Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

RFU statement: New men’s professional game partnership unveiled

England head coach Steve Borthwick (Photo by Joe Allison/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Eighteen months of collaboration between the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the RPA has finally culminated in Wednesday’s confirmation of a new men’s professional game partnership, an eight-year deal that includes hybrid union/club contracts for up to 25 players in Steve Borthwick’s England squad.

ADVERTISEMENT

The agreement will enable head coach Borthwick to have the final say on all sports science and medical issues regarding the management of his chosen 25-strong contingent of enhanced contract elite squad players. The funding deal is worth a guaranteed £33million per season to the 10 top-flight clubs in its first four-year cycle, switching to a 26 per cent profit share in its second four-year period.

A new professional rugby board – which includes retired referee Wayne Barnes – has been established to govern the partnership, while the RFU also confirmed a relaxing of the minimum standards criteria to help Championship clubs aspire to reaching the Premiership.

Video Spacer

Response to the pre-match Haka chaos at Ellis Park | RPTV

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:58
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:58
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Response to the pre-match Haka chaos at Ellis Park | RPTV

    The Boks Office crew, joined by Andrew Mehrtens, discuss the performance of the Haka before facing South Africa. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV

    Watch now

    The statement read: “The Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby and The Rugby Players Association have co-created a new men’s professional game partnership (MPGP) after 18 months of collaboration. The eight-year partnership aims to create world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues with players and fans at the heart of it.

    Improved governance, funding, stabilisation and cost alignment 
    “To lead this partnership into the next era, a new professional rugby board (PRB) has been established to replace the professional game board so that all rugby decisions are brought under one roof to oversee the strategy. The PRB will have an independent chair and two further independent members.

    Related

    “The RFU and Premiership Rugby will each have three voting members including the RFU’s newly appointed board member Wayne Barnes. The RPA will have two seats on the new board (one voting and one observer) to ensure that players are central to decision making for the professional game.

    “The funding deal is across two four-year cycles with a guaranteed £33m per season for the first cycle, moving to a profit share in the second cycle of 26 per cent of the RFU’s profit before rugby Investment (PBRI). A number of joint initiatives to grow revenues and manage costs in the overall system, include:

    • Commercial growth through a landmark joint marketing agreement, driving club attendances and growing respective TV audiences and social following;
    • A commitment to implementing a salary cap formula from 25/26 aligned to key central financial metrics, which will include a review of the salary cap credit system;
    • Closer alignment and sharing of information to aid player welfare and management across the professional game;
    • Implementation of an independent financial monitoring panel (FMP) to monitor financial stability across Premiership Rugby and provide confidence to clubs playing in any given season. The FMP is currently chaired by Nigel Boardman and is already in operation for the 24/25 season.

    World-leading English teams
    “The men’s professional game partnership has a vision to create ‘world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues delivered through a fully optimised performance system in partnership with our players’. Fundamental to this vision are the changes to professional rugby system that have been agreed:

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Enhanced England playing squad (EPS): the England head coach will be able to select up to 25 players into the enhanced EPS, ensuring optimum preparation for key international fixtures, and will have the final say on all sports science and medical matters relating to the management of enhanced EPS players.

    England performance pathway: to provide improved international playing opportunities and a link to the senior men’s team, the U20s EPS squad will be expanded to 50 players and there will be up to four England A matches per season, with the squads drawn from the senior and U20 EPS squads, with the opportunity to bring in additional U23 players if required.

    Player welfare and management: there is a continued commitment to world-leading player welfare initiatives through collaboration and joint investment, including the use of aligned welfare and performance data systems for all players, clubs and England teams, underpinned by audited and sanctionable minimum standards/regulations. A jointly implemented athlete management system (AMS) will be introduced across clubs and England to better integrate, standardise and report on welfare and performance data.

    Academy structure: reflecting the new structure of the Gallagher Premiership, the academy boundaries have been redefined, aligned to the Premiership clubs alongside a Yorkshire academy which will continue to be RFU operated under authority of the PRB. These academies will work with and utilise central data to establish satellite sites to ensure regional coverage with an ambition for access with reduced travel time for players.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Pathway changes: the academies will deliver a redefined phased approach to the player development system, starting at U15 and encompassing three phases: Foundation (ages 15 to 16), Development (ages 17 to 18) and Confirmation (ages 19 to 20).?Each academy will ensure that at least two state school/college partnerships are established, developed, and appropriately resourced to be able to participate in the RFU schools’ competition.

    Community: All parties are working together to co-create a joint community game programme that will align with the priorities emerging from the RFU’s community game future strategy and will build on the success of Project Rugby to continue to make the game more inclusive (the joint initiative from Premiership Rugby, in collaboration with the RFU and Gallagher that focused on engaging disadvantaged young people with rugby union).

