Championship rugby clubs are expecting legal challenges to the criteria that they will be judged against for promotion to the Premiership.
Top-of-the-table Coventry announced yesterday that they had applied for an audit that, if passed, would grant them access to a play-off between the team that finishes bottom of the Premiership and the Championship winner. The victor would take the 10th spot in the 2025-26 season.
“Coventry needs to meet a testing set of off-field criteria including ground and financial standards set by the RFU in conjunction with Premiership Rugby Ltd,” a statement read.
“These criteria continue to be the subject of much scrutiny, but according to executive chair Jon Sharp the Butts Park Arena-based club will plough on with its application in view of the prospect that legal challenges should move the goalposts.”
The set of rules that Premiership hopefuls must satisfy to gain access to the top flight range from stadium and fan facilities to parking and having a club app.
Key part
Added Sharp: “In particular we need their help with planning permissions that meet the Premiership’s ground capacity requirements while also facilitating our wider redevelopment of the Arena.
“This is a key part of our plan to fast-track the club to being independently financially sustainable through a business model that has multiple revenue streams. In time we believe the Butts will become a destination venue for top-level national, regional, and local sport, music concerts and major food and cultural events.”
Coventry were forced to share their city with former Premiership champions Wasps when the once London-based club moved from Wycombe to the Midlands.
Championship void
But Wasps went under, leaving Coventry to fill the void Wasps once tried to engulf.
Coventry chief executive Nick Johnston said: “Everyone is aware of the financial problems that have seen four prominent English clubs fail in recent years.
“Getting the right financial structures behind our business is clearly of vital importance and to this end we set up an investment panel earlier in the year to facilitate our growth strategy.
“We would love to attract additional investment into the club from someone who supports what we’re doing within rugby, the community and as a leading city centre events venue as Coventry Rugby is on the up!”