RFL AND FRONTLINE LAUNCHES FAIR PLAY INDEX
Team discipline is to be put under the spotlight in a new weekly Fair
Play Index launched today by the RFL and its latest Official Partner,
Frontline Bathrooms.
The Frontline Fair Play Index will operate in both the engage Super
League and the Co-operative National League One, for league matches
only, with clubs receiving points for the number and type of penalty
conceded, sin bins, sendings off and match bans.
The Frontline Fair Play Index will be published every Wednesday, to take
into account the previous night's RFL Disciplinary Committee hearings.
At the end of the season the Club in each division with the lowest total
of points will receive a Frontline Fair Play Trophy and prize worth
£5,000.
The scoring system for engage Super League will be as follows:
| 1 point | Technical penalty |
| 2 points | Foul play penalty |
| 3 points | Sin bin |
| 4 points | Sending off sufficient |
| 5 points | For each match suspension, thus a one match suspension is five points and a five match suspension is 25 points. |
Taking into account the 13 Rounds of engage Super League so far, the Frontline Fair Play Index is as follows:
Stuart Cummings, RFL Match Officials Director, said: "We're delighted
that our new official partner Frontline is helping us to produce the
weekly Fair Play Index. Rugby League is a game built on respect and
discipline and I'm confident this Index will further encourage this and
highlight outstanding levels of achievement.
"It will give fans an alternative insight into a team's performance and
I'm sure when the table is published it will spark a huge debate amongst
fans, players, coaches and commentators."
Michael Sammon, Frontline Bathrooms Marketing Manager, added: "The
modern day game is increasingly being better informed and ultimately
stimulated by statistics.
"The Frontline Fair Play Index is the latest information service for
coaches, players and fans, providing a weekly focus on team discipline.
The Frontline Index is destined to become a barometer for controlled
performance and a platform for debate.
"The principle of a Fair Play Index is well established in International
football tournaments and Frontline are delighted to underwrite its
introduction to the 13-a-side code."
As RFL disciplinary hearings for Co-operative National League sides are
heard one week after the offence is committed, the Frontline Fair Play
Index for teams in National League One will be one week behind those of
the engage Super League. The scoring system will also be slightly
different for Co-operative National League clubs, with all penalties
scoring one point.
The Frontline Fair Play Index for Co-operative National League clubs is
as follows:
Featherstone-based Frontline Bathrooms, one of the UK's leading
suppliers of bathrooms to the industry, have agreed a two-year Official
Partners deal with the RFL including hospitality and advertising at
major matches.
The annual six-figure investment features title sponsorship of the
Frontline Test between Great Britain and France at Headingley Carnegie
on the evening of Friday 22nd June.