    Player support fund: All three parties will establish a player support fund, which will be administered and supported by Restart, the official charity of the RPA. The fund will initially focus on medical support for retiring players, mental wellbeing support for current and retired players, as well as providing a safety net for players and staff affected by unforeseen club situations.”

    Promotion and relegation
    “The RFU council agreed there would continue to be a two-match home and away play-off between the bottom placed Gallagher Premiership club and the winner of the Championship/Tier 2, provided that that latter club meets the minimum standards criteria in place at the relevant time.

    “This continues to allow for promotion and relegation, but also balances the careful financial challenges of clubs in those leagues and ensure that promoted clubs can sustainably compete.

    “PGB agreed to increased flexibility in the minimum standards criteria (MSC) for entry into the Premiership. The new MSC will allow a longer period for a promoted club to achieve required ground capacities. Clubs may move from 5,000, to 7,500 and finally 10,001 at the start of their fourth season in Premiership at the latest.

    “This should enable aspirational clubs who gain promotion longer to embed into the Premiership a smoother transition in terms of investment into their stadium. From the start of the 2024/25 season, the responsibility of determining the MSC will transfer to the professional rugby board.

    “Championship clubs have again been invited to play in the Premiership Rugby Cup and this invitation has already been extended for the 2025/26 season. All parties want a viable, sustainable, and valued second tier that can produce clubs capable of competing in the Premiership and providing the jeopardy and competition that keeps the league vibrant.

    “However, there is currently a major gap in competitiveness and playing budgets between the Gallagher Premiership and Championship clubs and the financial requirements needed to compete in the Premiership.”

    Bill Sweeney, the Rugby Football Union CEO, said: “This eight-year commitment will reshape the rugby landscape and reset the professional game to support, showcase and fund our game for the next decade and beyond.

    “We have spent the last two years interrogating the data and listening to all parts of the game to understand what we need for rugby to grow in the future, how all parts of the system interact and support each other, and where we need to focus and allocate our investment for the best outcome.

    “Despite the RFU having £150m revenue losses through covid, and a £30m increase in operating costs over the last four years due to inflation, we are in a stable financial position. Today we have reached a significant milestone in turning our spend into the professional game into a true investment partnership with shared strategy, goals, and risks.

    “The England national team benefits by having control over the IDPs, medical and S&C of the best players in England at the peak of their form and in the best shape to play for their country. And the community game benefits from well run and funded academies to allow every young player to fulfil their potential and winning England teams that generate money to reinvest into the whole game.

    “This is not only a men’s professional game partnership, but also part of a broader partnership we have created together that joins and supports all parts of the game, international, domestic, community, players and investors, men and women, boys and girls.”

    Premiership Rugby CEO Simon Massie-Taylor added: “The new professional game partnership is fundamental to the next phase of English club rugby. We have worked hard with the RFU and RPA to provide more financial stability, better governance and a joint high-performance plan that will help make the men’s England team and the Premiership clubs as successful as possible.

    “What we have learnt from the challenges of the last few years is how important healthy clubs and a successful men’s England team are to the rugby eco-system, and also how important it is to work in partnership with the players, the governing body and other rugby stakeholders.”

    Christian Day, RPA general secretary said: “The Rugby Players Association’s inclusion as signatories to the men’s professional game partnership is a landmark day for our organisation, but most importantly for the players. The RPA will always exist to support, promote, and protect our members. Building an adequate safety net and striving to make England the best place to play rugby in the world.

    We are progressing through a time of what we believe to be positive change and unity for rugby union in England after a period of collective challenge. This new agreement should start to give players a feeling of real value, and in doing so can only improve their value add back into the game that they love.”

    Related

    Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 tickets

    The Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 is coming to England. Click here to buy tickets.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

    Argentina v France | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Men's Match Highlights

    New Zealand v Australia | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Women's Match Highlights

    Tokyo Sungoliath vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Reds vs Force | Super Rugby W 2025 | Full Match Replay

    The Rise of Kenya | The Report

    New Zealand in Hong Kong | Brady Rush | Sevens Wonders | Episode 4

    The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    0 Comments
    Be the first to comment...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    H
    HarunParisha 24 minutes ago
    Sale Sharks refuse to give up on new stadium dream

