Super League 'not financially ready' for 14 teams, warns Sky Sports presenter in bleak outlook

Sky Sports rugby league presenter Brian Carney suggests that newly promoted Super League sides York Knights and Toulouse Olympique only receiving 50% of central distribution is a sign the top flight is not financially prepared to move to 14 teams.

The Knights and Toulouse will come into an expanded competition in 2026 – and crucially, both will only take half of the central distribution figure the other 12 clubs will receive, around £650,000.

That is an improvement on what was originally forecasted, with the two expansion clubs originally slated to get nothing before a last-minute decision from the Rugby Football League and RL Commercial to award York and Toulouse some distribution.

But Carney believes that may not be enough, and insists he is worried about what it could mean for Super League’s long-term financial health to have two teams taking such an enormous gamble. He pointed to the situation concerning Bradford a decade ago as proof teams cannot survive without full funding.

He said: “I’m led to believe that teams 13 and 14, so York Knights and Toulouse, will be on half the central distribution; that’s really significant. We’ve been down this path before with Bradford Bulls over a decade ago, where they were readmitted into Super League but on half the central distribution and they were destined to fail.

“The criteria were laid out and it was who could take the most pain, is what I believe, and York and Toulouse in particular were willing to take financial pain. They will come under the same travel criteria expenses as the Catalans Dragons, paying their own expenses to play games in this country and have to pay for visiting teams to come to Toulouse as Catalans do.

In total, for your own travel and opposition travel, that’s circa £1 million. You have half the distribution of all the other clubs and you have a £1 million bill that 12 of the 14 other clubs won’t have to pay. They’ve said they can handle that financial pain, but the proof will be in the pudding.

“And indeed, York as well. They must have something financial up their sleeve to say they’ll take less distribution than everyone else and still put together a competitive squad. Time will tell on much of this.”

Carney continued: “It does (worry me) a little. I could put together a financial plan on a spreadsheet right now and tell you I can spend this one year, this next year and that the year after. I don’t have to spend a penny to do that. I can promise you that I have sponsors willing to commit X amount of pounds in three years’ time, but until that is turned into cold, hard cash, it’s only on paper.

“We’ve just lived through the Salford experience, where millions of pounds have been promised, but nothing has ever materialised; so I have some concerns.

“Lord Caine was presented with all these details, and we have to back him and his panel as they’ve been provided with much more information than I have. Let’s go with it for the moment.

“I have question marks about how they will be able to compete financially getting only 50% of the central distribution. I don’t think it’s the right way to go.

“In fact, it’s evidence of the game not having the financial preparedness to go to 14 teams. If we did, we’d automatically say ‘team 13 and 14, welcome to Super League and here’s full distribution’, but what we’re saying is ‘welcome to Super League, but we don’t have money to give you full distribution, so if you’re willing to take some pain, come on in’.”