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RFU Championship Clubs - Min Standards Criteria
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castleparknight View Drop Down
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    Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 15:47

RFU Championship Clubs – Minimum Standards Criteria

13th February 2023

Please see below a statement issued by the RFU concerning Championship Clubs application for the Minimum Standards Criteria for promotion.

The RFU Board has ratified the recommendation of the Professional Game Board on the Minimum Standards Criteria assessments for Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders; the two Championship clubs that applied to be assessed. The outcome is as follows:

  • Doncaster Knights have satisfied the Minimum Standards Criteria and are eligible for promotion to the Premiership at the end of season 2022/23. Castle Park has a licensed capacity of over 5,000, with planning permission to extend beyond 10,000. The club has also provided detailed information regarding the safety assurance process to be undertaken by their local authority.
  • Ealing Trailfinders were not able to evidence the necessary licensed capacity, supported by a safety certificate or planning permission to achieve a capacity of over 10,000. Ealing Trailfinders are therefore not eligible for promotion to the Premiership at the end of season 2022/23.

Minimum Standards Criteria are in place to ensure Premiership Rugby clubs and promoted clubs have suitable facilities to protect player safety and welfare and to provide a good quality, safe environment for spectators. Each club and its nominated ground undergo an annual independent audit to assess compliance with the Minimum Standards Criteria.

The Minimum Standards Criteria were revised in 2022 around the minimum capacity of grounds, to allow additional time for a club to build up to a capacity of 10,001 (details of the changes below).

Professional Game Board Chair, Phil De Glanville, said: “The decision to support Championship club promotion, with a phased approach to ground development, was taken to support the transition to the Premiership and to allow more time to achieve the 10,001 capacity criteria.

“The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.”
Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny!
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*Stalwart View Drop Down
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Points: 325 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote *Stalwart Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 16:34
"Professional Game Board Chair, Phil De Glanville, said: “The decision to support Championship club promotion, with a phased approach to ground development, was taken to support the transition to the Premiership and to allow more time to achieve the 10,001 capacity criteria.

“The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.”

What a load of waffle. The top tier is not self-sustaining for goodness sake but they don't seem bothered about that. They cut the capacity for promotion to 5,000 but there had to be planning permission and builders in place to go up to 10,001. So they're asking clubs to take a massive financial gamble in the hope they might win the league. Ludicrous. I really hope Ealing take this to litigation.



Edited by *Stalwart - 13 Feb 2023 at 16:34
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billesleyexile View Drop Down
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Originally posted by *Stalwart *Stalwart wrote:

They cut the capacity for promotion to 5,000 but there had to be planning permission and builders in place to go up to 10,001. So they're asking clubs to take a massive financial gamble in the hope they might win the league. Ludicrous. I really hope Ealing take this to litigation.

Problem with that though is that Doncaster have done the prem a massive favour here - providing a candidate that can jump through the ludicrous hoops, so Ealing can't argue that no one could...

As an aside, really pleased for Donny that they've got themselves into this position and passed the audit after a lot of hard work and investment - that really should be seen as a massive step forward for them even though in doing so they're providing a handy spoiler for the RFU to hide behind. Not their fault. 


Edited by billesleyexile - 13 Feb 2023 at 16:52
keep the faith
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castleparknight View Drop Down
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Points: 3001 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote castleparknight Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 17:02
True enough - hadn’t thought of that situation i.e. making it difficult for Ealing
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The RFU can change & bend the rules to suit their purpose. If they want Ealing or Donny in the top league they will make it happen. They could deduct points from teams above Donny for players stepping on cracks in the pavement or wearing odd socks if it suited them. Loading prospective promotion candidates with debt to fund ground development which no one wants is barking mad. Rather than go through this farce wouldn't it be better for the RFU to simply nominate the club they want - the process has nowt to do with whether a team actually wins games on the field.
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OldNick View Drop Down
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So, no promotion this year.

Or probably ever again when 10+10 comes in.
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castleparknight View Drop Down
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Originally posted by corporalcarrot corporalcarrot wrote:

The RFU can change & bend the rules to suit their purpose. If they want Ealing or Donny in the top league they will make it happen. They could deduct points from teams above Donny for players stepping on cracks in the pavement or wearing odd socks if it suited them. Loading prospective promotion candidates with debt to fund ground development which no one wants is barking mad. Rather than go through this farce wouldn't it be better for the RFU to simply nominate the club they want - the process has nowt to do with whether a team actually wins games on the field.

So can all teams, other than the Knights, please wear odd socks and step on all the cracks for the rest of the season please?
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Big Eddie View Drop Down
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Originally posted by OldNick OldNick wrote:

So, no promotion this year.

Or probably ever again when 10+10 comes in.


.....which sensible club would ever want to join the ludicrous loss making cartel called Premiership Rugby

1. It is boring to watch
2. It loses money every single year
3. It appears to be causing life changing irreversible illness
4. It probably doesn't have any realistic future

I like the rugby played in National 2, I love the rugby played in National 1, I am thrilled about the rugby played in the Championship........I have absolutely no desire to watch any Premiership Rugby

As far as I am concerned the Championship is the pinnacle of rugby as I played it and now watch it....
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Clive Norling View Drop Down
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Big Eddie .... well said my friend
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Again, the whole designation of sports stadium comes down to government legislation that’s been in place since 1975. For all the arguments about bath, they are actually catered for in the legislation itself. For whatever reason the exemption given to football clubs has never been rolled across to any other sport. Ealing could technically be up tomorrow if the legislation allowed for 5000 capacity rugby stadia (and they got the relevant safety certificate)
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"The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.”

