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Championship leaders Coventry confirm Premiership application
By Paul Smith
Coventry Rugby have confirmed they will attempt to break into English rugby’s Gallagher Premiership if they end the current season as winners of the Championship.
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The top flight has in recent times become a closed shop in which ten shareholders in Premiership Rugby Ltd (PRL) share TV income, RFU funding and other revenues through PRL.
This elite group has shrunk from 13 in the course of the last three years following the collapse of Wasps, Worcester Warriors and London Irish.
In previous times promotion and relegation between the Premiership and English rugby’s second tier was an annual event which allowed current top-flight strugglers Exeter plus the likes of Leeds, Rotherham and London Welsh to enjoy spells at the top table.
However, off-field conditions for entry were progressively tightened and as a result very few have in recent times been in a position to both make an application while also being realistic Championship title winners.
While these qualification criteria have this season been reviewed and on the surface relaxed, a number of Championship clubs have pointed to the small print which still requires significant upfront investment in stadium capacity planning consents before a promotion application will be considered.
According to Cov executive chair Jon Sharp this situation remains the subject of further discussion and potentially a legal challenge.
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However, he advised that the Blue and Whites will press on anyway and have therefore submitted a promotion application which will become active should they win the Championship then a two-legged play-off against the Premiership’s bottom club.
“Along with our fellow Championship clubs we are anticipating that some of the promotion criteria currently in place are relaxed,” he said.
“However, as the West Midlands’ highest-ranked club we must make our ambition clear here and now. We will therefore do whatever we can to meet the standards that allow us to bring Premiership Rugby to our city.
“Vital to this is the support of both Coventry City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority and we are building good working relationships with both.
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“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 a 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.”
150-year-old ‘Cov’ is both the oldest senior sports club in the city and one that prides itself on its community-centric approach.
This was underlined when its recently-showcased development plans revealed significant amounts of affordable sheltered accommodation for those needing supported later living. These plans also deliver an innovative approach to tackling bed-blocking in local hospitals.
In addition to its Championship-leading first team and a rapidly-developing rugby academy, Coventry also has a thriving community programme. With the support of the club’s charitable foundation this delivers rugby and netball around the city with a focus on transforming lives through sport.
According to chief executive Nick Johnston, the club hopes this promotion application will shine a spotlight on what the club is achieving and possibly as a result also draw in additional investment.
“Someone told me recently that we’re one of the West Midlands’ best-kept secrets,” he said.
“We would very much like to lose that tag and we believe applying for and hopefully getting promotion to the Premiership will do that.
“Bringing top-level sport to Coventry will hugely benefit the local economy as well as being great publicity for the city through its regular presence on national TV. We are already getting more attention with our recent games getting some coverage on BBC Midlands Today.
“With the support of our local authorities we can develop the Butts Park Arena into something which gives a big boost to the regeneration of Spon End, assists those needing supported living and also creates a Premiership-standard venue which is fit for purpose.
“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!”
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