Second tier expect end to ‘cartel’ of Premiership

The Championship expect a deal to be thrashed out soon that will put promoted clubs on equal central funding with the existing Premiership elite.
The funding set-up is not only weighted against promoted clubs, who receive around 40 per cent of that paid out to established set-ups,  but also rewards relegated former top-flight clubs.
Clubs such as Leeds and Bristol receive almost equal funding to a promoted club like London Welsh.
Geoff Irvine, Bedford and Championship chairman, told The Rugby Paper he expects adjustment of the iniquitous position, which effectively ring-fences top teams by financially disadvantaging promoted clubs, will happen during the renegotiation of the eight-year RFU-Premier Rugby (PRL) agreement due in 2015.
He said: “What we are working on is for the changes to come with the next heads of agreement at the World Cup, when we have been promised by PRL that we will have a say in putting the next set of regulations in place.
“I am confident that the cartel conditions that exist now will not be allowed to continue.”
The Bedford chairman believes that both the RFU and PRL recognise that changes have to be made.
“The RFU want to change it, PRL know they have to change, and momentum will grow as we move towards this new agreement,” he said. The agreement between the Premiership clubs and English rugby's governing body, which was signed in 2007, has underpinned the professional tier since then.
However, London Welsh's successful legal challenge to the minimum standards criteria last season, which secured them promotion despite RFU-PRL resistance, highlighted the unfairness of the system.
Irvine said: “Bedford took the audit for the first time this year, and we failed on the 10,000 capacity ruling. We could get 6,000 into Goldington Road and sell out every weekend.
“And I think that that is preferable to 3,000 rattling around in Headingley for Leeds Carnegie.
“The most ridiculous regulation is that you must pass the minimum standards test before the end of March, when you don't even know whether you've won the league.
“The minimum standards are ring-fencing by other words.”
Irvine says that the competitiveness of Championship clubs is also helping their cause.
“The Championship has demonstrated its worth over and over again in giving young England players a chance to develop.
“There are Premiership scouts at virtually every Championship game, and last season 25 players went from the Championship to Premiership clubs. It looks as if that will be exceeded this year.”
He added: “The Championship is making good progress, and we're hopeful of getting a title sponsor through the RFU, and also for more television coverage with the change to BT Vision.”
NICK CAIN