In defence of Bristol Bears CEO Tom Tainton’s rugby marketing comments May 8, 2026 “At Bristol Bears, we don’t call ourselves a rugby club. We are a marketing agency that plays rugby. Yes, our players have to be competent and able to deliver on the field, but if they are not bringing any value off the field, that genuinely factors into our recruitment conversations.” Those were the words of [...]
Cornish Pirates announce US investment into Champ Rugby team May 7, 2026 US investors have taken a stake in Champ Rugby club Cornish Pirates as English ovalball continues to be seen as an attractive asset class. The Cornish Pirates, who play their home games at Mennaye Field in Penzance, have become the first known English rugby union club to onboard major American investors. J. Kenneth Moritz and [...]
Gloucester Rugby secure £300k fan investment at £36.5m valuation May 4, 2026 Gloucester Rugby have raised £300k from a fan investment cycle at a valuation of £36.5m as investment in the Prem continues. With 23 days left on their public raise, the Prem Rugby strugglers have achieved a fresh goal of having £300,000 in commitments. The 122 investors have pledged an average of over £2,500 apiece but [...]
Exclusive: London Irish still exploring Prem and URC rugby entries April 29, 2026 London Irish are continuing to explore a return to professional rugby with routes into both Prem Rugby and the URC being assessed, City AM understands. The club filed for administration in 2023 before being purchased last year by the late Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan and the ownership is now looking for a way [...]
Four Champ Rugby clubs in talks with new investors April 27, 2026 Nearly a third of Champ Rugby clubs are having conversations with potential new investors, as the wider game looks to capitalise on the incoming franchising of Prem Rugby. Although details are still to be finalised, the English top flight is set to steamroll into an expansionist league much like those seen in North America. Red [...]
Saracens hit out at disjointed rugby calendar amid £9m loss April 24, 2026 Saracens have hit out at the disjointed rugby calendar after the London club made losses of £9m last season. The side, who finished sixth last year and missed out on the semi-finals, used their accounts to criticise rugby’s domestic calendar, which features huge spells without matches to ensure that players can play international rugby and [...]
Bellingham offers hope that celebs can find Prem Rugby investible April 24, 2026 Jude Bellingham has invested into cricket and it offers hope for Prem Rugby, Ollie Phillips writes. Jude Bellingham’s £800,000 investment into Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix is smart money; he’s from the area, gets one per cent of a team where he will do very little heavy lifting, and diversifies his portfolio. And it got me [...]
The Yankee dabble in Prem Rugby is Dandy, but I don’t get it April 17, 2026 It is great to see that an American investor is set to take over Exeter Chiefs; it marks a new point of interest for Prem Rugby after Red Bull and Sir James Dyson from this side of the pond invested in Newcastle and Bath respectively. And we must not underestimate the power of US involvement [...]
Northampton Saints appoint board member after £2.5m fund raise April 16, 2026 Northampton Saints have appointed wealthy rugby fan Steve Zander to their board after he led a £2.5m fund raise earlier this year. Zander was part of a raise worth £2.7m which saw him take the majority of nearly 2m newly issued shares, representing 14.5 per cent of the Prem Rugby club. He will join the [...]
Exeter Chiefs set for US investment as Prem Rugby flurry continues April 15, 2026 Exeter Chiefs are set to become the latest in a flurry of Prem Rugby clubs to take fresh investment, with American backing set for Sandy Park. An extraordinary general meeting will be held next month to vote on plans which would see an unnamed US backer make a multimillion pound investment in the Devonshire club. [...]