A radical new structure for English rugby is expected to be rubber-stamped at a Rugby Football Union council meeting on Friday.
The Prem would separate from the rest of the pyramid, with traditional promotion and relegation immediately scrapped.
Instead the Prem will look to expand from 10 teams to 12 teams by 2030, with further expansion possible if ambitious clubs meet criteria on and off the field.
This could mean clubs like Wasps, Worcester and London Irish – who all went bust in the 2022-23 season – return to the top flight in the future.
As it stands, there is a mechanism for promotion and relegation to and from the Prem via a play-off with the top-placed side in the Champ.
However, Ealing Trailfinders, consistently the best team in the second tier, have failed to meet the existing standards – especially around stadium size.
There has been no relegation from the Prem since Saracens went down in 2020 after a heavy points deduction for salary cap breaches. Sarries were also the last team to gain promotion after winning the Championship in 2021.
Under the new plans, ambitious clubs would still be able to apply for a place in the Prem, but would need to meet a variety of revamped criteria – financial and commercial, as well as on-pitch performance and potential.
English rugby insiders expect the new structure to collectively raise standards across the clubs and make the game more attractive to investors.
“We are lifting the bar on what we want clubs to do across various areas,” said one leading executive.
According to sources, any club would be able to apply for a place in an expanded Prem.
They could be ambitious Champ sides such as Coventry, dormant former powerhouses like Wasps – who plan to relaunch in Kent in the coming seasons – or brand-new entities.
The Champ clubs had previously rejected plans for a franchise-type model, but leading figures in the club game insist their board has been consulted throughout the process and have endorsed the recommendation.
“It could be transformational for aspirational Champ clubs,” a senior source told the .
“We are looking at a range of different options to make the Premiership thriving, exciting and a really interesting place to invest in,” RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney told Sport last year.
“Part of that will be a model whereby you qualify for an expansion league in the Premiership, but based on criteria around financial sustainability, fanbase and stadium, not just performance on the field of play.”
