England’s top professional rugby union league, the Gallagher PREM Rugby, has voted to eliminate automatic promotion and relegation between its top tier and the second-division Championship, a move intended to attract investment and stabilize the finances of the sport. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) Council approved the change on Friday, ushering in a criteria-based system for expansion and demotion starting with the 2024-25 season.
The decision marks a significant shift for English rugby, moving towards a franchise model more akin to those found in North American sports. Previously, the team finishing bottom of the PREM Rugby league would be relegated to the Championship, with the Championship’s winner taking their place. Under the new system, clubs will be assessed against a set of criteria to determine eligibility for promotion or, potentially, demotion.
Stakeholders – including the RFU, Premiership Rugby, the Championship, Premiership Women’s Rugby and the Rugby Players Association – jointly announced the changes, stating the new model would “create investable, globally competitive leagues whereas expanding rugby’s fanbase, widening its geographic footprint and delivering tangible benefits to the women’s game and community rugby across England.” The move is a direct response to the financial instability that has plagued the league in recent years. A report by Leonard Curtis Rugby Finance found that no Premiership club generated a profit during the 2023-24 season.
The current PREM Rugby competition consists of 10 teams: Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Bristol Bears, Leicester Tigers, Exeter Chiefs, Saracens, Sale Sharks, Gloucester Rugby, Harlequins, and Newcastle Red Bulls. The league intends to expand by up to two teams by the 2029-30 season. The criteria for expansion have not yet been fully detailed, but officials emphasized the goal is to ensure long-term financial sustainability, and competitiveness.
The change has been described as providing “greater certainty for clubs and investors, strengthens long-term planning, maintains competitive integrity and protects player welfare,” according to the joint announcement. The move follows years of debate within the English rugby community about the best way to secure the financial future of the professional game. The previous system, with its inherent risk of relegation, was seen as a deterrent to long-term investment.
Bath Rugby were crowned champions of the 2024-25 season, the last to be decided under the traditional promotion and relegation format. The league is currently one of the three top-level professional rugby competitions in the Northern Hemisphere, alongside France’s Top 14 and the cross-border United Rugby Championship.
The RFU has not yet announced details regarding the specific criteria that will be used to evaluate clubs for potential expansion or demotion. Further details are expected to be released in the coming months.
