Dean Andrew OBE to chair Panel to determine 14th Betfred Championship club for 2021

Air Commodore Dean Andrew OBE, a former President of the RFL, will chair a five-strong Panel to allocate the 14^th place in next season’s Betfred Championship over the next three weeks.

The Panel will follow a similar process to that announced last week for the promotion of a Betfred Championship club to play in the Betfred Super League in 2021 – creating the vacancy in the Championship.

Like Lord Jonathan Caine on the seven-strong Panel to determine the club promoted to the Super League, Air Commodore Andrew has been selected as an independent Chair – with the casting vote if required.

Applications will be judged against each club’s ability to deliver against five Aims and Objectives:

1 – enhancing the commercial value of the Championship to broadcast and sponsorship partners;

2 – delivering value to other members of the Championship;

3 – being competitive on the field of play;

4 – being sustainable for the 2021 season and beyond;

5 – delivering the broader goals of the sport as set out in the RFL’s Strategy Reset document.

The deadline for applications is December 2, and it is envisaged that the successful applicant will be announced by December 10 – again as with the process for application to the Betfred Super League in 2021, the application criteria have been aligned where possible with information and documentation already held by the RFL or which applicant clubs should already have in existence, to recognise the tight timescale, and the need to give the successful club as much time as possible to prepare for the 2021 season.

In addition to Air Commodore Andrew, who was President of the RAF Rugby League before serving two years as President of the RFL from 2016-18, the Panel will comprise:

Mark Foster, RFL Chief Commercial Officer;

Alison O’Brien, RFL Director of Insight & Customer;

Dave Rotheram, RFL Chief On Field Officer,

Tony Sutton, RFL Chief Operating Officer.

The Panel will make a recommendation to the RFL Board, who will ultimately determine which of the applicant clubs shall be granted a place in the 2021 Betfred Championship.

The full application process and criteria are published here.