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Welcome to Super League

On behalf of the RFL and the Engage Super League clubs, I would like to welcome you all to this the Official Engage Super League website.

The site is once again packed full of news, information, videos and statistics which will prove a valuable resource during what promises to be another entertaining and open Engage Super League XV season.

We have added some exciting features to the site for the 2010 season which, for the first time, has links to the most popular of the social networking sites - Facebook and Twitter. These popular technologies give us the opportunity to reach out further than ever before allowing our audience to interact with us on a much greater scale than previously. We have also developed the new Super League Dream Team Fantasy Rugby League site which gives all visitors and fans the chance of putting together their own Super League squad and seeing how it performs during the course of the Engage Super League XV season.

These developments show how much importance we, as a national governing body, place on the internet and emerging technologies as a means of communicating with our visitors, fans and partners alike. Together this can only enhance our ability to give the best possible service and to best showcase the great game of Rugby League that we are all proud of.

Last year saw Engage Super League played in five different European countries – England, Wales, Scotland, France and Spain – giving the competition a truly continental flavour and the sport is determined to continue to spread its wings in 2010 and beyond.

The introduction of a licensing system in 2009 saw Engage Super League increase to 14 teams, one result of which was a competition rich in unpredictability of outcome.  Salford City Reds and Celtic Crusaders, the two clubs who joined Super League from the Championship, inevitably had a tough year but both claimed some famous scalps during the year and will have learned much from the experience.

After an eventful off-season the Welsh club have rebranded as Crusaders RL and will play the majority of their home fixtures in 2010 at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground, which adds to the stable of Super League venues. With a new coaching team of Brian Noble, Jon Sharp and Iestyn Harris, Crusaders RL will be aiming to become a major force in the game at their new home.
The top-eight play-off system we introduced last season proved to be hugely successful, especially the Club Call concept by which one team got to choose its opponents in the final hurdle before the Grand Final itself.  Leeds Rhinos opted to play Catalans Dragons and the French side gave the eventual champions a massive scare on a thrilling night at Headingley Carnegie Stadium. With that knowledge the team that gets Club Call in the 2010 play-offs will have some hard thinking to do.

Before then, Engage Super League heads north to Scotland for a full round of fixtures in Edinburgh, which hosts Magic Weekend for the second time.  Last year’s Magic Weekend was a huge success and the only major change for 2010 is that four matches will take place on the Saturday and three on the Sunday.

The Engage Super League trophy again found its way to Headingley but Leeds know a massive challenge lies ahead in their third defence of a title which all 13 of their rivals will covet.

With so much at stake, and so much unbridled optimism at every club, Engage Super league XV has all the makings of another classic season and I look forward to, and hope you join me, in following its progress on the Official Engage Super League website.

Richard Lewis
Super League Chairman