{"id":507863,"date":"2026-02-27T16:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/507863\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T16:17:09","slug":"promotion-and-relegation-from-prem-to-be-scrapped-as-rugby-moves-to-franchise-model-prem-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/507863\/","title":{"rendered":"Promotion and relegation from Prem to be scrapped as rugby moves to franchise model | Prem Rugby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Promotion and relegation from rugby\u2019s top flight is to be scrapped as part of a major restructure at the top of English club rugby after the Rugby Football Union<\/a> council \u201coverwhelmingly\u201d voted to approve a move to a franchise model.<\/p>\n

From next season\u2019s 2026-27 campaign, automatic promotion and relegation between the Prem and Championship will be replaced by a criteria-based expansion and demotion model with 12 teams planned to be in the division from the 2029-30 season.<\/p>\n

The RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, welcomed the move, saying: \u201cWe recognise that moving away from a traditional system of automatic promotion and relegation represents a significant change.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, it is equally clear that the professional game must evolve if it is to thrive. The previous structure was not delivering the financial stability, investment confidence or wider system benefits the game now requires.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis reform is about safeguarding the future \u2013 creating a model that is ambitious, sustainable and capable of supporting the whole rugby community, from the grassroots to the international stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

A vote was put forward after months of work with leading stakeholders like the RFU, Premiership Rugby, Championship Rugby, Premiership Women\u2019s Rugby and Rugby Players\u2019 Association (RPA).<\/p>\n

Mike McTighe, chair of men\u2019s Professional Rugby Board, added: \u201cThis is an important step forward for professional rugby in England. It\u2019s long been clear that the previous system was not delivering the financial sustainability or long-term confidence the professional game needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis agreement therefore represents a collective responsibility to change that, with all of the stakeholders involved coming together to design a model that provides greater certainty for investors, a clearer pathway for ambitious clubs and stronger foundations for the whole rugby ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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\u2019s game and in sustained support for community rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Premiership clubs included in the top flight will have to operate a team in Premiership Women\u2019s Rugby or fund a meaningful regional women\u2019s development plan, or face fines for non-compliance.<\/p>\n

An Expansion Review Group (ERG) will be set up to assess the readiness of the league, appetite of investors and which clubs are prepared for the expansion before clubs eager to join go through a formal Expression of Interest and tender process.<\/p>\n

The Premiership chief executive, Simon Massie-Taylor, said: \u201cThe changes agreed today show unity across the game and will allow current and future club investors to confidently invest in our new growth plan and the wider English club rugby eco-system.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Promotion and relegation from rugby\u2019s top flight is to be scrapped as part of a major restructure at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-507863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}