Hogan calls for franchise system to save the north

Newcastle managing director Mick Hogan believes club rugby in the north faces terminal decline unless the RFU act to reverse a trend that has seen the number of northern-based clubs in England's top three divisions almost halved in 15 years.
A Rugby Paper survey reveals that in season 2002-3 there were 15 northern clubs in the Premiership and Nationals One and Two, including famous names like Orrell, Waterloo, Manchester and the now defunct Wakefield, with the same number in the south.
However, next season will see just nine northern clubs operating among England's top 40 elite, with Old Elthamians' recent promotion to National One at the expense of Blaydon meaning the number of southern based teams is set to rise to 21.
The Midlands remains unchanged from 2003, when there were ten clubs as now.
With more than 50 per cent of the country's top sides now based in the south, Hogan has called for some form of licensing system to be introduced in an effort to reverse the player drain and ensure a more even spread of teams throughout the country.
Hogan, above, told The Rugby Paper: “Primarily it comes down to money and some of the wages being offered to players by some National One clubs in the south, let alone the Premiership and Championship outfits, is pretty frightening.
“I don't know how it's being funded or what the ultimate ambition of these clubs is but it's not based on any huge commercial platform. You can't blame the players, but it's creating a huge regional imbalance that isn't healthy for rugby.
“To have just nine senior clubs in the north is concerning and it's mirroring society where a lot of the wealth, opportunities, big events and media are based down south. But if you want long-term growth as a national sport, rugby has to change.”
Hogan added: “I'm a big champion of franchising and unless we introduce some sort of licensing system, particularly in the Premiership and Championship, the numbers of northern-based clubs will continue to decline and kids will have nowhere to go.
“Kids in the north-east, the north-west and Yorkshire need a Premiership rugby club as a centrepiece, but Yorkshire hasn't had one for a few years now and had Newcastle not come straight back up in 2013, Sale might now be alone.
“It gets harder for Yorkshire Carnegie as the years go by and over a period of time that has a negative impact on the profile of the sport in that part of the world – and in turn that will manifest itself lower down with fewer people involved.”
Newcastle are doing their bit by hosting the European Cup finals in 2019 but Hogan believes the RFU must do more to promote top rugby in the north.
He said: “I understand why we're not going to be taking big games from Twickenham because that money fuels the game, but we could hold more sponsor launches up here and England should base more of their training camps in the north.
“Stuart Lancaster did it once in Leeds but it never got repeated. Why not? We've got fantastic facilities in the north so let's bring the England team to places like Manchester, Newcastle and Cumbria to give our communities a boost.”
NEALE HARVEY