 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Founded |
|
| Ceased | 2025 |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country | |
| Last champion |  North Wales Crusaders (2nd title) |
| Most titles |  Dewsbury Rams (3 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Championship |
| Domestic cups | Challenge Cup 1895 Cup |
| Official website | League One |
The Rugby Football League'sLeague One (known as theBetfred League One) was the third-highest division of rugby league inBritain. It was also the lowest level of professional rugby league in Britain.
Introduced in 2003 asNational League 2 it was the first time British rugby league had a third tier since the oldThird and Second Divisions merged in 1998. The league was rebranded asChampionship 1 in 2009, thenLeague 1 in 2015, andLeague One in 2022.
The league was disbanded at the conclusion of 2025 due to the merger of theChampionship and League One for the 2026 season.[1]
Third-division rugby league competitions in the United Kingdom have existed periodically since 1991. The current incarnation was created in 2003 when the second-division competition belowSuper League, theNorthern Ford Premiership, was split into National Leagues One and Two. Teams that finished in the top ten league positions of the Northern Ford Premiership at the end of the2002 season formed National League One, while the remaining eight formed National League Two where they were joined by two additional clubs,London Skolars from theRugby League Conference andYork City Knights, who replaced the defunctYork Wasps and also joined National League Two for the inaugural season in 2003.
At the end of the2005 Super League season, an extra team was relegated to National League One in order to accommodate French sideCatalans Dragons' entry to the competition. In turn, an additional team was relegated from National League One to League Two, whileBlackpool Panthers were elected to National League Two for the 2005 season to replace the defunctChorley Lynx, leaving 11 teams in League Two. In order to even up the numbers, the Welsh teamCeltic Crusaders were admitted to the competition in 2005, first playing in the 2006 season and increasing the division to twelve teams.
In 2009 Super League was expanded to 14 teams, with two additional teams being promoted from National League One. In turn, two additional teams were promoted from National League Two to National League One at the end of the2008 season, reducing the number of teams in National League Two to 10. National Leagues One and Two were then rebranded asChampionship and Championship 1 respectively, with the change being implemented in time for the 2009 season.
South Wales Scorpions were admitted to Championship 1 for the 2010 season, increasing the number of teams in the league to 11. Blackpool Panthers left the league in 2011, once again reducing the number of teams to 10. In 2013, three new teams were admitted to the league;Hemel Stags,Gloucestershire All Golds andOxford Rugby League. To facilitate this expansion, in 2012 four teams were promoted to the Championship from Championship 1 and no teams were relegated from the Championship, meaning that the 2013 Championship 1 season was contested by 9 teams.
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In 2014 expansion and restructure took place with 5 teams relegated from the Championship andCoventry Bears added to expand the league to 14 teams, which was then renamed League 1. A new playoff structure was also introduced with two teams being promoted to the Championship. In 2015 theLeague 1 Cup was introduced as an additional competition for League 1 clubs. In 2016Toulouse Olympique joined the league, bringing the total number of teams to 15.Toronto Wolfpack joined the league in 2017, bringing the total number of teams to 16.
In 2016, theSuper 8s format that had been used in theSuper League andChampionship was introduced to League 1.
Under the amended structure, the 16 League 1 clubs played a regular season of 15 rounds, playing each other once either home or away. Following the conclusion of their regular league seasons, the 16 clubs then compete in a playoff series where they split into 2 divisions of 8 based upon league position:[2][3]
This format remained in use for the 2017 season but on 26 October 2017, it was confirmed thatOxford Rugby League andGloucestershire All Golds would not compete for the 2018 season, in favour of creating a merged club inBristol for 2019.[4] This reduced the number of clubs to 14 and for 2018 the Super 8 format has been discarded and instead the teams will play a 26-game season; with home and away fixtures against all the other teams. The club top of the table after 26 games will automatically be promoted to the Championship and those finishing second to fifth will play off for the other promotion spot.
The format was modified for 2019 following an RFL extraordinary general meeting in September 2018. The number of clubs in the division was reduced to 12 and the top six teams competed for two promotion places to the Championship. However, on 23 October 2018,Hemel Stags announced that the club was withdrawing from the league for 2019 reducing the number of teams to 11; the RFL indicated that no replacement team was to be sought.[5] The team finishing top of the 11-team league after the 20-game regular season was automatically be promoted then a series of six further matches will decide the second promotion spot.
