The promotion and relegation rule was scrapped from PREM Rugby to the Champ at the start of the year, locking lower league sides out of any chance of improvement.
The league announced the change in February, explaining that CHAMP sides will be given a chance in the future to apply for the chance to move up when the league potentially expands from 10 teams, to 12.
Former PREM Rugby cup winners Worcester Warriors went bust in 2022 and have since made a return to CHAMP Rugby. But despite this move they will not have the opportunity to make a return, despite exceptional performances in the league, winning it last year.
The Warriors will not be given the chance to expand their club to previous lengths. Full houses have returned to Sixways Stadium, but crowds will start getting bored of lower quality Rugby, forcing lower attendances and less revenue to the ground.
Ealing Trailfinders have also not been given the opportunity to improve as a club, after a lengthy battle with the Premiership (PREM Rugby now), they did not meet a criteria to gain promotion, despite winning the league three years in a row. The incentive to increase stadium capacity has now disappeared.
Newcastle Red Bulls have been significantly poor over the past few years, although have been given leeway and an opportunity of a takeover despite finishing last over the last four years. This is unfair on the other sides that haven’t been given a chance of a rebuild.
PREM Rugby has said that teams may face relegation if they are financially unstable and don’t have the ability to compete to a competitive standard in the league. Although this is too late, as no repercussions were taken place against Newcastle Red Bulls, compared to what happened to liquidated teams (Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish).
The scrapped system also removes the competitive nature of the league, leading struggling sides to see late season games as dead-rubber matches, as there is no high-stakes to play for. Viewership numbers decrease in these games leading to lower financial numbers for the whole league.
Overall I believe that the sport will be impacted negatively, PREM Rugby is arguably one of the biggest Rugby leagues in the world and scrapping the competitivity of the league will not help the league financially. The proposal to move teams in the future is too far in the future and will still not keep the competitivity of the league. There is also no opportunity of fairy tale stories for lower sides, which may gain international attention.
Teams that have also previously gone bust now have been let down by the league, as the opportunity has passed to gain any form of promotion.
