Premiership swells to beat slump
15 Jan 2009
An expanded Premiership season is on the cards after English club owners met on Wednesday to discuss ways of beating global recession.
The 12 Guinness Premiership clubs have agreed in principle to add five lucrative league games – extending the season to 27 fixtures. Central to the success of the proposal is maximising the Christmas, new year and other holiday periods.
The RFU, which controls the season structure and Professional Rugby Players’ Association (PRA), are yet to agree to the proposal, but a decision is expected as early as next week.
Other agreements saw the current salary cap being maintained ( at £4million for the next two years) and the Premiership remaining at 12 teams.
The PRA welcomed the developments. “There were a lot of nervous players before the meeting,” Damian Hopley, the chief executive, said.
“It could have been a lot worse. We all had input and it is a sign of industrial relations working well. This reinforces the fact that there is a collective will to ensure that jobs are not lost, that contracts are honoured and that we put in place something that will provide stability for the industry over the short term and enable us to move forward once we have seen this recession out.”
16 Comments
15 Jan 2009, 10:28 am
Dragons
15 Jan 2009, 10:55 am
yep. happened to me too. the wife wanted some, but i was in a slump
..
but that said, it wasnt long before i started swelling!
15 Jan 2009, 11:02 am
there is no slump,crowds are getting bigger. They’re just using the recession as an excuse to re-structure and make more cash.
15 Jan 2009, 11:53 am
five lucrative league games?
15 Jan 2009, 12:13 pm
#3 Big Hit: So we can expect more injuries to English players due to over playing, therefore more excuses from you when players are unavailable for England duty due to those said injuries. I can’t wait 8-|
You’re right, the game is still growing in the NH, but it is at the expense of the English and NH national rugby teams. I you can’t see that, that’s your problem.
15 Jan 2009, 12:33 pm
#4 Skim
five lucrative league games?
The clubs will be targeting certain games which they can move larger ground and make more cash. The sucsess of the Quins-Tigers last christmas will force clubs to seek larger grounds to accomadate fans for certain fixtrues
We already have The London Double header , Quins have already booked Twickenham for boxing day 2009 where they hope to get 80,000. Wasps have switched this weekends HC match againsts Lenstier from Adams Park to Twickenham to accomadate an est 50,000
eg Bath,
Home games between Bristol , Gloucester Tigers, Wasps, always have a high demand for tickets but not enough seats at The Rec A switch to a wendyball ground would double the gate bringing in revenue for the clubs.
15 Jan 2009, 12:42 pm
#6 PaulLondon: Thanks for the clarification Paul. So there won’t be any additional fixtures, it’s just that the big games with high demand will be witched to “super” stadiums to generate bigger gate receipts.
15 Jan 2009, 12:55 pm
They have mentioned additional fixtures but not sure where they are going to come from as the premiership will still be locked down to 12 clubs.
15 Jan 2009, 14:37 pm
#8 PaulLondon: If they extend the playoff places to 8, they can conceivably add 4 fixtures straightaway, i.e.:
Week 1
1 v 8
2 v 7
3 v 6
4 v 5
Week 2
Winner of 1 v 8 vs Winner of 4 v 5
Winner of 2 v 7 vs Winner of 3 v 6
Week 3
Final
If you add an additional game between bottom and 2nd bottom to decide relegation, there’s an additonal game there too, although I doubt the clubs would agree to this as it will be viewed as a negative.
15 Jan 2009, 18:14 pm
Well if they extend the season won’t that eat into the International season. They can only use the off weekends in normal season when they don’t play. And how are they going to fit in additional games when the teams say at 12? Interesting!
Note: They want to make it more lucrative not necessarily better quality.
15 Jan 2009, 18:17 pm
#9 stodders: I must say if the top 8 out of 12 goes into a payoff there isn’t much of a carrot to end in the top 4. then it won’t be much of a league anymore. The Currie Cup is nearly in the same situation. Top 4 out of 8 go thru to payoffs.
15 Jan 2009, 22:50 pm
Maybe if they stopped buying imports and start putting money back into there own players they might even gain depth for there depleted National side
16 Jan 2009, 04:25 am
#5 stodders: I agree, its affecting the national side with regards to injuries. Only England though, the other sides don’t have many injuries.
#6 PaulLondon: no, the PRL wants to create extra games.
#7 stodders: not true.
#11 Amerifikaner: top 6 is a better idea
#12 Hurricane: we have depth, its you guys who struggle with a club side’s second team
16 Jan 2009, 16:49 pm
What makes me feel any different , idol knoew , well it akklls down to where youborn, I been here a long time , under diff names and, shay yes diff names, . Now you ask why now I have to choice my pe ice, well its going to take time, stay tined.this be confusin if you are not on the seond wind of weed or diff giol
About the current smile all is good
16 Jan 2009, 16:50 pm
how funny hat i say my peice when big hit is on lone , hi big boy
18 Jan 2009, 23:07 pm
#13 Big Hit:
And its our side that hammers all NH sides last year,not one try scored against us in that tour,maybe England should train with Munster,that might learn something like pride and passion is a good start
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