Super League (rugby league)
Countries |
Florian Republic Freeland |
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Founded | 2017 |
First season | 2017 |
Number of teams | 16 (18 from 2019) |
Levels on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Florian Super League 2 |
International cup(s) |
FMRL World Club Championships Apollonian Challenge Cup |
Current champions |
Northcliff Vikings (2017) |
Most championships | Northcliff Vikings (1 Title) |
Website | Official website |
2018 Super League |
The Super League, referred to as the Super League (rugby league) to avoid confusion with other similarly named competitions, is the highest and only fully professional rugby league competition in Apollonia.It is run by the Florian Rugby Football League. It is known as the Fastbet Super League due to sponsorship reasons and is contested by 16 teams and the top eight teams enter the postseason playoffs. 16 teams are based in the Florian Republic and one team is based in Freeland.They have also been interests of teams from Etourney entering the league. There is a use of promotion or relegation in the league with the two bottom teams of the league being relegated. It is the most viewed and attended rugby league club competition in Micras after the league broke attendance and viewing records in its second season.
Matches are played from February to September and the season culminates in the leagues' playoff final, the Florian Super League Grand Final. The most popular sporting event in the Florian Republic. The teams which reach the Grand Final, qualify for the FMRL World Club Championships.
History
Establishment
Expanision
After the formation of the league. The organisers of the competition released a plan to expand the game to new cities domestically and abroad. They plan to expand the league to 20 teams. On November 21st, 2017, the Florian Super League committee openly addressed proposals for two clubs to be entered into the league for the 2019 season. five teams applied for Super League status. At the end of the month, the league's current members voted on each application and Birmingham Titans and the Southern Storm (originally to be based in Blyth but now Oldhaven) were accepted after gaining almost unanimous votes. The Wolfpack was also awarded a license but they were denied automatic promotion in a decision made in January 2018. The two other applicants, the Southern Knights and Coldley Panthers were accepted into the Semi-Professional leagues. In a very controversial decision, a last-minute bid for Super League status in 2018 from KR Viten Sharks was accepted after Northcliff Broncos were revoked a license. The Wolfpack was angry about the decision but an appeal was rejected. In the process, KR Viten Sharks became the first foreign team to play in the Florian Super League. Due to the failure of the Fastbet Cup and Fastbet Premiership, the league created a second tier of the division.
Teams
The Super League (rugby league) consists of 16 teams: Three based in Northcliff, two in Blackoak, Dragonmoor and Havenbarrow. Other teams are from Meadowedge, Newhedge, Newmarsh, Northsilver, Stonehall and Westlake. The league operates on a single group system, with no divisions or conferences and no relegation and promotion from other leagues. In its inaugural season in 2017, only 12 teams competed in the league. After the 2017 season, it was announced that the league would be expanding to 16 teams and therefore the four highest placed teams in the Florian Championship were promoted. After having their license revoked, on the 14th December 2017 the Northcliff Broncos were expelled from the league and were replaced by KR Viten Sharks from Freeland, effectively creating an continental competition.
Current Clubs
Super League clubs | ||||||
Colours | Club | Established | Location | Stadium | Capacity* | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blackoak Bulls | 2017 | Blackoak | Blackoak metropolitan Stadium | 10,300 | ||
Blackoak Giants | 2017 | Blackoak | Stone Brewery Stadium | 55,097 | ||
Dragonmoor Devils | 2017 | Dragonmoor | Dragonmoor City Stadium | 12,000 | ||
Dragonmoor Dragons | 2017 | Dragonmoor | Thomas Lémery Stadium | 55,000 | ||
Havenbarrow Rovers | 2017 | Havenbarrow | Post Office Way | 6,750 | ||
Havenbarrow Wolves | 2017 | Havenbarrow | Wolves Park | 15,200 | ||
Meadowedge Warriors | 2017 | Meadowedge | Warriors Sport Arena | 45,500 | ||
Newhedge Centurions | 2017 | Newhedge | Newhedge Sports Village | 12,000 | ||
Newmarsh Saints | 2017 | Newmarsh | Saints Road | 23,000 | ||
Northsilver Panthers | 2017 | Northsilver | Panthers Arena | 25,586 | ||
KR Viten Sharks | 2017 | Viten,Freeland | Viten Arena | 30,000 | ||
Northcliff Eagles | 2017 | Northcliff | The Beehive | 6,418 | ||
Northcliff Tigers | 2017 | Northcliff | Northcliff Sports Complex | 20,000 | ||
Northcliff Vikings | 2017 | Northcliff | Northcliff Arena | 75,000 | ||
Stonehall Rhinos | 2017 | Stonehall | The Jungle | 26,500 | ||
Westlake Wildcats | 2017 | Westlake | 'Wild' Park | 5,333 |
Current Champions |
Future Clubs
Two brand new teams will enter the league in 2019.
Club | Established | City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham Titans | 2017 | Birmingham | Eastpak Stadium | 34,000 |
Southern Storm | 2017 | Oldhaven | Thunder Park (Under construction) | 74,000 |
Famous Super League Rivalries
The Super League (rugby league) is well known for the many rivalries it has in its leagues. The most famous are shown below:
Northcliff Tigers vs Northcliff Vikings
The rivalry of these two Northcliff clubs has been described as the biggest and most violent rugby league derby on Micras. Both clubs are two of the biggest clubs in the country and both are currently dominant in the league. Northcliff Vikings are the better out of two due to them winning more titles than Northcliff Tigers. The rivalry is nicknamed the Immortal derby.
