Traditional promotion and relegation to and from the top-tier Prem will be scrapped from the start of the 2026-27 season after landmark changes to English rugby were voted through.
Instead of earning a play-off shot at replacing the Prem’s bottom side by finishing top of the second-tier Champ and meeting the top flight’s minimum standards, ambitious clubs will instead apply to join and be judged across a range of criteria.
Bids will be assessed on standard of play, finances, investment potential, infrastructure and how their geographical base could help spread the Prem’s appeal, among other factors.
The league hopes to intially expand to 12 teams, from its current 10, for the 2029-30 season with a “long-term ambition” to grow further.
Any team wanting to play in the Prem will need to complete a campaign in the Champ before being considered.
Teams could also be demoted out of the top flight if they fail to perform on the pitch or engage fans, but only “if a stronger, viable candidate exists”.
The change was emphatically backed by the Rugby Football Union’s Council, with 51 votes in favour of switching away from a traditional promotion and relegation mechanism and only four against.
“It’s long been clear that the previous system was not delivering the financial sustainability or long-term confidence the professional game needs,” said Mike McTighe, the chair of the Men’s Professional Rugby Board.
“We know there will be scrutiny, and rightly so. The proof will be in delivery: in improved stability, in renewed investor confidence, in tangible benefits to the women’s game and in sustained support for community rugby.”
A trio of top-tier teams – Wasps, London Irish and Worcester – went bust in the 2022-23 season, causing concerns over the long-term sustainability of the league.
However, the purchase of Newcastle, who have finished bottom of the top division for the past three seasons, by energy drink giant Red Bull last summer was a significant vote of confidence.
Plans to move towards a franchise-style model had already been floated at the time of Red Bull’s takeover and league officials believe the new system will attract more outside investment, reducing the reliance most clubs have on benefactor owners.
“We are now firmly on the path to a more prosperous and brighter future for Prem Rugby,” said league chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor.
“Our vision is to become the best league in the world – for fans, players and investors in current and future Gallagher Prem clubs – and these important changes throughout the game will help us achieve this.”
‘We see great promise in the direction’
The current mechanism for relegation and promotion to the Prem has not been used for several seasons.
Ealing Trailfinders, consistently the best team in the second tier, have failed to meet the existing standards – especially around stadium size – barring them from a play-off game against the top flight’s bottom side.
Saracens were the last team to go down from the Premiership in 2020 after a heavy points deduction for salary cap breaches.
They earned an immediate return from the Championship in 2021, with no team dropping down to replace them after relegation was put on hold in light of Covid.
Initial plans to control the movement of teams between the top two tiers of English rugby were opposed by Champ clubs.
However, the stipulation that clubs aspiring to the Prem must play at least a season in the Champ, and the creation of a unit to help second-tier clubs improve their chances of being admitted to the top flight, has won support.
Wasps and London Irish both have plans to revive, while Worcester joined the second tier at the start of this season.
Reports in the Times , externaland Guardian, external claim the owners of Birmingham City football club have plans to establish a rugby club in the city with a view to progressing to the Prem.
“The Champ Board and clubs have welcomed the chance to contribute to the development of this proposal,” said second-tier boss Simon Gillham.
“We see great promise in the direction set out and are committed to helping make it a success.
“We look forward to working closely with the RFU and Men’s Professional Rugby Board in the weeks and months ahead to resolve outstanding critical issues impacting the Champ, including governance, funding, jeopardy and aspiration.”
Second-tier clubs have seen their level of central funding dramatically reduce from about £600,000 a year before the Covid-19 pandemic to about £160,000.-BBC
