Purpose of the Premiership

To change anything you need to look at the top and cascade the changes and ideas down, having old f@rts as Will Carling called them, still running the game means nothing much will change by tinkering lower down, an example is the mess we have as National league 2 West as an example, change to save the RFU money. Disguised as cutting down travel the Leicestershire sides are still travelling to Cornwall, don't think the clubs mind a trip to the seaside from land locked middle England, but it does highlight the RFU total understanding of the real world, they seem to be isolated and out of touch......................quite like poilticians really. (snouts in the trough for their own benefit is a possible acusation that I could not possibly make lol.............pass the Gin...........)

....and that PiffPaff is probably the root cause of the malaise and the lack of investment and regard for the 'Community Game' 

The dislocation amongst the group consisting of the RFU Council and Consituentcy Bodies and the 2,500 or so clubs ('RFU Shareholders'), and the separatiion from the group that consists of the RFU Senior Management and their employees, ('RFU Management') frustrates true democratic accountability

Because of the complexity and divergence of interest within the RFU Shareholder Group there is no effective control or oversight over the RFU Management Group. Until proper democratic control is exercised directly by the 2,500+ clubs (i.e. by passing the CBs and their nominated Executive Council members who are susceptible to being swayed by the RFU Management) I do not expect anything will change.

Absolutely and Halliford is of course perfectly entitled to his views. My post was in response to your comment "I'm yet to find an RFU fan on this site."

Tigers have share holders, old season ticket holders were given shares, so a substantial amount of the "wealthy benefactors" are actually the fans. It is not easy for me to find out exactly who owns what, but the "main shareholder" a lifelong Tigers supporter living in the channel islands does not put any extra money in. Part of the reason why Tigers led the salary reduction a few years back when a few expensive players left, Manu Tuillagi being one of them, there was no extra money in the pot.

Leicester made money in 2012. 2013 and 2014, but has lost money every year since.

My general point is that players shouldn't be just rugby players and should have qualifications to fall back on. This could include apprenticeships.

It is interesting to note that in NCAA college sports players have to meet minimum education standards to play in their sporting activities. It is something that we should be encouraging over here. 

In 1997?, they made that mistake in 1895.

At very least, they should have organized a cup and league competitions.

They were even sent silver for the cup.

I've already mentioned apprenticeships as an alternative to University qualifications. 

What the sport should not be doing is having players with no future job plans because they concentrated on being full time professionals, a career which probably last 15 years or so maximum. 

I don't think that aim could in any circumstances be considered elitist, it is more having a duty of care. 

You are tarring all with the same brush, there are good clubs trying their best for their employees, members and supporters and of course their sponsors, clubs like Northampton and Leicester are well supported clubs with a long history doing a good job, now I admit the Worcester and Wasps scenarios have blackened the league as did Saracens and to a lesser extent Tigers and Bath by breaking the rules on finances allegedly.......................

Without the PRL there is no England rugby team for the RFU to mismanage, the game at Premiership level is now a business and needs the safeguards and strict protocols to manage it going forwards. To me the clubs should be governed by it's own rules within world rugby codes. The RFU should be managing the National team and the Championship and National leagues to grow the sport and assist the lower leagues in growing the sport at grass roots level. I think after a short period going forwards the RFU should be supporting the Premiership clubs less, they pay the clubs and pay the players another wage on top of what they receive from their clubs, that should be looked at and the funds going to game as a whole.