The nerve of them coming out with this sanctimonious nonsense when 2 of the Premiership clubs have just gone bust
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Originally posted by Count Ford Count Ford wrote:

"The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.”

The nerve of them coming out with this sanctimonious nonsense when 2 of the Premiership clubs have just gone bust

Yet, part of their plan is to force a club with no debts to commit to a £10m+ stadium plan when they have no need of that many seats. Sack them all.
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Big Eddie View Drop Down
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The RFU have been unfit and incompetent administrators of our game for the last 20 years ……if there was proper democratic accountability most of the RFU management and the supine RFU council would have been shown the door years ago

Edited by Big Eddie - 14 Feb 2023 at 09:49
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U n f e c k i n g B e l i e v a b l e !

What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!
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BE, you better let Colin Free know he's "supine" as the Cheshire RFU Council Rep spends most if not all his Saturdays at Paton Field
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The RFU screws Ealing over again, I knew they would. 

Now Ealing have to carry on with that lawsuit but its probably going to be a little harder since they loosened the regs.
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Deflection tactics, takes the attention of the Worcester/Wasps debacle. 
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Originally posted by 373 373 wrote:

Again, the whole designation of sports stadium comes down to government legislation that’s been in place since 1975. For all the arguments about bath, they are actually catered for in the legislation itself. For whatever reason the exemption given to football clubs has never been rolled across to any other sport. Ealing could technically be up tomorrow if the legislation allowed for 5000 capacity rugby stadia (and they got the relevant safety certificate)

If my understanding is correct (big IF) clubs have to be licensed to hold 5k, have a safety certificate in place, and planning permission to extend to 10k. I am under the impression that Ealing did not meet these criteria - factoring in these criteria surely some blame lies on the steps of Ealing? If Doncaster could achieve it, within the prescribed period, surely Ealing with their significant resources could too. I did see some reference to Ealing Council being late with the issue of the safety certificate (not sure if this is factual)- is this the only reason Ealing was rejected? Are they licensed to hold 5k plus? I am sure I saw that Ealing had laid out a proposal to expand the ground in phases, was this a blocker (if so then I think that is poor on the RFU’s behalf as it showed great sense by Ealing).

Either way I do feel for the Ealing supporters and players and hope that some arrangements can be agreed, if not this season then next.
Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny!
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Originally posted by PiffPaff PiffPaff wrote:

BE, you better let Colin Free know he's "supine" as the Cheshire RFU Council Rep spends most if not all his Saturdays at Paton Field

Colin knows my views on the RFU, its structure, its leadership and its supine governance........he will probably be rather pleased I wasn't more vociferous in my condemnation........my gentle criticism was of course tempered by the fruit filter.

If the management of the RFU and its governance in the form of the RFU Council Members could step outside of their introspective and indulgent bubble and look critically at their own performance over the last 20 years I am sure that to a man they would be appalled at their own patronising and self absorbed approach to the governance of the game as a whole. 

I do not believe that the totality of RFU management and the members of the RFU Council are incompetent, self interested individuals. It is just that the undemocratic structure of the RFU encourages such behaviour and by and large once individuals have entered its hallowed edifice they meekly sucumb to group think and self interest.

There needs to be radical change if the game as we know it is to survive.
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Originally posted by castleparknight castleparknight wrote:

Originally posted by 373 373 wrote:

Again, the whole designation of sports stadium comes down to government legislation that’s been in place since 1975. For all the arguments about bath, they are actually catered for in the legislation itself. For whatever reason the exemption given to football clubs has never been rolled across to any other sport. Ealing could technically be up tomorrow if the legislation allowed for 5000 capacity rugby stadia (and they got the relevant safety certificate)

If my understanding is correct (big IF) clubs have to be licensed to hold 5k, have a safety certificate in place, and planning permission to extend to 10k. I am under the impression that Ealing did not meet these criteria - factoring in these criteria surely some blame lies on the steps of Ealing? If Doncaster could achieve it, within the prescribed period, surely Ealing with their significant resources could too. I did see some reference to Ealing Council being late with the issue of the safety certificate (not sure if this is factual)- is this the only reason Ealing was rejected? Are they licensed to hold 5k plus? I am sure I saw that Ealing had laid out a proposal to expand the ground in phases, was this a blocker (if so then I think that is poor on the RFU’s behalf as it showed great sense by Ealing).

Either way I do feel for the Ealing supporters and players and hope that some arrangements can be agreed, if not this season then next.

The issue f the safety certificate may well be the stumbling block. We talked to a lovely lady (Wendy) at Donny last season and she was saying how supportive the local council have been. Is that the difference?
It certainly is the case in Cornwall where the council have been obstructive over the building of the proposed Stadium For Cornwall for years, and recently one woman arbitrarily decided not to include it in the levelling up bid. Compare that to Devon, where Exeter have had the backing of their council at every stage.
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