The 2013 Rugby Football League Championship, which will be known as Kingstone Press Championship due to sponsorship by Kingstone Press Cider, is a semi-professional rugby league football competition played in the UK, one tier below the first tier Super League. The 2013 season is the first season to consist of a 14-team division. This was achieved by scrapping relegation for the 2012 season and having four teams promoted from the Championship 1.

Relegation to Championship 1 is restored for the 2013 but as in previous years, there is no automatic promotion from this league to Super League, which uses a licensing system renewed every three years. Qualifying for the Grand Final or winning the Northern Rail Cup is a prerequisite for Championship clubs to be able to apply for a licence in the next round of applications for the 2015–17 seasons.

All of the teams in the 2013 Co-operative Championship will also compete in the 2013 Challenge Cup where they will enter in the third round. All of the teams will also compete in the 2013 National League Cup which starts before the Co-operative Championship with the finals held mid season.

Teams

This year's competition features the same 10 teams as it did in 2012 plus the top four teams from the 2012 Championship 1 season, which are Barrow Raiders, Doncaster, Whitehaven and Workington Town.

Legend
Reigning champions
Defending Northern Rail Cup Champions
Promoted
Team & Current SeasonStadiumCapacityLocation
Barrow RaidersCraven Park7,600Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Batley Bulldogsloverugbyleague.com Stadium6,000Batley, West Yorkshire
Dewsbury RamsTetley's Stadium3,500Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
DoncasterKeepmoat Stadium15,231Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Featherstone RoversBigfellas Stadium6,750Featherstone, West Yorkshire
HalifaxThe Shay Stadium6,561Halifax, West Yorkshire
Hunslet HawksSouth Leeds Stadium4,000Leeds, West Yorkshire
Keighley CougarsCougar Park7,800Keighley, West Yorkshire
Leigh CenturionsLeigh Sports Village12,700Leigh, Greater Manchester
Sheffield EaglesBramall Lane32,702Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Swinton LionsLeigh Sports Village12,700Leigh, Greater Manchester
WhitehavenRecreation Ground7,500Whitehaven, Cumbria
Workington TownDerwent Park10,000Workington, Cumbria
York City KnightsHuntington Stadium3,428York, North Yorkshire

Season standings

PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDBPPtsQualification
1Featherstone Rovers262204940362+578470Qualifying for the play-offs
2Sheffield Eagles262204806474+332167
3Halifax261925817476+341162
4Leigh Centurions261808752495+257458
5Batley Bulldogs261619670394+276757
6Doncaster2612113593594−1644
7Dewsbury Rams2612014492620−128642
8Workington Town2611015483681−198639
9Whitehaven2611015485774−289437
10Swinton Lions269017516738−222734
11Keighley Cougars268018492719−227933
12Barrow Raiders268018482792−310933
13Hunslet Hawks (R)266020529704−1751230Relegation position
14York City Knights (R)266020493727−234826

Season results

The regular league season sees the 14 teams play each other twice (one home, one away) over 26 matches. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season goes through to the play-offs to determine the winners of the Championship.

See also

External links