Adult male competition structure review

Important work to ensure that we preserve the future health of the game will be undertaken through a competition structure review by the Adult Male Competition Structure Group (the Group) commencing the month.

The Group is a task group of the Community Game Board and its membership will include representatives from the game, RFU staff, other national rugby union and other sports governing bodies.

The Group’s purpose is to review the adult male competition structure of the English Club Championship from Level 3 downwards and recommend an optimal playing offer and structure that protects the future health of the game for adult men by meeting the needs of current and future players, balancing quality of experience and player welfare needs with less travel, while at the same time protecting the financial and other sustainability of clubs.

The Group’s work will include gathering evidence from desk research, Electronic Match Card, the National Rugby Survey, alongside assessing historical and current knowledge from within the Group. The review will importantly include listening to players, administrators and practitioners involved in delivering the game, to enable recommendations to be made to Council on the future competition landscape. A report will be presented for discussion at Council in February with the intention of reaching a resolution at Council in April. This will enable recommendations to be implemented in time for the start of the 2020 season.

The Group first met on Wednesday 11 September. Further updates will be made available during the 2019-20 season