2011 RFL Championship


The 2011 Rugby Football League Championship is known as Co-operative Championship due to sponsorship by The Co-operative Group.
The 2011 Co-operative Championship is a semi-professional rugby league football competition played in the UK and France one tier below the first tier Super League. The two worst performing teams during the season, with the exception of Toulouse Olympique, will be relegated to Championship 1.
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 2012–14 period.
All of the teams in the 2011 Co-operative Championship will also compete in the 2011 Challenge Cup where they will enter in the third round. All of the teams will also compete in the 2011 National League Cup which starts before the Co-operative Championship with the finals held mid season.

Teams

This competition features mostly the same teams as it did in 2010. The Hunslet Hawks and York City Knights were promoted from the 2010 Championship 1 while the Keighley Cougars and Whitehaven were relegated.
Team & Current SeasonStadiumCapacityLocation
Barrow RaidersCraven Park7,600Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Batley BulldogsMount Pleasant6,000Batley, West Yorkshire
Dewsbury RamsTetley's Stadium3,500Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Featherstone RoversBigfellas Stadium6,750Featherstone, West Yorkshire
HalifaxThe Shay Stadium6,561Halifax, West Yorkshire
Hunslet HawksSouth Leeds Stadium4,000Leeds, West Yorkshire
Leigh CenturionsLeigh Sports Village12,700Leigh, Greater Manchester
Sheffield EaglesBramall Lane32,702Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Toulouse Olympique XIIIStade des Minimes4,066Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, France
Widnes VikingsStobart Stadium Halton13,500Widnes, Cheshire
York City KnightsHuntington Stadium3,428York, North Yorkshire

Season standings

Teams qualifying for the Play-offs
Teams in relegation position

This table is correct as of 25 August 2010.
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20110322190230/http://www.cooperativechampionship.co.uk/table_nl1.php
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.

Competition points: For win = 3; For draw = 2; For loss by 12 points or fewer = 1.

Season results

Regular season

Play-offs

Elimination play-offs
Qualifying semi-final
Elimination semi-final
Elimination final
Grand Final

Statistics

The following are the top points scorers in the Championship during the 2011 season. Statistics also include tries and goals scored in the play-offs.
Most tries
PlayerTeamTries
Jamie EllisLeigh Centurions22
Mick NanynLeigh Centurions22
Andy BallardBarrow Raiders20
Bryn PowellFeatherstone Rovers20
Tom SaxtonFeatherstone Rovers18
Paul WhiteHalifax17
Martyn RidyardLeigh Centurions17
Quentin Laulu-TogagaeSheffield Eagles17
Menzie YereSheffield Eagles16
Jon HepworthFeatherstone Rovers15

Most goals
PlayerTeamGoals
Liam FinnFeatherstone Rovers115
Mick NanynLeigh Centurions104
Simon BrownSheffield Eagles95
Steve TyrerWidnes Vikings69
Danny JonesHalifax65
Jamie RooneyBarrow Raiders63
Paul HandforthBatley Bulldogs59
Darren NichollsToulouse Olympique40
Dominic BrambaniDewsbury Rams39
Pat WalkerDewsbury Rams29

Most points
PlayerTeamTriesGoalsDGsPoints
Mick NanynLeigh Centurions221040296
Liam FinnFeatherstone Rovers141151287
Simon BrownSheffield Eagles2951199
Steve TyrerWidnes Vikings12690186
Danny JonesHalifax6650154
Jamie RooneyBarrow Raiders6631151
Paul HandforthBatley Bulldogs4590134
Darren NichollsToulouse Olympique13400132
Dominic BrambaniDewsbury Rams6391103
Jamie EllisLeigh Centurions2270102