Sport

Rugby Football League to merge second and third divisions from next year

The new Betfred Championship rolls out in 2026.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 28th August 2025

The Rugby Football League (RFL) has officially announced that it will be combining the Championship and League One divisions next year as part of a larger restructuring.

Besides the push for phasing out automatic promotion and relegation with the top flight, these will be among the biggest changes in the RFL since the creation of the Super League.

Revealing their plans earlier this week, the rugby authority confirmed that the second and third-tier divisions will be merging, with the changes set to be implemented from 2026 onwards.

You can see the statement in full down below, which has been met with a mix of

Confirmed in a lengthier statement online this past Wednesday, 27 August, the update reads: “The RFL Board have confirmed that the Betfred Championship and League One competitions will be combined in a single division outside the Betfred Super League (BSL) in 2026.

“This follows the decision to expand Super League from 12 clubs to 14, subject to conditions – which was taken by the existing Super League clubs last month.

“A number of fixture formats are being developed following consultation with the Championship and League One clubs, but there will be no final announcement until after the number and identity of clubs in each of the two expanded competitions is confirmed, on Thursday, October 16.

“However, the reversion to a single division outside Super League means the Middle Eights that had been scheduled for the end of the 2025 season, as a means of determining promotion and relegation between Championship and League One, will no longer take place.”

It’s also worth noting that these changes will also see the proposed Super 8s end-of-season fixtures scrapped, as the 12 teams set to compete in the playoff-style tournament are obviously now being combined into one league moving forward.

As detailed in the latest communication from the RFL, the League One champions’ prize of £25,000, as well as the usual trophy and medals promised at the start of the season, are still up for grabs; the Championship Play-Offs will still also take place as scheduled.

The winners of the Betfred Championship Grand Final are to receive £100k and 0.25 club grading points.

Commenting on the impending overhaul, Rugby League Commercial Chair Nigel Wood OBE – who headed up the latest strategic review – said: “Following the decision of the Betfred Super League clubs that the elite competition should expand to 14 clubs in 2026, subject to conditions, this is a logical and equally exciting next step.

“The Championship and L1 clubs have been extensively consulted and were virtually unanimous that the two divisional structure for the part-time game wasn’t working as well as it ought, particularly League One – and it is a great credit to the Championship clubs that they recognised that position.”

Reiterating the belief that this is the best way to support and promote “historic and ambitious clubs” outside of the BSL, helping boost attendances, finances and hopefully future investment. It remains a touchy subject for some, though.

Greater Manchester Mayors deliver update on Salford Red Devils situation
The RFL merging divisions may not yet even matter for some.

Speaking of clubs looking for further backing, questions remain over the vetting process for investors and the ‘fit and proper persons tests’ in both rugby and football, especially with the ongoing crisis at Salford Red Devils.

With all that being said, while everyone will have the chance to win the new Championship and perhaps Super League promotion, the likes of Salford are just trying to stay afloat.

Regardless, what do you make of the RFL merging the Championship and League, and do you think it’s the right step for the future of rugby league?

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Featured Images — RFL

Sport

Ruben Amorim has explained why he refused to watch Man United’s penalty shootout against Grimsby

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ruben Amorim explains why he didn't watch Man United's penalties against Grimsby

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has explained the reason why he didn’t watch his team’s penalty shootout against Grimsby Town as they crashed out of the EFL Carabao Cup.

It was yet another night to forget for Man United as the Premier League outfit conceded the first two goals against the League Two side in a fixture that hadn’t been played since 1947.

Even a late comeback through new signing Bryan Mbuemo and Harry Maguire’s late header – an increasingly frequent scenario, it would seem – wasn’t enough to spare their blushes, as the Carabao‘s straight-to-penalties format meant that they couldn’t even rely on extra time.

You already know the rest, and if you were watching on telly, you will have seen head coach Ruben Amorim rocking back and forth as he refused to watch his squad’s spot-kicks. Like the rest of the game, it’s not gone down as a particularly great look.

While there were plenty at home who felt similar reluctance to watch the pens, many supporters have been left understandably frustrated by the Portuguese head coach’s behaviour, accusing him of a lack of leadership.

Admittedly, it doesn’t project great optics, especially given all the talk of ‘storms clearing’ and ‘good days coming’ spouted via club media in recent weeks and months.

