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The RFU have a plan...........
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tigerburnie View Drop Down
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    Posted: 10 Apr 2025 at 15:48
England Rugby: RFU chief details long-term investment plan for success : Planet Rugby
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rugbychris View Drop Down
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Giving themselves a pat on the back for a 4 year investment plan that is less than it was 15 years ago.

Having to align themselves with girl guides and scouts tells us where rugby is in England at the moment. All these target children go to SCHOOL. If rugby cannot persuade schools to play the game and the RFU have no appetite to push the argument then we will continue to see this massive participation decline. 
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tigerburnie View Drop Down
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Points: 3981 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tigerburnie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Apr 2025 at 16:46
Don't know about all the clubs, but actually mini's, juniors and colts seem to be on the rise, Leicester Lions seem to have a thriving set up with matches seemingly every week. Now has the RFU got anything to do with this? No idea.
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Another "plan"
English rugby is plotting a revolution of the professional game with a franchise model that will abolish relegation but include promotion, to expand the Premiership.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that the plans, which would mark the most significant changes to the domestic game since the dawn of professionalism in 1995, are already being drawn up in the hope of ratification before the start of next season.
While clubs would still be free to explore their own sponsorship deals such as stadium naming rights, a franchise structure would see a centralisation of commercial deals. Currently the league negotiates its TV and title sponsor deals as one, but the new system would see a significant increase in league-wide agreements. Details are due to be formalised in the coming months.
Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive who recently survived a vote of no confidence, is understood to be in favour of the proposals, with his survival last month crucial to their progression.
Promotion will be a key pillar of the plans, seen by Telegraph Sport, with geographical expansion and financial sustainability two recurring concepts – as well as added incentives for entry to the Premiership from the Championship.
It is understood that further governance reform is in the works, with executives keen to create a role with “commissioner-like powers” to run the league. Centralisation of commercial rights – for example, with all clubs using the same kit manufacturer – is also part of the project.
The plans outline how the league’s executives desire a Premiership of at least 12 clubs, with 14 or even more up for consideration.
Relegation will be abolished in the new vision, with acceptance growing in English rugby’s corridors of power that potential investors are being turned off by the presence of such jeopardy.
With three clubs having gone bust in 2022-23, Premiership Rugby’s belief is that clubs can no longer attract the kind of investment required while the threat of relegation exists. This is despite recent improvement in investment conditions such as greater financial regulation, the Professional Game Partnership, a men’s professional rugby board and the imminent signing of a long-term, increased television deal.
“Relegation has become a financial millstone around the neck of clubs,” said a source close to the discussions. “The instability it breeds has led to short-term decision-making, investor uncertainty, and, in many cases, financial ruin. Persisting with a system that restricts investment and prevents long-term growth is no longer an option.”
It is understood that the new plan has been devised by Premiership Rugby alongside members of the RFU men’s professional rugby board. All are thought to be fully aligned with the drafts while support was unanimous amongst Premiership clubs.
Now the plans will be presented to the RFU council in both June and September, with the Premiership understood to be open to a multiple-stage sign-off.
Promotion and relegation one of thorniest issues
The sticking point for the revolution is that “promotion and relegation” has developed into one of English rugby’s thorniest issues.
The RFU Council, under pressure from Championship clubs who are governed separately from the Premiership, has long been reluctant to abolish the concepts entirely, for fear of preventing aspirational clubs from reaching the top flight, creating a closed shop and preventing the “next Exeter” from emerging. The Chiefs earned promotion to the Premiership for the first time in 2010 and since then have won the Premiership twice as well as the Champions Cup in 2020.
The hope, however, is that the RFU Council - as well as the Championship clubs - may be persuaded by this latest promotion-and-relegation offering, given that all previous iterations have abolished both elements.
The blueprint would do away with relegation but keep promotion alongside revised minimum-standards criteria, so that the Premiership can focus on growth and expansion. The league is keen to establish a presence in untapped rugby strongholds such as Yorkshire, Kent and Cornwall as well as other top-flight professional rugby black holes.
The Premiership’s thinking around updating its minimum-standards criteria has taken inspiration from the Rugby Football League’s grading system that saw social-media followers and match attendances contribute towards promotion and relegation, alongside other metrics.
“Revenue performance and potential, ⁠financial backing, number of fans, a high-performance plan (with track record), regional presence and brand strength could all come into the promotion criteria,” said another source with knowledge of the blueprint. “It will be about having a business plan, not a tick-box audit list.”
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cheshire exile View Drop Down
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Where to go with this??
Let’s start with the “untapped potential “ of Cornwall, where funding for Championship clubs has been slashed by Sweeney whilst a local benefactor poured millions into the Pirates.
Or the astonishing suggestion that relegation is a “millstone “ for Premiership clubs when the RFU and Premiership have conspired for years to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Or no idea of the number of clubs which could be promoted/ invited into the Promised Land, or over what time period.
Or why existing Premiership clubs should support a bigger league leading to smaller shares of the cake. Presumably the Cup gets dumped.
Or “learning” from Rugby League, where efforts to expand into new areas of England and Wales have ended in abject failure.
And using social media profile as a criteria for promotion??🤯😱




Edited by cheshire exile - Yesterday at 12:00
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Robb View Drop Down
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Why am I not surprised that they are using the new Warriors franchise as a breaching experiment to see if franchising will be accepted?

Nice to know they want to give the current County Champions representation, but I think we'll do fine as we are.


Edited by Robb - Yesterday at 10:48
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Not so much Planet Rugby but what planet is he on rugby!
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tigerburnie View Drop Down
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Points: 3981 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tigerburnie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 hours 24 minutes ago at 14:19
There will be promotion for Worcester, they might let London Irish and Wasps in without even bothering with Prem2 I doubt I will ever watch a premiership game again. I first went to Welford Road in the early 1960's, a life long fan born in the town. I may just change my handle on the forums.
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The usual self protectionist bollards.
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Remember Wakefield RFC
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Points: 3411 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rabbie Burns Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 27 minutes ago at 18:16
As mentioned elsewhere the numbers are up because everyone has to be registered on GMS, from 1st team to under 6s so obviously numbers have gone up 
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Originally posted by tigerburnie tigerburnie wrote:

There will be promotion for Worcester, they might let London Irish and Wasps in without even bothering with Prem2 I doubt I will ever watch a premiership game again. I first went to Welford Road in the early 1960's, a life long fan born in the town. I may just change my handle on the forums.

Lionburnie sounds better anyway.🤪





Edited by Rothman2 - 3 hours 28 minutes ago at 10:15
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