Following the aborted 2020 season, the number of clubs was reduced to 10 asNewcastle Thunder were appointed to the Championship and the planned entry of Ottawa Aces was deferred to 2022. Over the close season of 2021–2022 Ottawa Aces decided to relocate to Cornwall andCornwall R.L.F.C. became the division's eleventh team for 2022.
A reduction to ten teams happened for 2023 asWest Wales Raiders withdrew from the league in December 2022.[6]
Further reductions to the number of teams initially saw the league go from ten to eight teams for the 2024 season, following London Skolars withdrawal from the league in September 2023 and Newcastle Thunders' withdrawal in October 2023. However the league was restored to nine when Newcastle were re-admitted in December 2023. The addition ofGoole Vikings for the start of the 2025 season brought the league back to ten teams. The league did reduce to nine teams asCornwall RLFC withdrew from the league with immediate effect midseason.[7]
In the 22 years of the league, 29 different clubs played in the league at some point.
| Name | Count | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
 Barrow Raiders | 11 | 2003–2004, 2006–2008, 2012, 2015–2017, 2020–2021 |
 Blackpool Panthers § | 6 | 2005–2010 |
 Bradford Bulls | 1 | 2018 |
 Celtic Crusaders § | 2 | 2006–2007 |
| Chorley Lynx § | 2 | 2003–2004 |
 Cornwall § | 4 | 2022–25 |
| Dewsbury Rams | 6 | 2004–2006, 2009, 2023, 2025 |
 Doncaster | 12 | 2008, 2010–2012, 2016–2023 |
 Featherstone Rovers | 2 | 2006–2007 |
 Gloucestershire All Golds | 5 | 2013–2017 |
 Goole Vikings | 1 | 2025 |
 Hemel Stags | 6 | 2013–2018 |
 Hunslet | 18 | 2003–2010, 2014, 2016–2024 |
 Keighley Cougars | 17 | 2003, 2005–2009, 2011, 2015–2022, 2024–2025 |
 London Skolars | 21 | 2002–2023 |
 Midlands Hurricanes(asCoventry Bears 1998–2021) | 11 | 2015–2025 |
 Newcastle Thunder(asGateshead Thunder 1999–2014) | 13 | 2003–2008, 2010–2020, 2024–2025 |
| North Wales Crusaders | 13 | 2012–2013, 2015–2025 |
 Oldham | 14 | 2007–2015, 2018–2019, 2022–2024 |
 Oxford § | 5 | 2013–2017 |
 Rochdale Hornets | 14 | 2008–2013, 2015–2016, 2020–2025 |
 Sheffield Eagles | 4 | 2003–2006 |
 Swinton Lions | 12 | 2003–2011, 2015, 2022, 2025 |
 Toronto Wolfpack | 1 | 2017 |
 Toulouse Olympique | 1 | 2016 |
 West Wales Raiders §(asSouth Wales Scorpions 2010–2016 andSouth Wales Ironmen 2017) | 13 | 2010–22 |
 Whitehaven | 6 | 2011–2012, 2017–2019, 2025 |
 Workington Town | 18 | 2003–2012, 2017–2021, 2023–2025 |
 York Knights | 12 | 2003–2005, 2007–2010, 2014–2018 |
Teams play each other once home and away in a round robin system. There is no relegation from League 1. At the end of the season the team finishing first was promoted to theChampionship. Various systems have been used to decide the second team to promote, the most recent system – in use between 2019 and 2024 – is for the teams finishing between 2nd and 6th compete in aplayoff competition to decide the second promotion spot.