However, the 40-year-old has at least given some reasoning for not watching his players take a total of 12 penalties, though we’ll leave it up to the fans.

Speaking to ITV in one of the few post-match interviews he conducted on Wednesday evening, Amorim said: “The penalty shootout was not important, if I’m there trying to see if we win the game, it doesn’t matter. The beginning of the game, during the game, that’s what mattered.

“If we win this game, it’s so unfair on these guys – the opponents. So today, the football was fair; congratulations to them. We move on to the next game, and then we have time to decide things.”

You see Amorim’s post-match interview with ITV in full right here:

As you can see, he went on to explain that he was “not thinking about the penalties, to go to the next stage”, choosing instead to add that his side “spoke really loud about what they want today. It’s really clear, I think it’s really clear to everybody what happened today.”

Being probed further on the precise meaning of this turn of phrase, he told multiple reporters that “a good team can win anything”, suggesting instead that those he fielded were, in the end, merely a collection of players who failed to chime with each other.

Many would argue this has been a common theme not only since he joined the club, but for the last few managers who have taken charge at Old Trafford.

Besides that, he signed off by insisting that there was little he could say to soften the blow of the result, besides apologising to them directly and adding, “something has to change, and you’re not going to change 22 players again.”

Be it as a begrudging Red, an amused rival, or just a neutral, you can either hate-watch or simply study the shocking defeat on what was a historic night for some very happy Grimsby fans down below.

Amorim may not have wanted to sit through the penalty shootout, but MUFC weren’t great to watch in regulation time either.

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

Rising Mancunian MMA star Lewis McGrillen set to take part in PFL Champions Series

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester MMA fighter Lewis McGrillen fighting in Dubai PFL Champions Series 2025

Rising Manchester MMA fighter, Lewis McGrillen, is topping off a breakout 12 months with a big booking in the Middle East, as he is set to feature in the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) latest ‘Champions Series’ over in the UAE.

Continuing an incredible and seminal campaign, the Wythenshawe-born and raised bantamweight, who became the champion of his division back in December, is set to feature in the next edition of the PFL Champion series later this year.

The local lad, who grew up around athletes like Marcus Rashford MBE and Cole Palmer, is still only 24 but has already generated a passionate following and online persona in the combat sports sphere and on social media, in general.

Here was the moment he got his fast hands on his first-ever European PFL title:

As a fast-growing Mancunian sportsman, he’s got plenty of backing here at home, but his larger-than-life personality has also seen him become a charismatic figure in the world of MMA overall.

With the likes of Wigan’s Tom Aspinall now the unified heavyweight champion and Manc UFC fighter Lerone Murphy calling for his own title shot, Greater Manchester is having a truly great moment within the discipline.

But in terms of characters, for our money at the minute, there are arguably few more compelling characters in mixed martial arts than McGrillen-Evan (to use his full name) besides Liverpool favourite Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett.

All hail the golden era of North West knockout stars.

The resurgence of not just high-potential but increasingly successful fighters in the region has not only seen an added interest in the fight game, but the city is attracting even more events of late, too.

A night of bare-knuckle boxing is coming to Manchester’s AO Arena
Case and point.

Having made the step up from flyweight to compete amongst the bantams, Lewis ‘The McGrizzla’ McGrillen – we’ll never not chuckle at that nickname – is quickly going from one of the PFL’s best prospects to among the most exciting names in MMA full stop.

With 13 professional fights under his belt, a dozen of those being wins and 10 of them being by TKO, he’s past being considered merely ‘one to watch’ if you ask us.

A product of the notorious Manchester Top Team, led by the likes of aforementioned ‘Miracle ‘Murphy and fellow native Kane Mousah, the bantamweight champ will be looking to make an even bigger name for himself on the PFL’s global stage this autumn.

McGrillen is due to tussle with County Tyrone’s Caolan Loughran, 29, in the Dubai bout on Friday, 3 October, and we’re backing him to make a big splash.

You only watch the likes of his match against Dean Garnett, one that was dubbed “the fight of the year”, and you’ll understand why…

Nevertheless, his opponent had a lot of his own choice words to say following plenty of big talk from a very confident Lewis. Who are you backing to come out on top, fight fans?

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Featured Images — Supplied/Stillryan (screenshot via YouTube)

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