League Leader's Shield
Encyclopedia
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
in the sport of rugby league football. Currently (and for much of its history) the championship is decided on the basis of a play-off series, and the Shield is thus regarded as a lesser prize. Due to it being decided by a 27-game, round-robin league system, some people regard 'the Hubcap' as the hardest honour to win in British rugby league.
British rugby league has been using a play-off series rather than simply awarding the title to the top-placed team for the majority of its history. From 1903 until 1973 the Championship was awarded to the team winning a top-four play-off (excluding the four seasons 1904–06 and 1962–64, when the championship was awarded to the top placed team). During this period no prize was awarded to the actual team finishing top.
In 1973, the Championship was split into two divisions (see Second Division), and a new play-off type competition, the Premiership
Rugby League Premiership
The Rugby League Premiership was a competition for British rugby league clubs that operated between 1973 and 1995. As the Super League Premiership the competition continued to operate until 1997....
was introduced. The title of "champion" was awarded not to the Premiership winner but the top-placed team.
With the advent of Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
, rugby league again returned to a play-off structure for the championship. Initially, the practice of awarding no prize to the top-placed team was re-introduced. The League Leader's Shield was introduced only in 2003.
Shield Winners
| Year | Season | League Leaders |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Super League VIII Super League VIII Tetley's Super League VIII was the official name for the year 2003's Super League championship season, the 110th season of top-level professional rugby league held in Britain, and the eighth championship run by Super League.... |
Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league.... |
| 2004 | Super League IX Super League IX -Television:Live Super League IX matches were broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports in the first year of a new five-year television deal. The contract was signed less than three weeks before the start of the season. The deal, worth £53 million, represented a 15 percent, or £7 million,... |
Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... |
| 2005 | Super League X Super League X engage Super League X is the official name of 2005's Super League season. It was the 10th season of Super League and saw twelve teams from across England compete for the premiership. The season kicked off in early February, culminating in a six team play-off seriesThe Grand Final, held at Old... |
St Helens |
| 2006 | Super League XI Super League XI Engage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X.... |
St Helens |
| 2007 | Super League XII Super League XII Engage Super League XII is the official name for the year 2007's Super League season in the sport of rugby league.The 2007 season kicked off on the weekend of 2 February 2007 at the Galpharm Stadium. For the first time, the league had a staggered start due to the World Club Challenge between St... |
St Helens |
| 2008 | Super League XIII Super League XIII Engage Super League XIII was the official name, due to sponsorship, for the 2008 Super League season by Engage Mutual. Twelve teams competed for the Minor Premiership over 27 rounds after which, the top 6 finishing teams entered the play-offs where they competed for a place in the Grand Final and... |
St Helens |
| 2009 | Super League XIV Super League XIV The 2009 Super League season is the fourteenth season of rugby league since the Super League format was introduced in 1996... |
Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League... |
| 2010 | Super League XV Super League XV The 2010 Super League season was the fifteenth season of rugby league football since the Super League format was introduced in 1996. Fourteen teams competed for the League Leader's Shield over 27 rounds . All clubs also participated in the 2010 Challenge Cup tournament... |
Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... |
| 2011 | Super League XVI Super League XVI The 2011 Super League season was the sixteenth season of rugby league football since the Super League format was introduced in 1996... |
Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... |