This forum.

I also suspect we will get a lot more when the "not level transfer" becomes an issue close to the end of the season. It could be worse than usual, as the fall-out from the Premiership and Championship could affect numbers promoted.

If relegation happened today, Chinnor would go West, Esher East and Hull North, so there would be no reorganization needed, but there is a lot of rugby to play.

I think this is you making a generalisation. Regionalisation would retain Level 3 status.

I am not sure that this has anything to do with the point in discussion but (and please tell me if I am wrong!) isn't the Players Wage Bill the main reason for Level 1 Clubs going under? I doubt that many players will rely on semi-pro rugby money to pay the bills. The RFU cut the Championship Clubs annual subsidy from £500k to £250k. The Championship Clubs had a hissy fit because they relied on this money to pay the players in their vast squads. This was never what the money was intended for and a good example of why we have the problems we have at Levels 1 & 2.

I have not found this to be the case. Our sponsors are loyal, be it at Level 3 or 4. In fact, we have found even more sponsors this last year at Level 4. Talking with opposing committees, they have not said they have lost sponsorship from being in Level 4.

Not so, we now have seven Yorkshire derbies, and our gate figures are definitely bigger at Level 4. At Level 3 we saw few supporters from the opposing Club and, to be fair, we didn't take many to games in London or say Plymouth. We now have Club supporters travelling an hour or so at worst, which is much more realistic.

I honestly don't care what is happening at Levels 1 & 2. It is embarrassing and a complete farce. Dependence on One-man's generosity is like building on sand and unsustainability everywhere you look, which is primarily due to players wage bills and trying to keep up with the French. Bill Sweeney wants a 10 Club Level 1. Good luck to him. We won't go back to 16 Clubs in a league as this would fly in the face of the current culture for giving the players a break during the season. 

Just my opinion etc.

It’s incomparable to compare the Nat leagues with levels 1 & 2 as I think most Nat league teams live within their means and have become very self reliant over the last few years since the withdrawal of funding. I think if you speak to the majority of ex champ players the money isn’t that great for being full time professional. The numbers I was given was around £24k average for a northern based team which is probably around UK minimum wage. Depending on who you speak to Rugby money benefits the income greatly and I know of several players who are in bigger houses now than they would have been without the benefits of semi pro rugby plus a reasonable job. When we cut our budget last year to ensure we survived post covid we lost 18 players in  April/May when the wage bill was reset for that budget which meant our relegation so money is the major driver for players these days but of course this may be a regional issue there is very little loyalty.