The Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby "have been accused of plunging the Championship into financial jeopardy" by failing to increase funding of English rugby's second tier as part of the £225M ($297M) deal struck between the governing body and England's top clubs, according to Gavin Mairs of the London TELEGRAPH. The Championship clubs insist the league's full-time professional status "is not sustainable unless their funding is significantly increased" amid rising concerns that a move to a part-time or amateur status would result in the competition becoming "dominated by London-based clubs." While the RFU committed to paying the Premiership clubs £112M ($148M) for the next four years, with that figure "expected to rise for the second half of the eight-year deal," there was no mention of funding for Championship clubs. The Championship clubs currently each receive £530,000 ($700,000) per season in funding from the RFU and Premiership Rugby "but many claim to be spending" up to £1M ($1.32M), with the shortfalls met by benefactors. An offer from Premiership Rugby to maintain its current funding of £1M to the Championship, which would rise to £1.5M ($2M) for the next four years if the league agrees to dispense with its lucrative promotion playoffs, has reportedly "already been rejected." One senior Championship club source claimed that "unless they accepted the deal, the funding would be stopped after next season." An RFU spokesperson said that it remained fully committed to a "strong and thriving Championship" and that talks would continue (TELEGRAPH, 7/26).