    It's a fact: Reddit has always been, is, and will be my source for crypto discussions, security tips, and market trends. Little did I know it would be the same site that helped save me from financial ruin. Some months ago, an AMA thread about Trust Geeks Hack Expert showed up. People asked them anything: from lost wallet recoveries to phishing scams; their answers sounded really detailed, transparent, and full of insight. At the time, I didn't know that their help was near. It all started with what I thought was a routine software update. I had received an e-mail from what looked like a trusted exchange, telling me to install an important patch. The email looked *legit—*matching the branding, formatting, and even the usual tone of messages I had received before. Without a second thought, I downloaded the update and installed it. Biggest mistake of my life. It froze within minutes, and then it automatically restarted. My crypto wallet was empty when I regained access. $200,000-gone. At first, I thought it was some kind of glitch, but as I dug deeper, the cold reality hit me hard: I had been hacked. The "update" was a form of malware designed to drain wallets by injecting malicious code. Panic set in, but rather than spiral, I remembered the Trust Geeks Hack Expert AMA. Their confidence in handling cases like mine had stood out to me. I rushed back to the thread, found their contact details Website https://trustgeekshackexpert.com/-- Email: trustgeekshackexpert{@}fastservice{.}com, and reached out immediately. Their response was prompt and very reassuring. They asked for every little detail I could remember-from the time of the installation of the fake update to the exact nature of the transactions I had done prior to this. They got to work, tracing the movement of my stolen funds using some advanced blockchain forensics.

    Days went by, and I had my doubts, but they kept me updated. Then came a message that I was praying for; they had recovered my $200,000. It sounded like a dream come true. All stress, regret, and anger vanished at that moment. Trust Geeks Hack Expert saved not only my funds but also taught me a lesson which will never be forgotten: never trust email links. Now, I double-check every update; use cold storage for large amounts; don't click on anything that's remotely suspicious. If not for that Reddit AMA, I would have never found the only team skilled enough to turn my disaster into a comeback story.

    0 Go to comments
    E
    Elizabeth M Joshua 1 hour ago
    What Newcastle 'can’t legislate for' as they face fellow basement dwellers

    ## A Remarkable Recovery

    I'm Elizabeth Joshua from Mississippi, and my journey to recovering my stolen USDT coins was nothing short of miraculous. It began with a devastating loss of $267,400 to a cunning scammer. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming, and I thought my money was gone forever. Website: Brunoequickhack.COM

    However, my luck changed when I stumbled upon Brunoe Quick Hack's services online. Their reputation for being reliable and efficient in recovering stolen cryptocurrency caught my attention. I decided to take a chance and reached out to them.

    To my surprise, Brunoe Quick Hack's team was professional, responsive, and transparent throughout the entire process. They worked tirelessly to track down the scammer and recover my stolen USDT coins. Their expertise and dedication were truly impressive.

    In a remarkable turn of events, Brunoe Quick Hack successfully recovered my stolen funds. I was overjoyed and relieved to see the money safely returned to my account. WhatsApp: +1705-784-(2635)

    My experience with Brunoe Quick Hack has been nothing short of exceptional. Their service is top-notch, and I highly recommend them to anyone who has fallen victim to cryptocurrency scams. If you're looking for a reliable and efficient solution to recover your stolen funds, look no further than Brunoe Quick Hack.

    ## A Testimonial to Excellence

    I'm thrilled to refer Brunoe Quick Hack's services to the globe. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to customer satisfaction are truly remarkable. If you need help recovering stolen cryptocurrency, don't hesitate to reach out to Brunoe Quick Hack. They are the real deal. Email: BrunoequickhackATgmail.com

    0 Go to comments
    d
    dimitrirassam299 2 hours ago
    Don't get out over your skis on the Highlanders

    For months, I had been diving deep into the world of cryptocurrency, excited by the opportunities and promises of financial freedom. Like many others, I had heard of people making life changing gains overnight, and I wanted my share of the success. Unfortunately, in my eagerness, I fell victim to a well disguised scam that drained my Ethereum ETH holdings. It started when I stumbled upon an investment platform that seemed too good to be true but in my greed and hope, I ignored the warning signs. The website had polished testimonials, a smooth interface, and a community that appeared legitimate. I transferred a significant amount of Ethereum, expecting high returns in a matter of weeks. Days turned into weeks, then months, and soon  I realized I had been scammed,I was devastated. That money was not just a financial asset; it was my hard earned savings, my dreams of financial security. I reached out to the so-called support team of the platform, but my emails went unanswered, and the website eventually vanished. I was left with nothing but regret.Just when I was about to give up, a friend told me about Washington Recovery Pro a specialized asset recovery service that had helped victims like me retrieve lost funds from fraudulent schemes. Skeptical but desperate, I decided to reach out. Their response was swift and professional. They assured me that while many scams are sophisticated, their team had the expertise to trace and recover stolen digital asset one day, I woke up to an email notification that your funds had been successfully recovered. I logged into my crypto wallet, and there it was my ETH, safely returned. I could hardly believe it.For anyone who has lost money in crypto scams, I say that there is still hope. Washington Recovery Pro proved that with the right team, justice can prevail.their handles.

    WhatsApp-‪  +1 (903) 249‑8633‬

    4 Go to comments
    TRENDING
    TRENDING Worcester Warriors poised to make first two signings Worcester Warriors poised to make first two signings
    Search