Editing League Leaders' Shield

{{Short description|Rugby trophy}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{infobox sports award
| name           = League Leaders' Shield
| image          = File:Bibby.jpg
| caption        = [[Wigan Warriors|Wigan]] player [[Jake Bibby]] holding the League Leaders' Shield and wearing the associated medal, 2020
| imagesize      = 200px
| country        = {{ENG}}<br />{{FRA}}
| presenter      = [[Super League]]
| year           = 2002<ref name="SuperLeague">{{cite web | title=Saints secure 2022 League Leaders Shield | website=Betfred Super League | date=2022-08-29 | url=https://www.superleague.co.uk/article/3005/saints-secure-2022-league-leaders-shield | access-date=2024-06-02}}</ref>
| holder         = [[Super League XXIX|2024]]<br> {{leagueicon|Wigan Warriors|12}} [[Wigan Warriors]]<br>(5th title)
| most_awards    = {{leagueicon|St Helens|12}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]<br>(9 titles)
}}
The '''League Leaders' Shield'''<ref name="wilson2009-07-16">{{cite news|last=Wilson |first=Andy |title=Battle for Super League play-offs can pull in the fans |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/jul/16/andy-wilson-super-rugby-league |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=12 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801165252/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jul/16/andy-wilson-super-rugby-league |archive-date=August 1, 2009 |date=2009-07-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> is a trophy awarded to the team finishing the season top of [[Super League]] in the sport of [[rugby league]] football. This regular portion of the season precedes the playoffs for the eventual [[Super League Grand Final]]. The trophy was first awarded in [[Super League VII]] in 2002.<ref name="SuperLeague">{{cite web | title=Saints secure 2022 League Leaders Shield | website=Betfred Super League | date=2022-08-29 | url=https://www.superleague.co.uk/article/3005/saints-secure-2022-league-leaders-shield | access-date=2024-06-02}}</ref>

St Helens won the first shield in 2002, and have since won the shield on a total of 9 occasions.

Wigan Warriors become only the 2nd team (along with St Helens), to retain the shield.

==History==
From 1907 until 1973 the Championship was awarded to the team winning a top-four play-off (excluding the 2 seasons 1962–63 and 1963–64, when the championship was awarded to the top-placed team). From 1907 to 1962 no prize was awarded to the team finishing top. From 1965 to 1973 a 'League Leaders' Trophy' was introduced to reward the team finishing top. In 1996, [[Super League]] was formed but continued to use the league to decide the champions until 1998, when they adopted a play-off structure for the championship. Between 1998 and 2001 no trophy was awarded for coming top of the league in the regular season, and it would not be until the 2002 season when the League Leaders' Shield was first awarded.

From 2015 to 2017, League Leaders' Shield winners would participate in the short lived [[World Club Series]]. 2015 also saw the prize money increase from £50,000 to £100,000. 

In 2016, the League Leaders were awarded medals for the first time.

