Super League XVII
Encyclopedia
The 2012 Super League season (known as the Engage Super League XVII for sponsorship reasons) is to be the seventeenth season of rugby league football since the Super League
format was introduced in 1996. Fourteen teams will compete for the League Leader's Shield
over 27 rounds (including the Magic Weekend
at Etihad Stadium
), after which the highest finishing teams will enter the play-offs to compete for a place in the Grand Final and a chance to win the championship and the Super League Trophy.
The season will kick off on 3 February with two Round 1 fixtures being played. All clubs are also set to participate in the 2012 Challenge Cup
tournament.
The first games of the new season are scheduled to be Leeds Rhinos
vs Hull KR and Widnes Vikings
vs. Wakefield Wildcats. It will be Widnes' first Super League match since 2005.
. Under this system, promotion and relegation between Super League and Championship was abolished, and 14 teams were granted licences subject to certain criteria. All team except Crusaders RL(who pulled out of the application process) earned a place in the 2012 season, Championship
team Widnes Vikings
were given a license after their application was deemed better than Halifax RLFC
and Barrow Raiders
.
Geographically, the vast majority of teams in Super League are based in the north of England, five teams – Warrington
, St Helens, Salford
, Wigan
and Widnes
– to the west of the Pennines in Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, and seven teams to the east in Yorkshire – Huddersfield
, Bradford
, Wakefield
, Leeds
, Castleford
, Hull and Hull KR
. Catalans Dragons
are the only team based in France and are outside of the UK and London Broncos
are the only team to be based in a capital city (London).
The maps below indicate the locations of teams that competed in Super League XVII.
. The finals concluded with the 2012 Super League Grand Final.
to screen matches exclusively live within the United Kingdom. The deal for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 season was worth in excess of £50 million.
Sky Sports
continued coverage in the UK that saw two live matches broadcast each week – one on Friday night at 7:30 pm and another usually on Saturday evenings. Regular commentators were Eddie Hemmings
and Mike Stephenson
with summarisers including Phil Clarke
, Barrie McDermott
and Terry O'Connor
. Highlights were shown on Boots N' All
, shown on Sky Sports and rebroadcast on the Internet.
BBC Sport
broadcast a highlights programme called the Super League Show
, usually presented by Harry Gration
. The BBC elected to broadcast this only to the North West
, Yorkshire & North Midlands
, North East & Cumbria
, and East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
regions on a Sunday. A national repeat was broadcast overnight during the week; the BBC Director of Sport, Richard Moseley, commented that this move was in response to the growing popularity and awareness of the sport, and the large number of requests from people who want to want to watch it elsewhere in the UK. End of season play-offs are shown across the whole country in a highlights package. Super League Show is available for streaming or downloaded using the BBC iPlayer
in the UK.
Orange Sport TV in France aired every Catalans Dragons home match either live or via tape delay.
Internationally Super League is shown live on Showtime Sports
(Middle East), Sky Sport (New Zealand), NTV+ (Russia), SportKlub (Eastern Europe).
2012 was also the last of a three-year deal in which the Nine Network
in Australia showed up to 70 live games from Super League over the life of the contract.
Commercial Radio Coverage:
All Super League commentaries on any station are available via the particular stations on-line streaming.
Starting from Thursday 9 April 2009, all of the matches shown on Sky Sports will also be available live online via Livestation
everywhere in the world excluding the US, Puerto Rico, UK, Ireland, France, Monaco, Australia and New Zealand. List of Super League games available on Livestation.com
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...
format was introduced in 1996. Fourteen teams will compete for the League Leader's Shield
League Leader's Shield
The League Leader’s Shield, often called The Hubcap is a trophy awarded to the team finishing the season top of Super League in the sport of rugby league football. Currently the championship is decided on the basis of a play-off series, and the Shield is thus regarded as a lesser prize...
over 27 rounds (including the Magic Weekend
Magic Weekend
The Magic Weekend, previously Millennium Magic, is a concept by the Rugby Football League to stage an entire round of Super League matches in prestigious and exciting cities to showcase the sport....
at Etihad Stadium
Etihad Stadium
Etihad Stadium may refer to either of two stadiums sponsored by Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of Abu Dhabi:* Docklands Stadium, a retractable-roof multipurpose stadium in Melbourne* City of Manchester Stadium, a football stadium in Manchester...
), after which the highest finishing teams will enter the play-offs to compete for a place in the Grand Final and a chance to win the championship and the Super League Trophy.
The season will kick off on 3 February with two Round 1 fixtures being played. All clubs are also set to participate in the 2012 Challenge Cup
2012 Challenge Cup
The 2012 Challenge Cup is a rugby league football tournament which will begin its preliminary stages in January 2012...
tournament.
