Statement by the Championship Clubs
By JP
June 16 2024
The Championship has today (Friday) won the right to a realistic chance of promotion to the top-tier of the game and taken control of its destiny with the creation of a new, independently-chaired Tier 2 Board of governance.
The RFU Council today approved a promotion and relegation deal that the Championship clubs have been fighting for since the beginning of 2023.
The deal means that in order to be eligible for promotion, the minimum operating standards have been relaxed to make them more achievable and the deadline for achieving those standards will be spread over four seasons. Full details will be announced in due course.
Previously, the terms and conditions of entry had been unacceptable to Championship clubs, because the amount of investment needed and the shorter timetable made them impracticable to a potential promotion candidate.
In its meeting today, the RFU Council also approved the new Tier 2 Board, a body with an equal representation of Championship and RFU members, chaired by an independent person. That Board will take decisions affecting the commercial exploitation of the second-tier league, hence allowing our clubs to make the most of their marketing, media and broadcasting rights.
The clubs believe these changes herald a new era for the professional game in England. They set the current 12 clubs – and all those who wish one day to join them – onto a brighter footing.
With an agreed pathway to promotion, many of the current league’s clubs will now start the planning and investment that will give them a fighting chance to be the first non-P shareholder to reach the Premiership since London Welsh in 2014.
Simon Halliday, chairman of the Championship, said after the RFU Council’s vote: “We have got what we came for. Now our clubs – and every club – can realistically dream of promotion to the Premiership.
“There is now a genuine path for ambitious clubs to rise; the top tier is reconnected to the rest of the English rugby and we can use our commercial potential to fund the growth that rugby sorely needs at our level.
“This is a result that brings common resolve to our sport, guaranteeing that English rugby remains open and fair from the lowest league to the highest.”
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:06:27:06:39:00 by Faithful_City.
The new Tier 2 Board is also of particular interest. Certainly the Chairman of Coventry when he spoke to a group of us at the Coventry / Bedford game thought that given its make up it would be more progressive (my word) than traditional (again, my word).
I regard all of this as positive - but how 12 plus WW, Wasps and LI make 14 I am not sure.
And also up for discussion I presume will be what Tier 2 is called. Premiership 2 seems to have disappeared as a name as Tier 2 will not be part of PRL.
PS
Would it be appropriate to amalgamate all the relevant threads into one? It would seem more coherent.
If it was possible to have sub threads within a thread it would be better.
However if enough want it amalgamated I can do.
JP
Three clubs trying to compete with these cheats, suffered unimaginable losses doe to COVID pandemic and struggle to keep going for the sake of their fans, players and employees are destroyed and thrown out of the league. Their clubs are absolutely crippled.
I really feel that this totally unfair and a black mark on rugby administration in England
These clubs have 100's of years of rugby history producing many International players throughout the home nations.
No!
For me Option 2 is a no brainer and they should be allowed into the 2nd tier and the members who don't want them there can play them on the rugby field.
JP
I read recently that firms like CVC are attracting the eye of HMRC. An Oxford professor has placed a figure of how much has been saved by these companies by using a different tax system.
Even with my very limited understanding of business and finance, I can see potential for the relationship between the RFU and CVC going awry.
For me , the Council, PRL, RFU ,sugar daddies and Championship club owners should all be looking at the whole spectrum of where these changes will take rugby forward and what scenarios might unfold if finances are not going where predicted.
I am still of the opinion that the RFU invited a fox into the hen house with the CVC deal. That , to me ,could be used to pressure the RFU into making this whole Tier 2 option happen and then they can concentrate on keeping the deal intact and getting on with bigger seats for HQ.
The Council need to find their voice and strengthen it ,going forward. Cut out the self interest and for once make things happen for the greater good.
Apologies ,once again for the diversion.