RFU Championship Clubs - Min Standards Criteria
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Forum Name: The Championship
Forum Description: Discuss the 12 clubs forming the English Championship.
URL: http://www.leaguerugby.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=19637
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Topic: RFU Championship Clubs - Min Standards Criteria
Posted By: castleparknight
Subject: RFU Championship Clubs - Min Standards Criteria
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 15:47
RFU Championship Clubs – Minimum Standards Criteria13th February 2023 Please see below a statement issued by the RFU concerning Championship Clubs application for the Minimum Standards Criteria for promotion. The RFU Board has ratified the recommendation of the Professional Game Board on the Minimum Standards Criteria assessments for Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders; the two Championship clubs that applied to be assessed. The outcome is as follows:
Minimum Standards Criteria are in place to ensure Premiership Rugby clubs and promoted clubs have suitable facilities to protect player safety and welfare and to provide a good quality, safe environment for spectators. Each club and its nominated ground undergo an annual independent audit to assess compliance with the Minimum Standards Criteria. The Minimum Standards Criteria were revised in 2022 around the minimum capacity of grounds, to allow additional time for a club to build up to a capacity of 10,001 (details of the changes below). Professional Game Board Chair, Phil De Glanville, said: “The decision to support Championship club promotion, with a phased approach to ground development, was taken to support the transition to the Premiership and to allow more time to achieve the 10,001 capacity criteria. “The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.” ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Replies:
Posted By: *Stalwart
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 16:34
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"Professional Game Board Chair, Phil De Glanville, said: “The decision to support Championship club promotion, with a phased approach to ground development, was taken to support the transition to the Premiership and to allow more time to achieve the 10,001 capacity criteria. “The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.” What a load of waffle. The top tier is not self-sustaining for goodness sake but they don't seem bothered about that. They cut the capacity for promotion to 5,000 but there had to be planning permission and builders in place to go up to 10,001. So they're asking clubs to take a massive financial gamble in the hope they might win the league. Ludicrous. I really hope Ealing take this to litigation. ------------- *Stalwart |
Posted By: billesleyexile
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 16:51
Problem with that though is that Doncaster have done the prem a massive favour here - providing a candidate that can jump through the ludicrous hoops, so Ealing can't argue that no one could... As an aside, really pleased for Donny that they've got themselves into this position and passed the audit after a lot of hard work and investment - that really should be seen as a massive step forward for them even though in doing so they're providing a handy spoiler for the RFU to hide behind. Not their fault.
------------- keep the faith |
*Stalwart wrote:Posted By: castleparknight
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 17:02
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True enough - hadn’t thought of that situation i.e. making it difficult for Ealing ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Posted By: corporalcarrot
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 17:05
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The RFU can change & bend the rules to suit their purpose. If they want Ealing or Donny in the top league they will make it happen. They could deduct points from teams above Donny for players stepping on cracks in the pavement or wearing odd socks if it suited them. Loading prospective promotion candidates with debt to fund ground development which no one wants is barking mad. Rather than go through this farce wouldn't it be better for the RFU to simply nominate the club they want - the process has nowt to do with whether a team actually wins games on the field. ------------- Dont kick it. Pick it up and GO FORWARD. |
Posted By: OldNick
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 17:05
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So, no promotion this year. Or probably ever again when 10+10 comes in.
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Posted By: castleparknight
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 17:15
So can all teams, other than the Knights, please wear odd socks and step on all the cracks for the rest of the season please? ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Posted By: Big Eddie
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 17:15
.....which sensible club would ever want to join the ludicrous loss making cartel called Premiership Rugby 1. It is boring to watch 2. It loses money every single year 3. It appears to be causing life changing irreversible illness 4. It probably doesn't have any realistic future I like the rugby played in National 2, I love the rugby played in National 1, I am thrilled about the rugby played in the Championship........I have absolutely no desire to watch any Premiership Rugby As far as I am concerned the Championship is the pinnacle of rugby as I played it and now watch it.... ------------- ''The future isn't what it used to be'' |
Posted By: Clive Norling
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 19:55
| Big Eddie .... well said my friend |
Posted By: 373
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 20:00
| Again, the whole designation of sports stadium comes down to government legislation that’s been in place since 1975. For all the arguments about bath, they are actually catered for in the legislation itself. For whatever reason the exemption given to football clubs has never been rolled across to any other sport. Ealing could technically be up tomorrow if the legislation allowed for 5000 capacity rugby stadia (and they got the relevant safety certificate) |
Posted By: Count Ford
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 20:42
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"The RFU and all members of the Professional Game Board would like to thank the Premiership and Championship clubs for the work being undertaken on finding ways to ensure the second tier of professional rugby in England can become more self-sustaining.” The nerve of them coming out with this sanctimonious nonsense when 2 of the Premiership clubs have just gone bust |
Posted By: gerg_861
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 21:43
Yet, part of their plan is to force a club with no debts to commit to a £10m+ stadium plan when they have no need of that many seats. Sack them all.
