with a team scoring 1 point

2 * Played in daylight

3 * This match was televised

4 * At the time this was the third highest score

Postscript
To date, this was the last season for the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Competition, which had taken place annually only since its inauguration in the 1965-66 season.

Despite several minor disagreements between the BBC and the RFL, including over shirt sponsorship in the early 1970s, overall the competition had been a great success.

However financial cutbacks at the BBC lead to its cancellation after the 1979–80 competition.

Therefore, this season was to be the last. It was greatly missed by many, including those living in a non-Rugby League area