In the play-offs first round there are two matches; the Elimination Final (EF) between the clubs finishing fifth and sixth, and the Qualifying Final (QF) between the clubs finishing third and fourth. For the losing team of the Elimination Final the season is over but the other three play in the semi-finals of the play-offs. In the semi-finals the 1st semi-final was between the winning team in the EF and the losing team in the QF; while the 2nd semi-final was between the team who finished second in the regular season (and had a bye in the first round of the play-offs) and the winning team of the QF. The team winning the 2nd semi-final had home advantage in the Grand Final while the losing team had home advantage in the Preliminary Final.[8] The team losing the 1st semi-final were out of the competition while the winning team played the team losing the 2nd semi-final in the Preliminary Final. The winner of the Preliminary Final played the winner of the 2nd semi-final in the League 1 Grand Final where the victorious team took the second promotion spot to the Championship.[9]
| Club | Wins | Winning years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dewsbury Rams | 3 | 2006, 2009, 2023 |
| 2 | Hunslet | 2 | 2010, 2014 |
| 3 | York Knights | 2 | 2005, 2018 |
| 4 | Barrow Raiders | 2 | 2004, 2021 |
| 5 | Keighley Cougars | 2 | 2003, 2022 |
| 6 | Oldham | 2 | 2015, 2024 |
| 7 | North Wales Crusaders | 2 | 2013, 2025 |
| 8 | Celtic Crusaders | 1 | 2007 |
| 9 | Newcastle Thunder | 1 | 2008 |
| 10 | Swinton Lions | 1 | 2011 |
| 11 | Doncaster | 1 | 2012 |
| 12 | Rochdale Hornets | 1 | 2016 |
| 13 | Toronto Wolfpack | 1 | 2017 |
| 14 | Whitehaven | 1 | 2019 |
All rugby league matches are governed by the laws set out by the RFL; these laws are enforced by match officials.
League One had four different sponsors since 2003.
The officialrugby ball supplier wasSteeden.[11]
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2008 | Nuffield | LHF Healthplan National League 2 |
| 2009–2012 | Co-operative | Co-operative Championship 1 |
| 2013–2014 | Kingstone Press Cider | Kingstone Press Championship 1 |
| 2015–2017 | Kingstone Press League 1 | |
| 2018–2021 | Betfred | Betfred League 1 |
| 2022–2025 | Betfred League One |
RFL policy was to add expansion teams to the professional structure via entry to League One. In 2011, the RFL invited expressions of interest for four additional British teams to join the competition starting in 2013. Of the 16 interested parties, three teams,University of Gloucestershire All Golds,Hemel Stags andOxford Rugby League were accepted to join the league and began play in 2013, a fourth, theNorthampton Town F.C.-linked Northampton Rebels were also accepted, but ultimately decided not to proceed.[12][13][14][15][16] An additional team,Coventry Bears (now the Midlands Hurricanes), were also accepted in September 2012, however it was decided that they would join from the 2014 season to give them additional time to prepare.[17] Coventry again deferred their membership in 2014, eventually joining the league for the 2015 season.
In 2015 it was announced thatToulouse Olympique, after talks with theRFL, had accepted the proposal to rejoin the English league structure in League 1 for the 2016 season, airing their aims for promotion in their maiden League 1 season in a bid to eventually achieve Super League status.[18] They currently play in the Championship, having earned promotion at their first opportunity in 2016.
In 2016, it was announced thatToronto Wolfpack would be joining the league from the 2017 season, becoming the first team to compete in the RFL structure from outside of the UK or France.[19] The Wolfpack won the League 1 title in their inaugural season and went on to play in the Super League.
In October 2017 it was announced thatGloucestershire All Golds andOxford would withdraw from the league, merge and relocate the new club toBristol with the intention of rejoining the league for the 2019 season, however this did not eventuate and in 2019 the All Golds entered the relaunchedConference League South.[20][21] In addition Hemel Stags announced their withdrawal from League 1 at the end of the 2018 season in order to rejoin the Conference League South.[22] In March 2019 it was announced that Hemel's RFL membership had been bought by a consortium including Toronto Wolfpack founder Eric Perez, with the intention of relocating the club toOttawa, Canada.[23][24] The club would ultimately be based inCornwall and be calledCornwall R.L.F.C. A bid to establish a team inNew York was also formally considered by the RFL in March 2019.[25] There were also expressions of interest in joining theRFL system from Spain and Serbia throughValencia Huracanes andRed Star Belgrade RL.[26]
League 1 games have been televised only rarely and sporadically. Before the 2017 season, new members of the league,Toronto Wolfpack, announced that their games would be shown live on Canadian channelGameTV,[27] as well as digitally onCBC Sports.[28]
| Period | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| 2008–2011 | Sky Sports Premier Sports |
| 2012–2013 | Premier Sports |
| 2014 | Sky Sports (Grand Final Only) |