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Posted By: Big Eddie
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 21:59
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The RFU have been unfit and incompetent administrators of our game for the last 20 years ……if there was proper democratic accountability most of the RFU management and the supine RFU council would have been shown the door years ago
------------- ''The future isn't what it used to be'' |
Posted By: dumbape
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2023 at 22:47
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U n f e c k i n g B e l i e v a b l e ! ------------- What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes! |
Posted By: PiffPaff
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 04:57
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BE, you better let Colin Free know he's "supine" as the Cheshire RFU Council Rep spends most if not all his Saturdays at Paton Field ------------- Crouch, Bind, Tweet! |
Posted By: Robb
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 06:19
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The RFU screws Ealing over again, I knew they would. Now Ealing have to carry on with that lawsuit but its probably going to be a little harder since they loosened the regs.
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Posted By: Thunderbird
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 08:11
| Deflection tactics, takes the attention of the Worcester/Wasps debacle. |
Posted By: castleparknight
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 08:15
If my understanding is correct (big IF) clubs have to be licensed to hold 5k, have a safety certificate in place, and planning permission to extend to 10k. I am under the impression that Ealing did not meet these criteria - factoring in these criteria surely some blame lies on the steps of Ealing? If Doncaster could achieve it, within the prescribed period, surely Ealing with their significant resources could too. I did see some reference to Ealing Council being late with the issue of the safety certificate (not sure if this is factual)- is this the only reason Ealing was rejected? Are they licensed to hold 5k plus? I am sure I saw that Ealing had laid out a proposal to expand the ground in phases, was this a blocker (if so then I think that is poor on the RFU’s behalf as it showed great sense by Ealing). Either way I do feel for the Ealing supporters and players and hope that some arrangements can be agreed, if not this season then next. ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Posted By: Big Eddie
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 09:46
Colin knows my views on the RFU, its structure, its leadership and its supine governance........he will probably be rather pleased I wasn't more vociferous in my condemnation........my gentle criticism was of course tempered by the fruit filter. If the management of the RFU and its governance in the form of the RFU Council Members could step outside of their introspective and indulgent bubble and look critically at their own performance over the last 20 years I am sure that to a man they would be appalled at their own patronising and self absorbed approach to the governance of the game as a whole. I do not believe that the totality of RFU management and the members of the RFU Council are incompetent, self interested individuals. It is just that the undemocratic structure of the RFU encourages such behaviour and by and large once individuals have entered its hallowed edifice they meekly sucumb to group think and self interest. There needs to be radical change if the game as we know it is to survive. ------------- ''The future isn't what it used to be'' |
Posted By: *Stalwart
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 09:50
The issue f the safety certificate may well be the stumbling block. We talked to a lovely lady (Wendy) at Donny last season and she was saying how supportive the local council have been. Is that the difference? It certainly is the case in Cornwall where the council have been obstructive over the building of the proposed Stadium For Cornwall for years, and recently one woman arbitrarily decided not to include it in the levelling up bid. Compare that to Devon, where Exeter have had the backing of their council at every stage. ------------- *Stalwart |
Posted By: castleparknight
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 11:34
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I can confirm Wendy is a lovely lady and our council has been very supportive (which probably helped a lot this time around too) ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Posted By: billesleyexile
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 12:00
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in the other code, Midlands Hurricanes (formerly Coventry Bears but now moved to Birmingham) have anecdotally found Birmingham City Council much more supportive compared to Coventry City Council. So councils count for a lot. In fairness, that doesn't surprise me (well, BCC being helpful, not the comparative bit with Coventry) given that they were hugely instrumental in getting Moseley out of the university and onto the common. A decision which saved the club probably as much as the people who put their hands in their pockets - though both were of course necessary. ------------- keep the faith |
Posted By: WEvans
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 13:44
I entirely agree Eddie although I fear with the news that Defaulting Wasps are being parachuted into the Championship next season that division is well on it's way to being as disreputable as the Premiership. Best stop winning and aim for promotion to the National League the real home of rugby!
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Posted By: 373
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 16:17
Without knowing the full ins and outs of why the Ealing bid was rejected it’s difficult to say. Although it’s fair to say that Ealings stadium woes have been going on for years. Notable that Broncos had to move as the stadium wasn’t up to scratch for the Super League either. So it’s not just an RFU thing.
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Posted By: Kimbo
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2023 at 20:01
You've been misled. Coventry Bears still play in Coventry. The other lot are a breakaway. ------------- Our Club |
Posted By: billesleyexile
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2023 at 10:34
fair point - I meant the semi-pro bit rather than the whole club ------------- keep the faith |
Posted By: Rothman2
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2023 at 14:10
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I am very pleased that Doncaster Knights now have the structure in place to meet the minimum criteria, but the real thing here is it does give the power brokers the stick with which to beat Ealing. For club Rugby to flourish there must be automatic promotion and relegation plus the additional incentive of a play off to keep the interest up for others in the league. The winners of the league MUST be rewarded with promotion. It has to be what happens on the field of play. For example if Wasps are bizarrely placed in the Championship next season (ignoring all reasons why they shouldn’t) they will visit Ealing as other previous relegated teams have. What is the difference between playing them in the Prem or in the Championship? The way to grow the game is to retain interest. No promotion = no interest. If Ealing win the league they deserve the opportunity to play in the Prem, as we did at Clifton Lane at the turn of the century. Beating Saracens in front of over 5,000 there in 2001 will never be topped.
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Posted By: Sail By
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2023 at 15:26
Ealing Knights 
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