Clubs' Statement on Pro Game Agreement

Halliford wrote: WEvans wrote: But what the RFU fail to understand (or deliberately ignore) is the fact that these Premiership players they so badly need do not miraculously turn up at the Premiership clubs or their academies from nowhere. They come from grassroots clubs - the same grassroots clubs the RFU have abandoned. It is interesting that in announcing today the England U20 team to play Georgia as an Under 20 World Cup warm-up, the RFU gives for each player the Premiership Club to which they are attached AND the grassroots Club they came from.

islander wrote: castleparknight wrote: Doncaster Knights have done all that was asked of them - to then say sorry guys you have no chance because we are locking the door seems, to me, a travesty. But seeing as the RFU don’t really care nothing is likely to change their minds….I would really appreciate being proven wrong but doubt it. they finished 6th!

They, the RFU, set minimum standards to ensure that they had a way of blocking clubs, we met the standards, spent the money and now they want to close the door. Not about what position we finished,Islander, but they set criteria and now want to move the goalpost completely out of reach… hope that simplifies things

islander wrote: castleparknight wrote: Doncaster Knights have done all that was asked of them - to then say sorry guys you have no chance because we are locking the door seems, to me, a travesty. But seeing as the RFU don’t really care nothing is likely to change their minds….I would really appreciate being proven wrong but doubt it. they finished 6th!

Edited by KnightsBoy - 06 Jun 2024 at 19:55

SK 88 wrote: KnightsBoy wrote: SK 88 wrote: KnightsBoy wrote: Of the 5000 (sic, SK edit: 500ish) players how many can represent England About 400, and about 40 of the rest could have if the RFU had been interested enough to cap them (e.g. Matavesi, Tompkins, seemingly Gus Warr).  I find these figures very worrying, of the 5000 players in the prem only 400 to 500 are eligible to to play for England, staggering. Really hope these are incorrect  There are 500 players, not 5000. 50 per club. 40 are EQP, typically.

looks like I misread big style 😔

Big Eddie wrote: The thing that exercises me greatly is the lack of transparency from the RFU. They spin and dissemble rather than being transparent and open. They talk about Prem 2 having £4 m funding per annum but this is not what is proposed…. it is actually £125k per club in cash £1.375m and the balance of £2.625 m in benefit in kind represented by the RFU’s marketing efforts on behalf of the Championship 😂😂  Who does the RFU think believes any of that…. it is pure spin. Why are they not open and transparent? For clarity re the £125k cash payment…. Circa £45k pa goes on insurance (not paid for by RFU) £65k pa goes on mandatory ambulance and medical attendance and the remaining small balance is swallowed up by the extra costs Championship level 2 Rugby entails.  I am not complaining about Champ funding per se because the game below the Champ gets nothing but when the RFU concurs with minimum entry standards to get into the Premiership which will cost Champ clubs £millions it is beyond a joke. There are 4 or 5 sides in the Championship that can realistically aspire to the Premiership… if I was a supporter of Coventry, Donny, Ealing , Pirates or Bedford I would be even more annoyed than I already am.

With regards to the RFU taking over the Marketing of the Championship and being paid for via a proportion of the £4m deal. You only have to look back a couple of years when the RFU were actually responsible for the Marketing of the Championship and did suck a poor job that clubs were waiting until the last minute so see if they had to put a sponsors logo on their shirts, which never materialised and they were only too happy to pass the Marketing over to the Championship to run it themselves, and now they want it back!! more of a bank balance switching exercise give it in one hand take with the other.  

Halliford wrote: WEvans wrote: But what the RFU fail to understand (or deliberately ignore) is the fact that these Premiership players they so badly need do not miraculously turn up at the Premiership clubs or their academies from nowhere. They come from grassroots clubs - the same grassroots clubs the RFU have abandoned. It is interesting that in announcing today the England U20 team to play Georgia as an Under 20 World Cup warm-up, the RFU gives for each player the Premiership Club to which they are attached AND the grassroots Club they came from.

Interesting that Seeeney has signed the joint sporting bodies “general election” letter on behalf of the RFU which focuses on government’s obligation to invest in community sport. Couldn’t find it on RFU website but the FA have it at https://www.thefa.com/news/2024/jun/07/joint-letter