In sensational news this afternoon, The Telegraph has suggested that the existing ten-team Premiership could be expanded to twelve or fourteen under a new plan to increase the value of broadcasting deals.
The merger, in question, would involve the four existing Welsh sides in the United Rugby Championship (URC), joining the English, Gallagher Premiership. The Anglo-Welsh league is believed to have been one of the topics discussed at the Premiership Rugby board meeting on Thursday morning, with growth at the forefront of the conversation.
The idea is that the new Anglo-Welsh league would benefit from greater broadcast revenue and increased gate receipts. It would also be noted that Cardiff Rugby, Dragons, Scarlets and Ospreys all currently travel as far as South Africa in the URC, so the prospect of a more centralised league would require much less travelling.
One source close to The Telegraph said: “Good organisation and governance mandates that leagues, teams and all stakeholders within rugby should always be exploring ways to make the competitions in which they compete better,” said the source.
“So clearly over the forthcoming period, there will always be conversations about existing and potential competitions, about where for the benefit of fans, players and owners, we can make enhancements. So, nothing would ever be off the table.
“We are going into the new season off an incredibly exciting Premiership last year, including semi-finals and final that were one-score games. The standard has never been higher, so we feel we are in a good place.
“But we’re conscious that we also want externally to feel like there’s a pathway where that then results in improved economics, not just of our clubs and our games but likewise is a hope and expectation for other teams playing in other competitions. So we are all committed to exploring options.”
Despite the initial excitement surrounding the potential merger, it has to be noted that all ten existing Premiership sides need to vote in support of the Anglo-Welsh merger for it to go through, as well as full sign-off from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Welsh Rugby Football Union (WRFU).
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