Relegation from the Premiership has been suspended for two further seasons after the RFU, in collaboration with Premiership Rugby, approved plans for to aid clubs' recovery from Covid-19.
Voted in by the RFU Council, a number of measures have been approved to change the structure of the top level of the English game up until the expiration of the current Professional Game Agreement in 2025.
After a consulation period involving Premiership Rugby and their clubs, Championship clubs, The RPA, RFU Board and RFU Council, the Premiership will expand to 14 teams for the 2022-23 campaign.
The winners of the Championship will become the 14th team and there will be no relegation from the Premiership for a second-straight season.
As of the 2023-24 season, there will be the chance for a Championship club to be promoted in a relegation play-off with the club that finishes bottom of the Premiership.
That match will conclude the season from where the league's salary cap is expected to be increased, having been slashed from £6.4m to £5m last June to help club finances.
RFU President, Jeff Blackett said: “I would like to thank my Council colleagues for their extensive debate and consultation around these structural changes for the next three seasons. Council has carefully considered how to ensure a healthy professional game to support successful winning England teams that generate income to support the game at all levels, while maintaining the integrity of future league structures. The changes will undoubtedly benefit the game of rugby in England as we recover from the effects of the pandemic.
“This is not ringfencing the Premiership as some have suggested. In three of the four seasons covered by this, and our previous decision, a Championship club will have the opportunity to be promoted. Council has control of what happens thereafter and is committed to maintaining the integrity of the league structure by ensuring that access to the Premiership will be retained in the future.
“I would also like to thank Government for their enormous support for the community game with rugby clubs in England having a significant boost through an allocation of £30 million of government funding, the biggest single investment in the community game, following collaboration between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Sport England, the RFU and the grassroots game.
“We are all looking forward to the start of next season and the welcome return of volunteers, players and fans.”
The RFU has also voted to run selection criteria similar to the JIFF rule used in France, whereby 16 home-grown players must feature in a match-day squad.
Premiership clubs will, from the 2024-25 season, be required to select no fewer than 15 players who are England-qualified players (EQP). This will follow on from more training camp time being made available to head coach Eddie Jones in the lead up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The statement by the RFU listed a recovery plan which has long-term planning. But in the short-term there are a number of clear comprises set out to assure Premiership clubs of their competitive status after 15 months of financial woe.
The RFU said: “The financial impact of Covid has led to a greater focus on the financial model of professional rugby clubs and the need to find a more sustainable solution to address financial losses while growing the game.
“In 2017 the collective losses across PRL clubs exceeded £40m, in 2018 this rose to £50m, with further significant losses caused by Covid.
“The extent of the financial disruption to the Premiership Clubs was such that they were required to obtain £88 million in loans through the Government's Winter Sports Survival package.
“Premiership rugby clubs are reliant on owners continuing to fund operational costs in the face of mounting losses. The fear of relegation and its significant economic consequences has in the past lead to short-term investment, further adding to losses. This is unsustainable and has been exacerbated by Covid.
“Relegation from the Premiership costs a club at least £5m which has a very material effect on the ability of that club to finance its operations and has a significant impact on long term commercial partnerships.
“Over the past 17 years 14 teams that have been relegated from the Premiership have been immediately promoted the following season.”
The main changes to be introduced following the RFU Council's vote:
- The expansion of the Premiership to 14 clubs at the end of the 2021/22 season through the promotion (subject to meeting the required minimum standards) of the winner of the Championship, while supporting player welfare by maintaining the maximum game play limits and guaranteed rest periods*.
- Revised minimum standards criteria for clubs wishing to be promoted to the Premiership with wider game benefits such as financial sustainability, governance, player welfare, stadium facilities, medical provisions, safeguarding and community plans.
- A 2022/23 season in which no side will be relegated from or promoted to the new 14-team Premiership, allowing clubs to plan with greater certainty and supporting the recently promoted clubs in making the transition between leagues.
- A play-off in the 2023/24 season between the club finishing bottom of the Premiership and the winner of the Championship (subject to that club meeting the required minimum standards), with the result to decide which club plays in the Premiership during the following season.
- From August 2024, the intention is to move to a position where there is a mandatory England Qualified Players (EQPs) system under which Premiership clubs must have a minimum of 15 EQPs in each match-day squad and the end of the foreign player rule to provide better England player development opportunities while giving greater flexibility for Premiership clubs to select non-EQP players of any nationality. There is further work to do to agree the detail of this subject to a new Professional Game Agreement (PGA) and introduction into regulation.
- Increased preparation time for the England men's squad ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup as a result of an earlier end to the Premiership season in May 2023.
- A commitment by the RFU and PRL to maintain current levels of funding to the Championship until the end of the PGA in 2024, providing a greater level of certainty for member clubs.
A shame the RFU is not looking to widen funding to the grass roots levels of the game rather than keeping it to 14 clubs. Maybe a trip to France to see how all levels can benefit would be money well spent for the RFU and see how the Championship and other levels of rugby is what creates a wider community interest and engagement in playing this great sport. This is what will feed and sustain a great England team with meritocracy being the key level of promotion and relegation not money. Why are stadiums a requirement ,, look what Bournemouth FC did for 5 years as a result of which they built a new stadium!!! It saddens me to see they are following what the Football Premier breakaway clubs were trying to do and not learning from it!!!