The first games of the new season are scheduled to be 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...
vs Hull KR and Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
vs. Wakefield Wildcats. It will be Widnes' first Super League match since 2005.
Teams
Super League XVI was the first year of a licenced Super League2012–14 Super League licences
The 2012–14 Super League licences were awarded following the second round of licensing for the Super League rugby league competition. Successful applicants were given a three-year licence to compete in Super League, the premier rugby league competition in Europe.-Application...
. Under this system, promotion and relegation between Super League and Championship was abolished, and 14 teams were granted licences subject to certain criteria. All team except Crusaders RL(who pulled out of the application process) earned a place in the 2012 season, Championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
team Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
were given a license after their application was deemed better than Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
and Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders
Barrow Raiders are an English professional rugby league team from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, who are coached by Dave Clark. Formed in 1875 as Barrow Football Club, the club is the oldest of the current professional sports teams in Cumbria....
.
Geographically, the vast majority of teams in Super League are based in the north of England, five teams – Warrington
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....
, St Helens, Salford
Salford City Reds
Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...
, Wigan
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....
and Widnes
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
– to the west of the Pennines in Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, and seven teams to the east in Yorkshire – Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
, Bradford
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....
, Wakefield
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
, Leeds
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...
, Castleford
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
, Hull and Hull KR
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
. Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
are the only team based in France and are outside of the UK and London Broncos
London Broncos
London Broncos are a professional rugby league football club based in London, England. The club has competed in the Super League competition since its introduction in 1996...
are the only team to be based in a capital city (London).
The maps below indicate the locations of teams that competed in Super League XVII.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.... (2012 season 2012 Bradford Bulls season This article details the Bradford Bulls rugby league football club's 2012 season. This is the seventeenth season of the Super League era.-Season Review:July 2011... ) |
Grattan Stadium, Odsal Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in Odsal, Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. The venue is used for rugby league and has been the home ground of Bradford Bulls/Bradford Northern since 1934... |
27,000 | Bradford Bradford Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897... , West Yorkshire |
|
| Castleford Tigers Castleford Tigers Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'... (2012 season 2012 Castleford Tigers season This article details the Castleford Tigers rugby league football club's 2012 season. This is the seventeenth season of the Super League era.-Season Review:July 2011... ) |
The Jungle The Jungle (Wheldon Road) The Jungle is the former name of Wheldon Road, a stadium in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. This is the home of the Castleford Tigers rugby league team.... |
11,750 | Castleford Castleford Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north... , West Yorkshire |
|
| Catalans Dragons Catalans Dragons The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom... (2012 season) |
Stade Gilbert Brutus Stade Gilbert Brutus Stade Gilbert Brutus is a rugby league stadium located in Perpignan, in the south of France. Even though the stadium currently has around 9,000 seats installed, it can accommodate around 1,000 fans more due to standing room... |
10,000 | Perpignan Perpignan -Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the... , Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :... , France |
|
| Harlequins RL (2011 season) | Twickenham Stoop | 12,700 | Twickenham Twickenham Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan... , London |
|
| Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C.... (2011 season 2011 Huddersfield Giants season This article details the 2011 Huddersfield Giants season, its 148th in the Rugby Football League, and it's 13th in Super League, this season saw the Fartowners finish in 4th place, which came at a disappointment, due to the nature of the season they had... ) |
Galpharm Stadium Galpharm Stadium The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:... |
24,544 | Huddersfield Huddersfield Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city.... , West Yorkshire |
|
| Hull (2011 season) | Kingston Communications Stadium KC Stadium The KC Stadium, often shortened to the KC, is a multi-purpose facility in the city of Kingston upon Hull , England. Conceived as early as the late 1990s, it was completed in 2002 at a cost of approximately £44 million. It is named after the stadium's sponsors, telecommunications provider KC,... |
25,404 | Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of... , East Riding of Yorkshire |
|
| Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006... (2011 season 2011 Hull Kingston Rovers season In 2011, Hull Kingston Rovers will compete in the 16th season of the Super League and also in the 2011 Challenge Cup.-2011 transfers:Ins... ) |
"New" Craven Park | 9,471 | Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of... , East Riding of Yorkshire |
|
| 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... (2011 season 2011 Leeds Rhinos season This article details the Leeds Rhinos rugby league football club's 2011 season. This is the sixteenth season of the Super League era.-2011 Squad:-2011 Transfers In/Out:GainsLosses-External links:**... ) |
Headingley Carnegie Stadium | 22,250 | Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... , West Yorkshire |
|
| Salford City Reds Salford City Reds Salford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup... (2011 season) |
The Willows | 11,363 | Salford City of Salford The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over... , Greater Manchester |
