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. [...]
Gloucester Rugby asks fans for £300k as it seeks investors at £36.5m valuation April 6, 2026 Fans of Prem Rugby club Gloucester have been asked to find £300,000 to help the team reach its investment goals. The club, eighth in the 10-team English top flight, announced an investment fund raise in October that would embolden fans to generate £500,000 to “protect the future” of the Cherry and Whites. Hosted by investment [...]
Bedford Blues chief: Champ Rugby clubs are investment opportunities March 31, 2026 When the RFU Council approved plans that would ringfence Prem Rugby for a number of years and create what many described as a franchise league, it is fair to say there were critics. And there still are, with many of them within the second-tier Champ. But Prem Rugby may not be a closed shop forever, [...]
Harlequins: Is owner joining board a cause for concern for Prem Rugby club? March 27, 2026 It is not uncommon for rugby clubs and their associated companies to appoint directors to their boards; it happens quite often and the more eye-catching news tends to relate to individuals who are removed from their posts. Take the departure of Lloyd’s of London’s chief financial officer Alexandra Cliff from the Saracens board after less [...]
Prem Rugby Big Match Bonanza test of sport’s commercial aims March 26, 2026 This weekend will go far in helping onlookers assess how much progress Prem Rugby has made in recent years. Because on Saturday the first match since Australia beat Uruguay in the 2015 Rugby World Cup will take place at Villa Park in Birmingham. The geography is a little bit iffy given the home team – [...]
Does Dyson’s Bath investment signal a new era for Prem Rugby? March 21, 2026 If there was major surprise surrounding Red Bull’s entry into Prem Rugby last year, fewer heads would have been turned by news this week of Sir James Dyson’s investment in Bath. Probably because plenty had assumed he was paying for the upkeep of the club anyway. The deal – likely a debt-for-equity swap – by [...]
Elior Champ Rugby deal may be good for clubs, but what’s the point? March 20, 2026 It is great to see Champ Rugby get its first sponsor in six years this week, in catering company Elior UK; it signals a shift in appetite for the second tier of English rugby. It will be a good marketing tool for clubs, whose matches are broadcast on streaming platform Clubber TV, and it solidifies [...]
Sir James Dyson buys 50 per cent stake in top flight English sport club March 18, 2026 One of the UK’s richest men, Sir James Dyson, has purchased 50 per cent of Prem Rugby champions Bath. The long-time fan of the West Country Club, which won three trophies last season, has converted his front-of-shirt support for the club – through Dyson – into a 50 per cent ownership stake in the Blue, [...]
Toulouse minority owner: Prem Rugby franchising ‘very exciting’ March 11, 2026 A ringfenced Prem Rugby should be seen as an exciting prospect that could one day chase down the powerhouse Top 14 league, according to a co-owner of six-time Investec Champions Cup winners Toulouse. The RFU Council voted through measures last month that ended automatic promotion and relegation from Prem Rugby to the second-tier Champ. It [...]