Ring fencing premiership and championship

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I think the only nation in the urc that bleeds youngsters through is Ireland and is more to do with their setup than the playing calendar

 

[will311293]

Sources reporting that London Irish are now struggling to pay players, staff etc this week as buy out has been pushed back.

Genuinely believe clubs are collapsing and the RFU will stick their heads in the sand.
The other problem as i see it is that we have seen the growth and welfare of players being promoted aggressively but there is an amount of responsibility that falls with the club owners, boards and the premiership board for not growing the game and bringing fans in through social media, promotion etc has been too long.

Eddie Hearn offers a genuinely interesting view on it on Good, Bad and the Rugby.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Moving more games to ITV is a big move - Saracens vs Quins smashed previous TV records, keep them coming back and you can increase tv/advertising deals etc and also hopefully convert the casual fans into supporters

Attendances are concerning, though (this is minus big games, so looking at standard weekly games):

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I think we are watching the death spiral of rugby now... The game has been mismanaged too long by idiots with no vision and constantly dreaming of the "good old days" when it was amateur. You cannot hope to grow a sport with people who only ever look backwards.

 

[will311293]

Moving more games to ITV is a big move - Saracens vs Quins smashed previous TV records, keep them coming back and you can increase tv/advertising deals etc and also hopefully convert the casual fans into supporters

Attendances are concerning, though (this is minus big games, so looking at standard weekly games):

Entirely agree, my dad went to the Sarries Vs Quins game and said it was exceptional. I wonder whether this should be a more occurring case due to marketability it generates. Yes you lose some home field advantage but.... larger crowds, cheaper tickets, more marketing opportunities and more eyes on with benefit of ITV, BBC etc.

 

[will311293]

I think we are watching the death spiral of rugby now... The game has been mismanaged too long by idiots with no vision and constantly dreaming of the "good old days" when it was amateur.

100% agree. One thing that football got right in the early days was not only upping attendances but getting overseas interest and marketing. For example, Americans would lap up physicality of rugby if it was marketed to them more.

Also the stupidity of Prem for blocking/copyrighting anyone who shares or comments on rugby clips is ridiculous. Brain dead decisions from those involved.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Entirely agree, my dad went to the Sarries Vs Quins game and said it was exceptional. I wonder whether this should be a more occurring case due to marketability it generates. Yes you lose some home field advantage but.... larger crowds, cheaper tickets, more marketing opportunities and more eyes on with benefit of ITV, BBC etc.

Think Jim Hamilton has been championing that too - would crowds drop without the novelty factor, though?
Getting 55k to Spurs stadium for a one off special event is different to getting them there 10 times a season, or whatever - plus the clubs have to rent to stadium, pay the increased staffing fees etc.

 

[will311293]

Think Jim Hamilton has been championing that too - would crowds drop without the novelty factor, though?
Getting 55k to Spurs stadium for a one off special event is different to getting them there 10 times a season, or whatever - plus the clubs have to rent to stadium, pay the increased staffing fees etc.

Yeah its true... a challenge would be its too common place. However, i always think that Twickenham isn't just a hub for true fans but also socialites.

People love attending rugby social events where you can drink and has a good party environment.
I mean if you got 55K and sold tickets at £40 at minimum that's £2.2m roughly? (not including increased prices per quality of seat etc) and even if reduced to 30K attendance that's £1.2m.

Big Game seems to regularly get 75,000 plus, no figures shared from what ive seen for Men's game in March (all i can see is Women's attendance) but will be interesting to see if significant difference.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

I definitely think we are seeing the death of rugby. The tackle law change is creating two separate games now (the pro and amateur). Al the different bodies all trying to feather their own nests at the expense of the overall growth and goodness of the game is just killing it all off.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Further to the above, about Irish:

London Irish risk NOT paying their players and staff this week

London Irish players, coaches and staff are anxiously waiting to discover if they will be paid later this week amid growing fears of financial turmoil, as a buy-out of the club has been delayed.

www.google.com

Irish saying players going unpaid is pure speculation but then Wuss and Wasps were saying the same initially


Edit:
This post suggesting Newcastle are selling their big players in preparation for voluntary relegation (denied by the club on twitter)

Two more Gallagher Premiership clubs in financial peril - reports

England’s Gallagher Premiership woke up to damaging headlines on Wednesday, with reports stoking fears about Newcastle and London Irish.

www.rugbypass.com

 

[Reiser99]

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Is today a big financial day in the uk or something? Morecambe news came out and now rugby news.

 

[BrokenWing]

Nearly start of new tax year???

 

[TRF_Olyy]

End of the financial year is next Wednesday

 

[McTallshort]

Yeap, accountants will be doing the books ready for the tax man and if they haven't got their employees PAYE and VAT available to pay they could be in a lot of trouble

 

[higgik]

How about adding the 4 Welsh Regions to the Championship with promotion up and down? That would bring back Anglo/Welsh fixtures with reasonable travel distances for players and fans, whils also closing the gap that currently exists between prem and championship.

Would love to see a British League with
3 Irish, 2 Welsh, 2 Scottish, 9 English franchises.
How about
Dublin Lions, Belfast Ravens, Southern Eagles,
Swansea Bay Scarlets Cardiff Dragons,
Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors
Newcastle, Sale, Bristol, Coventry, Saracens, Harlequins, Exeter, Leicester, Northampton.
16 teams playing same system a URC, 18 matches plus 4 play off rounds.
Top team from each group plus next 2 best records into Europe as 20 teams 4 groups of 5, 4 matches plus play offs.
Total matches = 22 minimum, 29 maximum.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

From a Machiavellian point of view a great British league would be an excellent idea. Lots of people would have to eat their egos but you could build a solid multi tier pyramid while shutting others out.

 

[Amiga500]

Moving more games to ITV is a big move

The game isn't big enough to hide behind a paywall.

It absolutely should have remained on free-to-air TV. While the extra money from the TV deal may be substantial - its still a poor deal if it marginalises the sport.

 

[Which Tyler]

The game isn't big enough to hide behind a paywall.

It absolutely should have remained on free-to-air TV. While the extra money from the TV deal may be substantial - its still a poor deal if it marginalises the sport.

Agreed, and many of us were saying the same 25 (or whatever) years ago

 

[g6mcg]

Nearly start of new tax year???

For my most thrilling TRF post yet...

Probably not - companies choose when their year end is. Most go 31st December though a lot of sports clubs choose a summer date to align with seasons. Year end also generally doesn't affect cash (you report financial position but doesn't trigger payments). I'd guess it's getting cash for payroll.