Is this the light at the end of the tunnel?

That is why I believe the change needs to come at the top level management, to a body who wants to work with all clubs in order to help them  match their ambitions and give those clubs who want to progress, the opportunity to do so.

Rugby Chris. 

Nat 1 is a National semi pro league which, I would say more than half of which, have ambitions to go into the Championship.

Once you separate that you are effectively cutting that off which is not acceptable. I am not even sure how many Championship teams are fully professional for that matter. By your definition are they amateur?

The problem as I see it, and we have seen elements of this already, with effectively all other leagues below the Prem, where, teams, potentially including the Championship, being used as a means for Premiership teams to send squad players on a dual registration to those clubs, say in the Championship or Nat 1, which stilts those leagues, potentially giving them an unfair advantage over many clubs. Contrary to that, when those same players are recalled back to the parent club, that has the opposite effect.

This could lead clubs to a loss of identity, so everyone below the Prem may as well revert to the old Merit tables, just using the Leagues below the Prem as a means to give competitive game time to their top heavy squads. My belief is that is what the Prem clubs want (just my opinion) i.e a closed shop, which might benefit them, but not the game as a whole and certainly not the clubs below the Premiership.

To me it would seem as though the Union in this case would be obviating its responsibilities to the other clubs but it is up to the clubs to decide, not to be told what they have to do.