THE promotion issues in the National League came under scrutiny at the turn of the year, with the clubs voting to alter slightly the system used last season.

Last year, both NL1 and NL2 ended the season with top-six play-offs like in Super League, with the Grand Final winners of each being given the champions tag and being promoted to the higher tier. The team that finishes bottom in Super League and NL1 were automatically relegated.

The system remains the same in NL1 this year, but there has been an alteration in NL2, which features York City Knights. This means consistency throughout the divisions is lost, but the club chairmen believed the disadvantages of that were outweighed by the benefits of change.

Now, the team that finishes top of the table in NL2 will be automatically promoted, with the team at the bottom of NL1 again relegated.

The six-team play-offs will remain, however, and this time will feature the next five teams in NL2 plus the second-bottom team in NL1. The second-bottom team in NL1 effectively takes the place in the play-offs of the top team in NL2, and the winners of these play-offs, which will again culminate in a Grand Final, win a place in NL1, with the others going into NL2.

This means that a second promotion place is possible between NL2 and NL1, while the inter-divisional play-off used last year to determine a possible second promotion place has been scrapped.

Other than these changes, the system is as it was last season.

As last year, there are 20 clubs in the top two divisions of the National League. There is also a third division, which this year has expanded from ten to 14 clubs, but this is for amateur clubs and at this stage there is no promotion and relegation between Divisions Two and Three.

The teams in each division play each other home and away during the regular season. As for the play-offs, the higher a team finishes at the end of the regular season, the easier their route to the Grand Final.

Super League clubs: Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Huddersfield Giants, Hull FC, Leeds Rhinos, London Broncos, Salford City Reds, St Helens, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Warrington Wolves, Widnes Vikings, Wigan Warriors.

National League One clubs: Batley Bulldogs, Doncaster Dragons, Featherstone Rovers, Halifax, Hull Kingston Rovers, Keighley Cougars, Leigh Centurions, Oldham Roughyeds, Rochdale Hornets, Whitehaven.

National League Two clubs: Barrow Raiders, Chorley Lynx, Dewsbury Rams, Gateshead Thunder, Hunslet Hawks, London Skolars, Sheffield Eagles, Swinton Lions, Workington Town, York City Knights.

National League Three clubs (amateur): Birmingham Bulldogs, Bradford Dudley Hill, Bramley Buffaloes, Carlisle Centurions, Coventry Bears, Essex Eels, Hemel Hempstead Stags, Huddersfield Underbank Rangers, Manchester Knights, Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks, South London Storm, St Albans Centurions, Teesside Steelers, Warrington Woolston Rovers.