 Wigan playerJake Bibby holding the League Leaders' Shield and wearing the associated medal, 2020 | |
| Country |  England France |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Super League |
| History | |
| First award | 2003[1] |
| Most wins |  St. Helens(8 titles) |
| Most recent | 2025 Hull Kingston Rovers(1st title) |
TheLeague Leaders' Shield[2] is a trophy awarded to the team finishing the season top ofSuper League in the sport ofrugby league football. This regular portion of the season precedes the playoffs for the eventualSuper League Grand Final. The trophy was first awarded inSuper League VIII in 2003.[3]
Bradford Bulls won the first shield in 2003, but St. Helens have won it most, winning it on a total of 8 occasions.
Wigan Warriors became only the 2nd team (along with St Helens), to retain the shield in 2024.
From 1907 until 1973 the Championship was awarded to the team winning a top-four play-off (excluding the 2 seasons 1962–63 and 1963–64, when the championship was awarded to the top-placed team). From 1907 to 1962 no prize was awarded to the team finishing top. From 1965 to 1973 a 'League Leaders' Trophy' was introduced to reward the team finishing top. In 1996,Super League was formed but continued to use the league to decide the champions until 1998, when they adopted a play-off structure for the championship. Between 1998 and 2002 no trophy was awarded for coming top of the league in the regular season, and it would not be until the 2003 season when the League Leaders' Shield was first awarded.
From 2015 to 2017, League Leaders' Shield winners would participate in the short livedWorld Club Series. 2015 also saw the prize money increase from £50,000 to £100,000.
In 2016, the League Leaders were awarded medals for the first time.
| Year | League leaders | Pts | Runners up | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 |  Bradford Bulls (C) | 44 |  Leeds Rhinos | 41 |
| 2004 | Leeds Rhinos (C) | 50 | Bradford Bulls | 41 |
| 2005 | St. Helens | 47 | Leeds Rhinos | 44 |
| 2006 | St. Helens (C) | 48 |  Hull F.C. | 40 |
| 2007 | St. Helens | 38 | Leeds Rhinos(C) | 37 |
| 2008 | St. Helens | 43 | Leeds Rhinos(C) | 42 |
| 2009 | Leeds Rhinos (C) | 42 | St Helens | 38 |
| 2010 |  Wigan Warriors (C) | 44 | St Helens | 40 |
| 2011 |  Warrington Wolves | 44 | Wigan Warriors | 43 |
| 2012 | Wigan Warriors | 42 | Warrington Wolves | 41 |
| 2013 |  Huddersfield Giants | 42 | Warrington Wolves | 41 |
| 2014 | St. Helens (C) | 38 | Wigan Warriors | 37 |
| 2015 | Leeds Rhinos (C) | 41 | Wigan Warriors | 41 |
| 2016 | Warrington Wolves | 43 | Wigan Warriors(C) | 42 |
| 2017 |  Castleford Tigers | 50 | Leeds Rhinos(C) | 40 |
| 2018 | St. Helens | 42 | Wigan Warriors(C) | 32 |
| 2019 | St. Helens (C) | 52 | Wigan Warriors | 36 |
| 2020 | Wigan Warriors | 76.47a | St. Helens(C) | 70.59a |
| 2021 |  Catalans Dragons | 82.61a | St. Helens(C) | 76.19a |
| 2022 | St. Helens (C) | 42 | Wigan Warriors | 38 |
| 2023 | Wigan Warriors (C) | 40 | Catalans Dragons | 40 |
| 2024 | Wigan Warriors (C) | 44 | Hull KR | 42 |
| 2025 | Hull Kingston Rovers (C) | 44 | Wigan Warriors | 42 |
(C) - Team also won theGrand Final to be crowned champions.
| Club | Wins | Winning years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2024 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1912–13, 1914–15 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1965–66, 2006 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1927–28 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2003 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2015 | |
| 4 | 1 | 2025 |
| Club | Wins | Winning years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2[4][a] | 1993–94, 2024[b] | |
| 2 | 1 | 2003–04 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2006–07 |
