The new competition, named in honour of the founding of the Northern Union in 1895, was put to the Championship and League 1 clubs 1895, to start in the 2019 season.

[5] With Covid-19 still affecting the 2021 season, a new format which merged the early rounds of the tournament with the Challenge Cup was approved.

[6] An adapted version of this format was played in 2022 and 2023, to reflect the re-expansion of the Challenge Cup after Covid.

This format introduced a group stage, into which thirteen Championship and eight League One clubs entered.

[10] In June 2019 it was announced that the cup would be sponsored by AB Sundecks, owned by former Leigh Centurions chairman Derek Beaumont.