What does the RFU have against the Championship?

It was an announcement that many in rugby feared but sadly expected.

The statement said that there will be no promotion to the Premiership this season after Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster Knights failed to meet the standards required for the top-flight.

The two clubs fall short of the now required 10,000 capacity to reach the Premiership. This decision has left many in the rugby scratching their heads asking, ‘just what do the RFU and Premiership Rugby have against the Championship?’

What has left me confused following this decision is why a stadium is an adequate measure of whether a club is worthy of membership to the top-flight. While none of the current 13 sides in the Premiership fall under the 10,000 minimum, (Saracens the closet on 10,500!) it is not like Premiership rugby is the pinnacle of spectator sport unlike the Premier League which leaves no ground with an empty seat.

To further add to the comparison with Premier League football, the stadium qualifications to enter their league, the most watched sporting league in the world, is 5000, half of the 10000 required for Premiership Rugby. This highlights why many believe 10,000 is a figure designed to keep the Premiership as a 13 team forever and why this decision looks like an almost personal vendetta against Doncaster, Ealing and others.

Sides like Sale, Falcons, London Irish and Worcester rarely achieve a consistent attendance of over 5000, and yes, they hold sufficient capacity for over 10,000 fans but that should be irrelevant.

What should be the focus on this decision is how the Championship can be used as a platform and stepping-stone for young and developing players and coaches.

There are far too many fantastic examples of players coming through the Championship to achieve success at club and international level. It is a great breeding ground for players outside of the traditional academy system and allows for that ‘second shot’ that so many brilliant players in the past have relied upon.

We need to embolden the Championship not-weaken it yet further.

What this decision further overlooks is the chance that the promoted sides would get to develop not just in terms of performance but financially too. Who is to say that if Ealing or Doncaster get to the Premiership that by year two or three that they won’t have capability to expand or move grounds?

This decision ignores great examples of the past where clubs have come through from the Championship. Look no further than Exeter Chiefs who only ten years ago were in the Championship and are now European and Premiership Champions. Success stories like this will be no more following the new decision.

But for me it is just the blatant neglect of the Championship which angers me so much. The RFU must seek to utilise the player base, not undermine it. Why are we not seeing a follow up announcement to state that there will be a record amount of funding available to help fund the expansion of the grounds or to move the teams to suitable adequate locations.

To me the 10,000-capacity figure is a number the RFU are using to hide behind to cover their clear refusal to acknowledge or support the Championship. They are ignored and will continue to be ignored and I will carry on asking that question to myself, what does the RFU have against the Championship?