|
| St Helens RLFC (2011 season 2011 St Helens RLFC season The 2011 St Helens RLFC season was the clubs 137th in their history; their 116th in rugby league. They were in contention for the Super League title as well as the 110th edition of the Challenge Cup and, as announced in May 2011, the new Rugby League 9s tournament, to take place across June... ) |
Halton Stadium Halton Stadium The Stobart Stadium Halton is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, England. The Widnes Vikings play their home games there as do Everton Reserves... |
13,350 | Widnes Widnes Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn... , Halton |
|
| Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts... (2011 season) |
Belle Vue Belle Vue (Wakefield) Belle Vue is a rugby league stadium in Wakefield, England. It is the home stadium of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. It is located beside the A638 Doncaster Road, approximately one mile south of Wakefield City Centre.- Description :Currently, the East stand has a covered stand with seating, with some... |
12,600 | Wakefield Wakefield Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001.... , West Yorkshire |
|
| 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.... (2011 season 2011 Warrington Wolves season This article details the Warrington Wolves Rugby League Football Club's 2011 season. This is the clubs sixteenth season of the Super League era. The club will also look to defend the Challenge Cup following victory at Wembley Stadium against Leeds Rhinos in August 2010.-Pre-Season:Warrington Wolves... ) |
Halliwell Jones Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England that is the home ground of Warrington Wolves. It has also staged Challenge Cup semi-finals, the European Nations Final and the National League Grand Finals' Day.... |
14,206 | Warrington Warrington Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens... , Cheshire |
|
| Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward... (2012 season 2012 Widnes Vikings season This article details the Widnes Vikings rugby league football club's 2012 season. This is the seventeenth season of the Super League era.-Season Review:March 2011... ) |
Halton Stadium Halton Stadium The Stobart Stadium Halton is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, England. The Widnes Vikings play their home games there as do Everton Reserves... |
11,500 | Widnes Widnes Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn... , Cheshire Cheshire Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow... , England |
|
| 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 season 2011 Wigan Warriors season The 2011 Wigan Warriors season is the club's 16th season in the Super League, since its launch in 1996.Michael Maguire carried on as head coach in what would be his last season, and Ian Lenagan continued as the club's chairman and owner. Wigan reverted to using a solo captain in Sean O'Loughlin,... ) |
DW Stadium | 25,138 | Wigan Wigan Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total... , Greater Manchester |
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Reigning Super League champions | |
| Defending Challenge Cup Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part.... Champions |
|
Operational rules
- All Super League clubs agreed to operate within the £1.7million salary cap for their top 25 first-tier players.
- Quota spots were reduced to 5, meaning only 5 players could be from abroad. However, players from France, Samoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea all count as federation-trained and thus do not count against the quota.
Play-offs
The play-offs commenced following the conclusion of the 27-round regular season. To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, Super League uses its unique play-off systemSuper League play-offs
Since 1998 a play-off system has been used to determine the Super League champions. The format has changed over the years, starting with a play-off involving first five, then six teams and currently eight. The play-offs culminate in the Super League Grand Final....
. The finals concluded with the 2012 Super League Grand Final.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING AND ELIMINATION FINALS | ||||||||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| PRELIMINARY SEMI-FINALS | ||||||||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| SEMI-FINALS | ||||||||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| GRAND FINAL | ||||||||
| Team | Score | Team | Date | Stadium | Referee | Attendence | ||
| 2012 Super League play-offs bracket | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards
Awards were presented for outstanding contributions and efforts to players and clubs:- Man of Steel:
- Coach of the year:
- Engage Super League club of the year:
- Young player of the year:
- Carnegie community player of the year:
- Frontline Fairplay IndexFairplay IndexThe Fairplay Index is used in the Super League and Co-operative Championship rugby league competitions as a measure to determine the fairest team over the regular season. The team with the lowest points total wins...
winners: - Metre-maker:
- Hit Man:
- Mike Gregory Spirit of Rugby League Award:
Television
2012 was the last year of a three-year broadcasting agreement between the RFL and BSkyB for Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
to screen matches exclusively live within the United Kingdom. The deal for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 season was worth in excess of £50 million.
Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
continued coverage in the UK that saw two live matches broadcast each week – one on Friday night at 7:30 pm and another usually on Saturday evenings. Regular commentators were Eddie Hemmings
Eddie Hemmings (rugby league)
Eddie Leslie Bruce Hemmings presents Sky Sports rugby league coverage, and is also the channel's main commentator for the sport. Hailing from Warrington, Cheshire, England, Hemmings is usually partnered by the idiosyncratic co-commentator Mike Stephenson....
and Mike Stephenson
Mike Stephenson
Michael "Mike" Stephenson, also commonly known as Stevo, is an English Rugby League World Cup winning Rugby League, and presenter/commentator on British satellite television channel Sky Sports who also represented Great Britain in the sport.Stevo, the nickname that he is commonly known as on TV...
with summarisers including Phil Clarke
Phil Clarke
Phil Clarke is an English rugby league football commentator and former professional player of the 1980s and 90s. A Great Britain and England international representative loose forward, he spent his club career with Wigan, as well as a stint in Australia with the Sydney Roosters.Phil Clarke is the...
