Is the Champ run by a bunch of jokers?

Having just seen the fixtures, people on the Champ board and RFU should hang their heads in shame!

Edited by Scrumtime - 23 Jul 2021 at 06:59

An awful lot in here which I agree with. Jersey played Blues on Boxing Day a few years ago and from memory it was the only game I didn't get to that season! From memory there were no trains on Boxing Day or Flights from jersey on Christmas Day and the idea of travelling on Christmas Eve did not find favour with Mrs C. A Christmas Bye for Jersey  in the league and a "friendly" match against Les Anes seems like a great idea. Oddly enough Jersey v Scottish or Mond is the nearest to a local derby from a travel point of view - definitely the easiest day trip with a late morning flight still allowing time for a beer in the TC before kick off.

Is it actually "The Championship" that arranges the fixtures or the RFU as in most other Leagues? 

Scrumtime wrote: Having just seen the fixtures, people on the Champ board and RFU should hang their heads in shame! The clubs that played last season took a massive hit. They all lost £100k+, every single balance sheet is massively in the red! The RFU have slashed the clubs funding, yet still the Champ committee shoot themselves in the foot! The Champ had a very easy fix that would start to  help clubs out. Which was a clear as night and day for all to see. There are 2 prime dates in this fixture list!, (please correct me if I'm wrong) Game 1 and the Xmas game.  Why have they not said, look we have a chance for our clubs to make some money back.  We will stack those two dates with local derby's. You have a 7 week period to advertise game 1, a local derby will get the juices flowing. It gives the clubs PR and media departments a run to advertise Ampthill v Bedford or Richmond v London Scottish, Jersey v Pirates  and fill the grounds.  It also gives clubs a chance to play the return leg over the Xmas period, giving every club the chance to fill the grounds again and earn money and display the Champ to as big as audience as possible! But oh no, they release the fixtures to find Scottish home to Jersey week 1, Nottingham home to Ampthill with Bedford having a bye. Did not once ounce of common sense go into thinking about these fixtures ? Why do Jersey have to travel on Xmas week, which apart from August bank holiday will be the most expensive time? Why not make that their bye? You have Richmond travelling up to Nottingham on Xmas week, thanks for that, when London Scottish and a sold out RAG, would have made much more sense, to both clubs!  Ampthill v Bedford Boxing Day 3000+ the last 4 years...Bedford have the pleasure of Jersey and a travelling support of about 15(no slight on Jersey in anyway) It is no wonder that the Champ is a laughing stock. Every club in this comp should this morning be asking the committee what they are playing at?  to look at these fixtures and adjust them.  Each club was asked to play last season at a massive cost, use some common sense and give them half a chance to get some of the money back! Or do we have to wait for Edward Griffiths to ride in with a silly idea that all have to listen to. His last 26 days at a club did not go too well, but hey ho, Im sure the Champ Committee with listen and hangon every word he says!

One in fortunate consequence of your plan - with 11 clubs 1 would miss out on both of the 'prime dates' which is hardly fair.

I would totally agree that Jersey should have the bye at Christmas given the expense/difficulty of travel at that time.

The Championship clubs do not have the authority to arrange fixtures. The RFU arrange the fixtures, the home Championship club of each fixture then gets to decide whether the fixture is played on the Friday/Saturday or Sunday of that weekend. I also understand that yet to be announced is one fixture each week on a Thursday evening to be shown on TV. No idea which games will be chosen or by whom.

I'm not answering the OP as I am assuming it is a rhetorical question!