Wakefield Trinity owner Matt Ellis hailed his club’s “great achievement” after their return to the Betfred Super League was confirmed following the release of IMG’s first official gradings.

The Belle Vue club crushed Toulouse 36-0 to clinch the Championship Grand Final last weekend but still had to wait to confirm their ascent to the top flight at the first attempt due to new criteria used to determine the structure of the 2025 competition.

Having opened a new 2,500 capacity stand and made other significant off-field advances since Ellis took charge a year ago, Wakefield – who were one of nine clubs granted an ‘A’ grade – are guaranteed immunity from relegation provided their current standards are maintained.

Ellis said: “It’s a great achievement by everybody at the club. We’ve bounced back and the score we’ve received is the icing on the cake.

“It’s been an absolutely fantastic few weeks for the club with the awards at Leeds, the Grand Final and now we’ve cleared this final hurdle and we’re back in Super League.”

Wakefield scored 15.09, nudging over the upper threshold courtesy of the 0.25 performance points they earned for beating their French rivals.

St Helens topped the standings with a score of 17.02 out of a possible 20, with Wigan second in the rankings on 16.91, and Leeds third on 16.84.

Hull KR, Warrington and Catalans Dragons retained the ‘A’ grades they were provisionally awarded in the indicative gradings at the start of the season, while Leigh and Castleford both joined Wakefield in moving into the top bracket.

Despite losing their ‘A’ status after a dismal year on the field, Hull FC did enough to retain their top-flight status along with Huddersfield and Salford. who scored 13.97, edging out Toulouse by just under half a point.

The announcement has largely avoided controversy due to Trinity replacing the Super League’s bottom club London. However there is hope for the Broncos, who are currently seeking a new backer, who saw one of the biggest jumps from 24th in the indicative gradings to 14th with a score of 12.65.

RL Commercial chief executive Rhodri Jones admitted the results would expedite discussions about a potential increase in the size of the top flight from 12 to 14 teams in the near future.

Leading clubs are understood to be resistant to the notion of further divisions in the current revenue pot, but Jones said: “I think based on there being nine grade A clubs, that conversation starts sooner than we expected.

Wakefield Trinity v Sheffield Eagles – AB Sundecks 1895 Cup – Final – Wembley Stadium
Wakefield have sealed their immediate return to the Betfred Super League (John Walton/PA)

“There is a chance we will end up with 12 grade A clubs next year, and there is a broader conversation to be had around 14 teams, which could potentially happen by 2026.

“It’s not a new conversation, it’s something that has been ongoing for five years, but it is a conversation that says once we get to 12 grade As we will review the competition structure.”

The introduction of the gradings system, rubber-stamped by a large majority of clubs last April, axed automatic promotion and relegation in favour of a points-based system determined by scores across five ‘pillars’ – fandom, on-field performance, finance, stadium and community.

Keighley, the most vociferous critics of the grading system, and one of the few to vote against it, proved to be the biggest beneficiaries, rising 11 places to 19th and a Grade B score of 9.02.