, Barrie McDermott
Barrie McDermott
Barrie McDermott is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Great Britain international representative , he played his club football at Oldham, Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos , Bramley and Widnes.McDermott later became the Head of Youth Development with...
and Terry O'Connor
Terry O'Connor (rugby league)
Terry O'Connor is an English former rugby league footballer. His position was , or .-Career:A native of Widnes, O'Connor was picked up from local Widnes side St Maries after also playing for Widnes Tigers. He was a former barla international and toured NZ with them in 1991...
. Highlights were shown on Boots N' All
Boots N' All
Boots 'N' All is the Sky Sports-televised rugby league, weekly magazine programme, focusing on the Super League, National Leagues and amateur game...
, shown on Sky Sports and rebroadcast on the Internet.
BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
broadcast a highlights programme called the Super League Show
Super League Show
The Super League Show is the BBC's rugby league highlights programme, usually shown on a Sunday afternoon on BBC One in the North of England and on the BBC website. It is fronted by Look North newsreader Harry Gration and Tanya Arnold with a variety of studio guests from Super League...
, usually presented by Harry Gration
Harry Gration
Harry Gration is a television presenter based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He is one of the main presenters for the BBC Yorkshire regional magazine programme Look North.-Early life:...
. The BBC elected to broadcast this only to the North West
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
, Yorkshire & North Midlands
BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire is one of the English regions of the BBC. It was formed from the division of the former BBC North region into BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, based in Hull.-Television:...
, North East & Cumbria
BBC North East and Cumbria
BBC North East and Cumbria is the BBC English Region covering Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Teesside and all but the southern part of Cumbria...
, and East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, sometimes abbreviated to BBC Yorks & Lincs, is the name for the BBC's twelfth English Region, based in Hull and created from the division of the former BBC North region, based in Leeds...
regions on a Sunday. A national repeat was broadcast overnight during the week; the BBC Director of Sport, Richard Moseley, commented that this move was in response to the growing popularity and awareness of the sport, and the large number of requests from people who want to want to watch it elsewhere in the UK. End of season play-offs are shown across the whole country in a highlights package. Super League Show is available for streaming or downloaded using the BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
in the UK.
Orange Sport TV in France aired every Catalans Dragons home match either live or via tape delay.
Internationally Super League is shown live on Showtime Sports
ShowSports
ShowSports is part of the Orbit Showtime Network. ShowSport 1 HD, 2, 3, 4 and Extreme Sports Channel are available on many Orbit Showtime Network packages. They began showing from the first of April 2007.-ShowSports 1 HD:...
(Middle East), Sky Sport (New Zealand), NTV+ (Russia), SportKlub (Eastern Europe).
2012 was also the last of a three-year deal in which the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
in Australia showed up to 70 live games from Super League over the life of the contract.
Radio
BBC Coverage:- BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra (National DAB Digital Radio) normally carry one Super League commentary a week on Friday Nights.
- BBC Manchester will carry commentary of Wigan and Salford whilst sharing commentary of Warrington with BBC Merseyside.
- BBC Humberside will have full match commentary of all Hull KR and Hull matches.
- BBC Leeds carry commentaries featuring Bradford, Leeds, Castleford, Wakefield and Huddersfield.
- BBC Merseyside (AM/DAB only) will have commentary on every St Helens match whilst sharing commentary of Warrington with BBC Manchester.
- BBC London 94.9 airs all Harlequins games home & away, mainly via online streaming only.
Commercial Radio Coverage:
- Wish FM will carry commentaries of Wigan & St Helens matches.
- Wire FM will do full match commentary on Warrington Home & Away.
- BCB 106.6 (Bradford Community Broadcasting) have full match commentary of Bradford Bulls home and away.
- Yorkshire Radio increases its coverage to air 50 games in the 2012 season.
- Radio Warrington (Online Station) all Warrington home games and some away games.
- Radio Marseillette covers every Catalans Dragons Home Match (in French).
- Radio France Bleu Roussillon covers every Catalans Dragons Away Match (in French).
- KCFM Hull will no longer be offering commentary of Hull KR and Hull matches.
All Super League commentaries on any station are available via the particular stations on-line streaming.
Internet
ESPN3 has worldwide broadband rights.Starting from Thursday 9 April 2009, all of the matches shown on Sky Sports will also be available live online via Livestation
LiveStation
Livestation is a platform for distributing live television and radio broadcasts over a data network. It has been developed by Skinkers Ltd and is now a new company called Livestation Ltd...
everywhere in the world excluding the US, Puerto Rico, UK, Ireland, France, Monaco, Australia and New Zealand. List of Super League games available on Livestation.com