Premiership II plans announced

There've been various speculative stories over the years about clubs from the English system going to other leagues. Ealing, London Scottish & London Welsh to the URC, Jersey Reds to France are four of the ones I recall within past decade - don't think any of these were ever that close to being realised...

Is there any example of an investor getting a return in Rugby Union 

Kimbo wrote: titans.chris wrote: I can't see Ealing being allowed into Prem 1 so there will be no promotion. There will be some technicality preventing them or they will just loose out to an improved Newcastle side in a playoff. (Cynical I know).  Which would just intensify the stench. If (very probable) Ealing win the league, they should be promoted. No ifs, buts, or playoffs.

Kimbo wrote: JZSmith wrote: Kimbo wrote: titans.chris wrote: I can't see Ealing being allowed into Prem 1 so there will be no promotion. There will be some technicality preventing them or they will just loose out to an improved Newcastle side in a playoff. (Cynical I know).  Which would just intensify the stench. If (very probable) Ealing win the league, they should be promoted. No ifs, buts, or playoffs. Sadly Ealing will always fall foul of the minimum ground capacity regulation which I believe is Ealing's capacity +1. Which, of course, should be totally irrelevant.

Camquin wrote: However, the requirements for the URC are not as strict. So theoretically, a revived London Irish - should one ever come to pass - could sub-let from Ealing and play URC and European matches there, including matches against Premiership opposition. Mad isn't it.

Edited by Se7en - 5 hours 26 minutes ago at 14:02

Camquin wrote: Eight of the stadia are below 10k - but six of those sides have access to larger stadia in the same town. For example, Glasgow have a 7,000 capacity at Scotstoun, but also use Hamden for the match against Edinburgh. Apart from the Scarlets match, Ospreys do not seem to have got over 4,000 for a home game. The Football League, and the Premiership, have a requirement for a capacity of 5,000, but even that is not needed for the first season.

Edited by Se7en - 4 hours 9 minutes ago at 15:19

Se7en wrote: Camquin wrote: However, the requirements for the URC are not as strict. So theoretically, a revived London Irish - should one ever come to pass - could sub-let from Ealing and play URC and European matches there, including matches against Premiership opposition. Mad isn't it. A quick check on Wikipedia shows that the average attendance at a URC match last season was 11,200. Over 3 times that of even a bumper sell out Championship match in England What should the magic number for minimum ground capacity in top level league rugby in England be? Should there even be a number? Should it be a notional one man and his dog? Many questions.

For me the focus on an absolute number misses the point, it should be about having good facilities and atmosphere/match experience for players, spectators and tv viewers. Better to have 5,000 in a small atmospheric ground than 7,8,9,10k rattling around in a 30k football stadium. 

Evidence of this. Part of a video when Roth played Bristol live on Sky in a top of the table Championship game in 2014 at Clifton Lane.

Edited by Rothman2 - 1 hour 42 minutes ago at 17:46