Clubs in Financial woes...

[TigerFeetSteve]

Rumours that Jersey Reds are struggling

https://twitter.com/FelicityKvesic/stat ... e89Vg&s=19

https://twitter.com/_AlexBywater/status ... lf5lg&s=19

[TigerFeetSteve]

So that is the current champions of the Championship in trouble...

[ay2oh]

Very sad if true

[Darc Tiger]

Dreadful news. Especially after how good last season was. The game is in serious trouble.

[TigerFeetSteve]

Confirmed by the club
https://twitter.com/JerseyRedsRugby/sta ... Tei7g&s=19

[RagingBull]

Shame.
RFU needs to conduct a audit on the Prem and Championship clubs.
Those who can meet a standard now or have a plan in place for long term standings can be in a new competition. Those who can't get put into amateur or semi pro standing and fall into the national leagues.

Let's say that leaves us with the 10 remaining Prem clubs and Ealing, Coventry, Doncaster and Pirates say. Then create a league structure from those or potentially if you can get two leagues of 8 that might be ideal.

I feel clubs need to be held accountable to long term projections if not for their own sake forced to go semi pro/amateur and down a league. At least then they can strengthen the national leagues. Would also give a stable product to sell to Tv broadcasters

[TigerFeetSteve]

I also feel for Cornish Pirates who are meant to play them tomorrow!!!


What are they supposed to do, give all the people with tickets their money back, lose out on much needed revenue to keep them afloat...

Just throws spanners in all planning people's calculations

[GB72]

I am going to be the voice of utter doom here but I really cannot see a way out for professional club rugby in this country. The money is just not there to support the game at the level we have been trying to achieve. Everyone is running at a loss, the white whale of a big TV deal is just not coming, the RFU can barely keep itself afloat let alone fund the game at various levels.

I really do not see where the way out is and all I can see is a select number of clubs with players on central contracts trying to slide into the URC.

[Rugbygramps]

I am going to be the voice of utter doom here but I really cannot see a way out for professional club rugby in this country. The money is just not there to support the game at the level we have been trying to achieve. Everyone is running at a loss, the white whale of a big TV deal is just not coming, the RFU can barely keep itself afloat let alone fund the game at various levels.

I really do not see where the way out is and all I can see is a select number of clubs with players on central contracts trying to slide into the URC.

I totally agree not without some major reorganisation of the game at the top of the club game, be that central contracts, regions, franchises, and a lot of long standing supporters are either going to have to suck it in or not watch any pro rugby.

Also agree with RBs point above about auditing and business plans which I believe is the case in France

[daktari]

can't find the link now but Liverpool University did a piece that said effectively only Tigers, Exeter , Glos and Saints are technically going concerns , the rest would all be insolvent if not for their sugar daddies.

[ay2oh]

Has this situation been caused by the players wage demands being too high ? As a comparison county cricket has been professional for many years and the salary cap per club is £2.5M per county with the average cricketer earning £24k per year for a six month contract. Most cricketers have to get another job over the winter so if we assume that they earn the same again over the winter this gives a salary of £48k
The average premiership rugby player earns £100 k(£4.5 M salary cap divided by approx 45 players) which is double what a cricketer earns. I appreciate that some cricketers are centrally contracted but a team like Leicestershire only have 1 player in the England squad and some counties have none. Before anyone says it is a short career what’s to stop someone getting a job after playing which is what most cricketers do. Thoughts ?

[GB72]

Has this situation been caused by the players wage demands being too high ? As a comparison county cricket has been professional for many years and the salary cap per club is £2.5M per county with the average cricketer earning £24k per year for a six month contract. Most cricketers have to get another job over the winter so if we assume that they earn the same again over the winter this gives a salary of £48k
The average premiership rugby player earns £100 k(£4.5 M salary cap divided by approx 45 players) which is double what a cricketer earns. I appreciate that some cricketers are centrally contracted but a team like Leicestershire only have 1 player in the England squad and some counties have none. Before anyone says it is a short career what’s to stop someone getting a job after playing which is what most cricketers do. Thoughts ?

The thing is, County Cricket pretty much admitted that it was nothing more than a feeder system for the international game. Globally club/county cricket outside of T20 is nothing more that a system to develop international players and is irrelevant to a large number of cricket fans who only watch international matches. Rugby has the same issue but the club game keeps trying to assert its authority when, to a number of people, it is as irrelevant as county cricket. Rugby really only has a financial value in the international game.

Plus cricket clubs do not have to compete in any external competition. We could halve or even cut the salary cap by more and as long as the spend was even across the clubs, we would have a competitive league that would be good to watch. Trouble is, playing in Europe or any wider competition would be a waste of time.

[ay2oh]

Accepting the above are rugby players wage demands too high ?

[Rugbygramps]

I had thought of a comparison with cricket. The issue for me is the strength of the game and therefore the money available in the Indian sub continent. The IPL and their counterparts in Pakistan and Bangladesh mean that even an average county cricketer could earn decent money for 10 weeks work if they so desired.
The Stokes and Butlers of this world are being offered IPL contracts of £2 million

[Rugbygramps]

Accepting the above are rugby players wage demands too high ?

For what they put their bodies through No, for the money available Yes