CORNISH Pirates co-head coach Gavin Cattle claims the Championship Cup does not financially work and that it desperately needs sponsors and funding.
The Pirates beat Bedford Blues 33-32 in an enthralling quarter-final that went to extra-time last weekend but, with the lack of funding in the competition, Cattle sees progressing through the tournament as a costly expense.
He said: “I'm torn on the competition. Financially it just doesn't work.
“When we lost to Doncaster, we had six days to advertise a game (quarterfinal) at home and to draw a crowd was pretty difficult. Everyone wants to get a reward for getting another gate but there's no financial reward or gain because there's no support from the league.
“It's on the clubs to fund it and if we were to beat Ealing in the semi-final then it could be away to Jersey in the final – the travel that comes with that comes at a big cost.
“I think next season will be better in the sense that the cup will be distributed equally throughout the season, rather than bolting it on at the end. Ultimately, the competition needs sponsors and funding.”
Ampthill head coach Paul Turner recently told TRP he believes the cup needs teams from National 1 in the mix to install some ‘magic in the cup'.
Cattle agrees to an extent, adding: “Maybe a cross-border tournament would work with teams from Wales or Scotland or, as Paul said, bringing in National 1 could be a good change.”
After an emotional season that saw Pirates finish third in the league, Cattle believes that the Championship is more competitive now than ever before.
He said: “The Championship is such a grind. It's now more of a level playing field, obviously you take Ealing's resources out of it, but this season's been a four-horse race.
Whereas the gulf between the relegated Premiership club and the rest has been big in the past.
“The gap between the mid-table teams has closed and if you look at the demographic of ourselves, Doncaster and Jersey, we're all quite young. The part-time teams are now getting the more experienced players, who are opting for career options, so it's a tough league really. It's about striking that balance between youth and experience as well as having the finances to also bring the older family man in.”