Northcliff Eagles vs Northcliff Vikings
Havenbarrow Rovers vs Havenbarrow Wolves
Blackoak Bulls vs Blackoak Giants
Dragonmoor Devils vs Dragonmoor Dragons
Season Structure
Pre season
Preseason begins in January and ends in early February. In this time clubs play friendlies against other teams in the Florian Republic, however, some teams may play teams from other countries in the FMRL World Club Championships.
Regular Season
Rugby League is a summer sport in the Florian Republic and Freeland and the regular season starts early March following a brief series of friendlies. A round of regular season matches is played every weekend for 30 weeks, usually until the end of September. All matches are played on Saturday evening. Teams receive two competition points for a win and one point for a draw. Teams on the table are ranked by Teams on the ladder are ranked by competition points, then match points differential (for and against) and points percentage are used to separate teams with equal competition points. At the end of the regular season, the highest ranked club wins the league leaders Trophy. From the 2018 season onwards after round 15 of the regular season. Teams have three byes a season to accommodate the Florian State of Origin.
Magic Weekend
In an attempt to expand the sport of rugby league, and market the Florin game to a global audience, the Super League (rugby league) has staged games in large stadia abroad in countries which traditionally don't play rugby league. The "Magic Weekend" concept, which involves staging an entire round of Super League in such a stadium, was first staged in Viten in 2017.
Playoffs
The eight highest placed teams at the end of the regular season compete in the Playoffs series. The system consists of a number of games between the top eight teams over four weeks in September, until only two teams remain. These two teams then contest the Grand Final, which is usually played on the first Sunday of October.
Super League Grand Final
The Florian Super League Grand Final determines the season's overall champions and is the most popular sporting event in the Florian Republic. Since inception, it has been played at Northcliff Arena, the largest stadium in the republic. The Grand Final is always played on a Sunday and is televised on TV networks such as Red Sports, RLM24 and other TV channels. The game has an opening ceremony featuring entertainment and the singing of the national anthem as well as an invitational nines game. At the conclusion of the Grand Final, there is a presentation ceremony where the winning team are awarded champion medals and then the man of the match is given the Edwin Farrar Medal.
League Champions
Season | Grand Finals | League Leaders Trophy Finished first in Regular Season | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Champions | Score | Runners-up | ||
2017 | Northcliff Vikings | 34-18 | Northsilver Panthers | Northcliff Vikings |
2018 | TBC | N/A | TBC | TBC |
Media Coverage
Country | TV Broadcasters | Radio Broadcasters |
---|---|---|
Craitland | VVision | none |
Kingdom of Coria Nohavland |
StadioSport | StadioSport Radio |
Florian Republic Etourney |
Sports Hub Red Sports |
Free Sports Radio |
Senya | Senya TV Sport | none |
Mercury | RLM24 | none |
Freeland | PRF1 TV | none |
In the Florian Republic , the Super League (rugby league) has deals with two networks, Red Sports and Sports Hub. Collectively, these contracts cover every regular season and postseason game. In Freeland matches are broadcasted on PRF1 TV, its main TV channel. The NRL is available to the rest of Micras via an official Livestream channel. Matches are also broadcasted in Mercury, Craitland, the Kingdom of Coria and Senya.
Detailed Florian coverage
- Thursday Night Football starts at 7:30pm and matches are shown on the free to view, Sports Hub and Red Sports.
- Friday Night Football starts at 5:45 pm with the first match shown on Red Sports. A second match, 7:55 pm is broadcast by both Sports Hub and Red Sports.
- Super Saturday includes one Fastbet Cup or Fastbet Premiership afternoon game at 3:15 pm, followed by two Florian Super League matches, the first at 3:00 pm followed by 5:30 pm and then 7:30 pm, all Super Saturday is televised live and add break free' on Red Sports.
Matches on Sunday are currently are broadcasted by FBC Sports.
Records
Team
- Most Titles - TBC
- Most League Leaders Trophies - 1 Northcliff Vikings
- Most Wooden Spoons - 1 Dragonmoor Devils
- Longest winning Streak - 20 matches, Northcliff Vikings (2017)
- Longest losing streak - 11 matches, Dragonmoor Devils (2017)
Match officials
Referees
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'The Bunker' Video Referees
- Ewan Davies
- Tom Berry
- William May
Two referees system
The Super League (rugby league) uses a two-referee system. In every match, there are two referees, two touch judges, video referee and a timekeeper.
Sponsorship
The league was not sponsored in its first season.
The title sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. There have been two different title sponsors since the league's formation:
Period | Sponsor | Name |
---|---|---|
2017 | no sponsor | Super League |
2018 | Fastbet | Fastbet Super League |
2019- | Monster Interactive | Monster Interactive Super League |
As well as title sponsorship, the league has a number of official partners and suppliers, such Raptor (Offical ball supplier), Queens Press (Offical beverage), VykMotors (Official motor company) and N@G@ (Offical communications partner). Drag0n is to make the official game, Rugby League World. Florian Airlines is the official airline of the league and will provide travel to matches abroad in Etourney and other countries. On the 5th December, The eyecare company, Quicklenses became an official referee sponsor. After a long negotiation talk, fast food company Chicken King became the sponsor of the video referring system.
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