BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Only 51% of the vote is needed to approve IMG’s recommendations to reimagine rugby league when the Rugby League Council meets this month.
IMG has released its grading criteria and the sport will meet on April 19 to decide whether to accept the plans or not.
Tony Sutton, RFL chief executive, explained today that just over half of the votes cast are needed to be in favour of IMG’s blueprint for them to be approved.
“It’s an ordinary resolution, so it’s a simple majority,” Sutton said.
“So that’s better than 50% of the votes cast. That voting structure, which is embedded in the articles of the RFL and how RFL Council meetings are run, has been in place since 2006.
“51% I suppose technically is the majority required.”
Under the structure, the votes of the 11 English Super League clubs are weighted compared to that of the 24 British clubs from the two lower tiers. Catalans and Toulouse do not get a vote, but West Wales Raiders do.
Seven representatives from the community game – the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA); Combined Services Rugby League and representatives from Education rugby league settings; Higher Education rugby league settings; Tier Four Leagues; Tier Five and Tier Six Adult Leagues; and Tier Five Youth and Junior Leagues – also get a vote.
So, in essence, each Super League club’s vote is worth 2.18 and there will be 55 votes cast in total, with a majority of 28 is needed for approval.
“All clubs have one vote, but as a population, the Super League clubs vote and the Championship clubs and League 1 clubs vote and if you take them as a block they’re equal,” Sutton explained.
“So everybody gets one vote, but Super League are weighted. It’s roughly two votes to one, and that’s to make sure the constituencies have equal votes on each side.
“It’s simply to reflect the fact that there are fewer Super League clubs than they’re are Championship and League 1 clubs.
“That’s the structure that’s been in place for over a decade, that’s not a change to voting structure.”
It is unclear what happens to the 12-year partnership if 51% is not achieved and IMG’s plans are voted down.
