Premiership Rugby CEO Mark McCafferty Confirms Plans To Consider Expansion

Premiership Rugby chiefs will hold "a positive debate" over increasing the league to 14 teams and "imposing a temporary moratorium on promotion and relegation," according to the PA. Premiership Rugby CEO Mark McCafferty has confirmed that the English club body is "looking at adding two teams to the top-flight domestic league." McCafferty confirmed Premiership Rugby will hold talks with the Rugby Football Union over tentative plans to "expand the league carefully over two or three years without relegation." McCafferty: "We are looking at that. The game is growing significantly, and that rate of growth is such that we are looking at plans for expansion on a number of fronts. The size and competition of the league is one of them." Premiership clubs and the RFU are "already renegotiating the heads of agreement deal that covers releasing players for international matches" and McCafferty confirmed league expansion and temporarily suspending promotion and relegation would "feature in those talks" (PA, 3/16).