Agreement Over Five-club Funding in Wales
Wales will field five Premier clubs next year after finally coming to an agreement with the WRU over funding.
Wales’ Premier rugby clubs and the Welsh Rugby Union have finally come to an agreement over a funding for a five-team regional plan for next season.
WRU chief executive David Moffett called a meeting in Cardiff this morning in a last ditch effort to find a way forward for Welsh rugby.
After two hours of negotiations Wales’ representatives can now present a plan agreed by clubs and union to the board of European Rugby Cup in Dublin on Wednesday, making the deadline to declare European involvement.
From next season, Llanelli and Cardiff will stand alone, while Swansea and Neath, Pontypridd and Bridgend, and Newport and Ebbw Vale will merge for cross-border competitions. The provinces will be backed by a 16-team semi-professional league.
Last Friday the clubs rejected Moffett’s latest deal, which offered to establish five regionalised professional teams which would be funded to the tune of £7.5m. The clubs insisted they wanted at least £8m, and for a while it looked like the status quo which has been draining Welsh rugby’s coffers would continue.
It is not yet clear what the final amount agreed upon was, but details are expected to be released later in the week.
“There is a huge sense of relief for the sake of the game that we have finally reached a unanimous agreement between ourselves and the clubs in respect of the financial issues,” Moffett said.
“It’s been very difficult and I think most people have had enough of the endless debate but thankfully we have reached a compromise that both sides can live with.
“We can now move forward with some degree of certainty to strengthen Welsh rugby from the grass roots up.”
“It’s a huge weight off the clubs’ shoulders as we have the players and supporters asking us what is going on all the time,” said Derrick King, chairman of the Association of Premier Division Clubs.
“It has taken a long time to sort this out because of the traditions we have in Wales. There has been a lot of pain but we all agree this is the way forward and we are all committed to it.”
