Bedford Blues have said, “there is no need to panic” as a number of Championship rugby clubs heavily criticised the RFU this week after the sport’s governing body announced a new funding deal for Premiership clubs.
Funding for Championship clubs has been a hot topic in recent years, with overall funding from upwards of £650,000 per club per annum going down since 2016.
That figure now reportedly stands at £133,000.
In June, the Championship clubs were celebrating a “new era” after proposals to ease minimum criteria for ground grading had been relaxed, along with the installation of a realistic chance of promotion as well as a new deal on broadcasting rights.
Read: “New era” for Bedford Blues and their rivals as Championship hails new RFU deal
Those good feelings have since evaporated on the announcement of a new funding arrangement by the Professional Game Partnership (PGP) that has given Premiership clubs up to £3.3m each, up from £2m from the previous deal.
Championship clubs are aggrieved that they have been left out of discussions, however, the RFU have stated that the Professional Game Partnership (PGP) has always been an agreement that outlines the relationship between the governing body and the Premiership.
Bedford Blues were among a number of Championship clubs expressing their “disappointment in the latest developments” in an article with BBC Sport in the week, but the club have also reaffirmed that the club are in a stable position.
“There is certainly no need for panic at Bedford Blues”, said Chief Operating Officer, Gareth Alred.
“Fortunately we are in a stable position given the fantastic support we receive from our stakeholders and fans.
“In fact, we are really excited about this season and the start of a new model the following year. There is lots to play for and we remain optimistic about the future competition.
“Our model, values and style of play won’t change. We will be working even harder on delivering the best matchday experience possible at Goldington Road, our aim remains to make this the best place to be in our region on any given matchday.
“There is a genuine unity across the Championship with everyone striving for the same outcomes, whilst there may be some turbulence, we are all determined to find an exciting and bright future for tier two.”
“Total funding is more than double” say RFU
Two of the Championship’s newest teams, Cambridge and Chinnor, are set to lose out further as they have been excluded from a revamped Premiership Cup competition which is estimated to cost both clubs £125,000 each.
Responding to a request for comment from the Bedford Independent, an RFU spokesperson said:
“For over 18 months, the RFU Championship Club Committee and Premiership Rugby have worked together to develop a reimagined Tier 2.
“The objective is to create a second tier that supports the English system by developing young English talent, whilst supporting the clubs to be financially sustainable by growing local audiences and increasing the value in the league.
“A new Tier 2 Board has been established with representatives from the Championship and RFU and is driving plans for the revamped league in the 2025-26 season.
“The total funding available for this season, and for 2025-26, was agreed with the Championship and is more than double that of the 2023-24 season.
“This increase is to help with the transition to the new league. Any future funding discussions will be held by the Tier 2 and RFU Boards.”
“We’re feeling positive”
Bedford Blues’ Championship season begins tomorrow (21 September) at Goldington Road as they welcome Caldy after a solid pre-season campaign ended with defeat at Northampton Saints, although there were plenty of positives to take from the game that finished 36-17.
“I thought we fronted up defensively first half, we were completely in the game and slowed their ball down which is what we worked on in pre-season”, said forwards coach, Tom Cruse, who joined from Northampton Saints.
“We feel really positive ahead of the new campaign. We’ve seen loads of stuff we’ve seen in pre-season and seeing the guys come together which is good to see and building some energy”.
Bedford Blues’ first league encounter against Caldy kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 21st September and you can purchase tickets here.
