March D-day for Super League bids
The Rugby Football League will announce next March which Championship club will be promoted to the Engage Super League in 2012.
The governing body have pledged to award a three-year Super League licence to a club from outside the top division if they meet minimum criteria.
The next batch of 14 licences are due to be awarded next July but a decision over which Championship club to elevate will be made four months earlier to allow them longer to prepare. The decision to effectively promote at least one Championship club means that, with Super League staying at 14 teams, one current side will be displaced.
On Wednesday the RFL issued clubs with guidelines for the licensing process for the 2012-14 period.
Championship clubs must have either reached their league's grand final or won the Northern Rail Cup in 2009 or 2010 to qualify to apply. They must then satisfy the RFL they have will have a stadium capacity of 10,000, not experienced insolvency within the previous three years, have had a turnover of £1million in 2009 or 2010 and have an average attendance of at least 2,500.
Widnes, Halifax and Barrow have the requisite on-field qualification and could apply. Barrow, who won the Northern Rail Cup this year, have said they have no intention of applying.
Clubs such as Featherstone, Leigh and Toulouse could enter the reckoning by reaching this year's final.
A deadline for applications from Championship clubs has been set for December. Unsuccessful Championship clubs will have the chance to reapply along with the existing 14 Super League teams, who must submit their bids by April 2011.
Applications will be assessed in five key areas: commercial, marketing, media and community; facilities; finance; governance and business management; and playing strength.
Clubs intending to move to new stadia or redevelop existing sites to meet standards must satisfy the RFL all work will be completed by the start of the 2012 season. That will put additional pressure on Wakefield, Castleford and Salford to deliver their promised new grounds. All three clubs were warned last year their existing facilities do not meet requirements.