== Shield winners ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" 
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
!Year
!League leaders
!Pts
!Runners up
!Pts
|-
|[[Super League VII|2002]]
||{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]](C)'''
|46
|{{leagueicon|bradford|16}} [[Bradford Bulls]]
|46
|-
|[[Super League VIII|2003]]
|{{leagueicon|Bradford|16}} '''[[Bradford Bulls]](C)'''
|44
|{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} [[Leeds Rhinos]]
|41
|-
|[[Super League IX|2004]]
|{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} '''[[Leeds Rhinos]](C)'''
|50
|{{leagueicon|bradford|16}} [[Bradford Bulls]]
|41
|-
|[[Super League X|2005]]
|{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]'''
|47
|{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} [[Leeds Rhinos]]
|44
|-
|[[Super League XI|2006]]
|{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]](C)'''
|48
|{{leagueicon|hull|16}} [[Hull F.C.]]
|40
|-
|[[Super League XII|2007]]
|{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]'''
|38
|{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} [[Leeds Rhinos]]
|37
|-
|[[Super League XIII|2008]]
|{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]'''
|43
|{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} [[Leeds Rhinos]]
|42
|-
|[[Super League XIV|2009]]
|{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} '''[[Leeds Rhinos]](C)'''
|42
|{{leagueicon|st helens|16}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]]
|38
|-
|[[Super League XV|2010]]
|{{leagueicon|Wigan|16}} '''[[Wigan Warriors]](C)'''
|44
|{{leagueicon|st helens|16}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]]
|40
|-
|[[Super League XVI|2011]]
|{{leagueicon|Warrington|16}} '''[[Warrington Wolves]]'''
|44
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|43
|-
|[[Super League XVII|2012]]
|{{leagueicon|Wigan|16}} '''[[Wigan Warriors]]'''
|42
|{{leagueicon|warrington|16}} [[Warrington Wolves]]
|41
|-
|[[Super League XVIII|2013]]
|{{leagueicon|Huddersfield|16}} '''[[Huddersfield Giants]]'''
|42
|{{leagueicon|warrington|16}} [[Warrington Wolves]]
|41
|-
|[[Super League XVIV|2014]]
|{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]](C)'''
|38
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|37
|-
|[[Super League XX|2015]]
|{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} '''[[Leeds Rhinos]](C)'''
|41
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|41
|-
|[[Super League XXI|2016]]
|{{leagueicon|Warrington|16}} '''[[Warrington Wolves]]'''
|43
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|42
|-
|[[Super League XXII|2017]]
|{{leagueicon|castleford|16}} '''[[Castleford Tigers]]'''
|50
|{{leagueicon|leeds|16}} [[Leeds Rhinos]]
|40
|-
|[[Super League XXIII|2018]]
|{{leagueicon|st Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]'''
|42
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|32
|-
|[[Super League XXIV|2019]]
|{{leagueicon|st Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]](C)'''
|52
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|36
|-
|[[Super League XXV|2020]]
|{{leagueicon|wigan|16}} '''[[Wigan Warriors]]'''
| 76.47<sup>a</sup>
| {{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]
| 70.59<sup>a</sup>
|-
|[[Super League XXVI|2021]]
|{{leagueicon|catalans|16}} '''[[Catalans Dragons]]'''
| 82.61<sup>a</sup>
| {{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]
| 76.19<sup>a</sup>
|-
|[[Super League XXVII|2022]]
| {{leagueicon|st Helens|16}} '''[[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]](C)'''
|42
| {{leagueicon|wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]
|38
|-
|[[Super League XXVIII|2023]]
| {{leagueicon|Wigan|16}} '''[[Wigan Warriors]](C)'''
|40
| {{leagueicon|Catalans|16}} [[Catalans Dragons]]
|40
|-
|[[2024 Super League season|2024]]
|{{leagueicon|Wigan|16}} '''[[Wigan Warriors]](C)'''
|44
|{{leagueicon|Hull KR|16}} [[Hull KR]]
|42
|}
*<sup>a</sup>: Shield winners decided by win percentage rather than points
(C) - Team also won the [[Super League Grand Final|Grand Final]] to be crowned champions.

===Winners===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; margin-left:1em;"
!Club
!Wins
!Winning years
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]]||9||  [[Super League VII|2002]], [[Super League X|2005]], [[Super League XI|2006]], [[Super League XII|2007]], [[Super League XIII|2008]], [[Super League XIV|2014]], [[Super League XXIII|2018]], [[Super League XXIV|2019]], [[Super League XXVII|2022]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|Wigan|16}} [[Wigan Warriors]]||5|| [[Super League XV|2010]], [[Super League VII|2012]], [[Super League XXV|2020]], [[Super League XXVIII|2023]], [[Super League XXIX|2024]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} [[Leeds Rhinos]]||3|| [[Super League IX|2004]], [[Super League XIV|2009]], [[Super League XX|2015]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|Warrington|16}} [[Warrington Wolves]]||2||[[Super League XVI|2011]], [[Super League XXI|2016]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|Bradford|16}} [[Bradford Bulls]]||1|| [[Super League VIII|2003]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|Huddersfield|16}} [[Huddersfield Giants]]||1||[[Super League XVIII|2013]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|castleford|16}} [[Castleford Tigers]]||1||[[Super League XXII|2017]]
|-
| align="left" |{{leagueicon|catalans|16}} [[Catalans Dragons]]||1||[[Super League XXVI|2021]]
|}

===The Treble===
{{Main|The Treble (rugby league)}}
{{#lst:Treble (rugby league)|BRITISH_RL_TREBLE_LIST}}

===The Quadruple===
{{Main|The Treble (rugby league)#Australia and the World Club Challenge}}
{{#lst:Treble (rugby league)|BRITISH_RL_QUADRUPLE_LIST}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Sports}}
*[[List of British rugby league champions]]
*[[List of British rugby league league leaders]]
*[[Championship Leaders' Shield]]
*[[Super League Grand Final]]
*[[Minor premiership]] - Australian equivalent

== Notes ==
<references group="lower-alpha" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Super_League_Europe}}

[[Category:Rugby league competitions in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Rugby league trophies and awards]]