Ringfencing NOW upon us ?

[Jimmy Skitz]

the Super League is dead in the water, Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are all pulling out

[Jimmy Skitz]

the Super League is dead in the water, Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are all pulling out

seems like Manchester United are also out, not only that their chairman has resigned over the reaction.


back on topic isn't ringfencing supposed to be a temporary measure for the Premiership?

[Cardiff Tig]

Is the more telling statistic that of the Championship teams, only Sarries have been in the Premiership in the last 20 or so years.

It's certainly another way of looking at it. Of course some have fallen below the Championship like Rotherham and London Welsh.

But isn't the question of whether Doncaster or Pirates for example might be able to compete with say Worcester or Newcastle. And if so, why can't they be given that opportunity.

I agree in theory. But in practice it just doesn't happen. The one exception in the last 15 years is London Welsh and that destroyed the club. Ealing have had to put some serious cash into the club to get near to it. And there's no guarantee that they could be competitive in the Premiership next season.

It seems fairer for all the championship clubs that, until the league goes fully professional, there is a set of criteria that means they could buy their way into the ring fenced premiership in a few seasons time.

[JP14]

Surely the answer to the question of ringfencing is the creation of a genuinely competitive second tier, similar to the Pro D2 in France. That requires longterm investment from the RFU, the pathetic offering currently is creating a divide between clubs like Richmond and clubs like Ealing who are enjoying the benefits of a rich owner.

[CrumblingTerrace]

@JP14, that's a good solution, though I think we need to consider the motivations of those in power.

Do the RFU, Prem Rugby member clubs and CVC want to reduce the dramatic inequality between the Premiership and the Championship?

Or do they want to maximise the revenues that can be earned from the Premiership as a product?

I think that strengthening the Championship would likely require weakening the Premiership and there are too many commercial interests at-play for that to happen.

[johnthegriff]

Failure to support the Championship could cause the death of the Premiership. Too many of our top clubs exist due to the generosity of an individual, if that person loses interest or passes away before steps to protect the club have taken place then their beneficiaries may not have the same enthusiasm for the team or the wealth so diluted that financial support is no longer possible and the club unable to meet its wage bill and costs. Where would the team to replace them come from? Few clubs have a viable business model several have little in the way of assets and are vulnerable to sudden extra costs or a drop in revenue. For a Premiership of professional rugby to survive we need a second or even a third tier, it is the job of the RFU and the Premiership to make this happen, it must be possible to arrange regular TV coverage of games this would at least help the lesser clubs to maximise advertising and sponsorship revenue, I am certain that with careful scheduling there would be more viewers than fo some of the programs listed on my sports channels.

[Noggs]

I've often wondered why terrestrial TV didn't look to host Championship games. Surely there would be an audience worth the effort.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

I've often wondered why terrestrial TV didn't look to host Championship games. Surely there would be an audience worth the effort.

A return for Rugby Special? When you see some of the rubbish on TV it is surprising that someone hasn't taken a punt on it.

[Old Hob]

Channel 5 keep dipping a toe in the water with prem highlights and the occasional full game. Presumably, they are collecting stats from that. I would have thought that the outside broadcasting/ commentary facilities may be a bit thin at some championship grounds and I don't know if that would need investment.

[tigerburnie]

I sure I can remember television coverage of cup matches from public parks in the 1970's so images can be produced with lighter digital equipment, I think Tigers hammering Wasps was played on a park in London, was it Richmond? Sure there were several clubs played there, London Welsh and Richmond didn't have a ground when the game went pro, but sure some of the John Player matches were televised, sure I remember cameras at Roslyn Park as well when we played there.

[tigerburnie]

Failure to support the Championship could cause the death of the Premiership. Too many of our top clubs exist due to the generosity of an individual, if that person loses interest or passes away before steps to protect the club have taken place then their beneficiaries may not have the same enthusiasm for the team or the wealth so diluted that financial support is no longer possible and the club unable to meet its wage bill and costs. Where would the team to replace them come from? Few clubs have a viable business model several have little in the way of assets and are vulnerable to sudden extra costs or a drop in revenue. For a Premiership of professional rugby to survive we need a second or even a third tier, it is the job of the RFU and the Premiership to make this happen, it must be possible to arrange regular TV coverage of games this would at least help the lesser clubs to maximise advertising and sponsorship revenue, I am certain that with careful scheduling there would be more viewers than fo some of the programs listed on my sports channels.

The classic example was Sir John Hall buying Gosforth, hiring Rob Andrew to buy a side, then Hall left, so did the money and the players and they have never really recovered from that.

[TheChild]

Promotion and relegation are not about what has happened in the past even the recent past, it is about what could happen in the future. It is about the right to dream that owners and fans of Cornish Pirates, Ealing Trailfinders, Plymouth, Darlington Mowden Park, Bury St Edmunds or any other Rugby club may have that one day their team might join the elite of the Premiership. They may know it is not very likely but once Exeter and Worcester had those dreams, other like London Welsh, Rotherham and Leeds had similar dreams and ambitions, that they did not work out so far is a matter of history the reasons vary but they had their chance. Other teams should have similar opportunities available to them. The way forward is to find a way to fund adequately at least a second tier with TV coverage sponsorship and RFU support it should not be impossible, failure to do so will mean that our sport will gradually cease to exist.

I think the difference between Ealing and the rest of those clubs (except maybe Pirates) is the chances of them getting into the Premiership isn’t terribly high. And it is just a dream.
I constantly see sniping remarks from people who state that no team in the Championship is good enough for the Premiership. In Ealing’s case, I disagree. Played 6. Won 6. Bonus Points- 6. They’ve put in excess of 50 (and mostly 60) points on every team they’ve played so far this season. But yet according to these people they belong in the Championship as they’re not good enough for the Premiership!

[kk20gb30]

Perhaps not totally unrelated to the ringfencing issue comes the news that Darren Childs (Premiership Chief Executive) is to leave his post :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56830526

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Perhaps not totally unrelated to the ringfencing issue comes the news that Darren Childs (Premiership Chief Executive) is to leave his post :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/56830526

His new job/role could be looked upon in all sorts of ways.

[sam16111986]

I've often wondered why terrestrial TV didn't look to host Championship games. Surely there would be an audience worth the effort.

A return for Rugby Special? When you see some of the rubbish on TV it is surprising that someone hasn't taken a punt on it.

Especially considering the difficulties over filming new content. Camera men scattered around an empty ground should be relatively easy to socially distance and with the Championship this year they'd have had easily recognisable names with Sarries. Could and should have been done.