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English Super League (ESL)

English Super League (ESL) is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern hemisphere, with most teams coming from England. The competition started in 1996, though the national UK competition held before that time, the Rugby Football League Championship First Division, is considered a direct lineage of the competition.



ESL & League Championship Winners List

The first Championship game was in 1896, won by Manningham. In some years there was no Championship final, the team finishing on top of the league table was declared the winner. The club with the most Championship wins is St. Helens, with next best Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors.

The 2024 Grand Final will be played between Wigan Warriors and Hull Kingston Rovers on October 12.

Season Champions Score Runners-up
2024      
2023 Wigan Warriors 10–2 Catalans Dragons
2022 St. Helens 24–12 Leeds Rhinos
2021 St. Helens 12–10 Catalans Dragons
2020 St. Helens 8–4 Wigan Warriors
2019 St. Helens 23 – 6 Salford Red Devils
2018 Wigan Warriors 12-4 Warrington Wolves
2017 Leeds Rhinos 24–6 Castleford
2016 Wigan 12–6 Warrington
2015 Leeds 22–20 Wigan
2014 St. Helens 14–6 Wigan
2013 Wigan 30–16 Warrington
2012 Leeds 26–18 Warrington
2011 Leeds 32–16 St. Helens
2010 Wigan 22–10 St. Helens
2009 Leeds 18–10 St. Helens
2008 Leeds 24–16 St. Helens
2007 Leeds 33–6 St. Helens
2006 St. Helens 26–4 Hull
2005 Bradford 15–6 Leeds
2004 Leeds 16–8 Bradford
2003 Bradford 25–12 Wigan
2002 St. Helens 19–18 Bradford
2001 Bradford 37–6 Wigan
2000 St. Helens 29–16 Wigan
1999 St. Helens 8–6 Bradford
1998 Wigan 10–4 Leeds
1997 Bradford   London
1996 St. Helens   Wigan
1995–96 Wigan   Leeds
1994–95 Wigan   Leeds
1993–94 Wigan   Bradford Northern
1992–93 Wigan   St. Helens
1991–92 Wigan   St. Helens
1990–91 Wigan   Widnes
1989–90 Wigan   Widnes
1988–89 Widnes   Wigan
1987–88 Widnes   St. Helens
1986–87 Wigan   St. Helens
1985–86 Halifax   Wigan
1984–85 Hull Kingston Rovers   St. Helens
1983–84 Hull Kingston Rovers   Hull
1982–83 Hull   Hull Kingston Rovers
1981–82 Leigh   Hull
1980–81 Bradford Northern   Warrington
1979–80 Bradford Northern   Widnes
1978–79 Hull Kingston Rovers   Warrington
1977–78 Widnes   Bradford Northern
1976–77 Featherstone Rovers   St. Helens
1975–76 Salford   Featherstone Rovers
1974–75 St. Helens   Wigan
1973–74 Salford   St. Helens
1972–73 Dewsbury 22–13 Leeds
1971–72 Leeds 9–5 St. Helens
1970–71 St. Helens 16–12 Wigan
1969–70 St. Helens 24–12 Leeds
1968–69 Leeds 16–14 Castleford
1967–68 Wakefield Trinity 17–10 Hull Kingston Rovers
1966–67 Wakefield Trinity 21-9 St. Helens
1965–66 St. Helens 35–12 Halifax
1964–65 Halifax 15–7 St. Helens
1963–64 Swinton   Wigan
1962–63 Swinton   St. Helens
1961–62 Huddersfield 14–5 Wakefield Trinity
1960–61 Leeds 25–10 Warrington
1959–60 Wigan 27–3 Wakefield Trinity
1958–59 St. Helens 44–22 Hunslet
1957–58 Hull 20–3 Workington Town
1956–57 Oldham 15–14 Hull
1955–56 Hull 10–9 Halifax
1954–55 Warrington 7–3 Oldham
1953–54 Warrington 8–7 Halifax
1952–53 St. Helens 24–14 Halifax
1951–52 Wigan 13–6 Bradford Northern
1950–51 Workington Town 26–11 Warrington
1949–50 Wigan 20–2 Huddersfield
1948–49 Huddersfield 13–12 Warrington
1947–48 Warrington 15–5 Bradford Northern
1946–47 Wigan   Dewsbury
1945–46 Wigan   Huddersfield
1944–45 Wartime Emergency League    
1943–44 Wartime Emergency League    
1942–43 Wartime Emergency League    
1941–42 Wartime Emergency League    
1940–41 County Leagues    
1939–40 County Leagues    
1938–39 Salford 8–6 Castleford
1937–38 Hunslet 8–2 Leeds
1936–37 Salford 13–11 Warrington
1935–36 Hull 21–2 Widnes
1934–35 Swinton 14–3 Warrington
1933–34 Wigan 15–3 Salford
1932–33 Salford 15–5 Swinton
1931–32 St. Helens 9–5 Huddersfield
1930–31 Swinton 14–7 Leeds
1929–30 Huddersfield 10–0 Leeds
1928–29 Huddersfield 2–0 Leeds
1927–28 Swinton 11–0 Featherstone Rovers
1926–27 Swinton 13–8 St Helens Recs
1925–26 Wigan 22–10 Warrington
1924–25 Hull Kingston Rovers 9–5 Swinton
1923–24 Batley 13–7 Wigan
1922–23 Hull Kingston Rovers 15–5 Huddersfield
1921–22 Wigan 13–2 Oldham
1920–21 Hull 16–14 Hull Kingston Rovers
1919–20 Hull 3–2 Huddersfield
1918–19 County Leagues    
1914–15 Huddersfield 35–2 Leeds
1913–14 Salford 5–3 Huddersfield
1912–13 Huddersfield 29–2 Wigan
1911–12 Huddersfield 13–5 Wigan
1910–11 Oldham 20–7 Wigan
1909–10 Oldham 13–7 Wigan
1908–09 Wigan 7–3 Oldham
1907–08 Hunslet 12–7 Oldham
1906–07 Halifax 18–3 Oldham
1905–06 Leigh   Hunslet
1904–05 Oldham   Bradford F.C.
1903–04 Bradford F.C.   Salford
1902–03 Halifax   Salford
1901–02 Broughton Rangers   Salford
1897-1900 County Leagues    
1895–96 Manningham   Halifax


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