Cornish Pirates: We will kick door down to reach franchised Prem Rugby Sport Business The chief executive of Cornish Pirates insists she is ready to “kick the door down” to get her Champ side into Prem Rugby if the top flight becomes a ringfenced franchise league. Prem Rugby and the Rugby Football Union are exploring a franchise model which would see the current 10 teams form a new ring-fenced [...]
Calls for Prem Rugby franchising grow as clubs register debts of £340m Sport Business The 10 Prem Rugby clubs registered combined debts of £340m in the 2023/24 season as calls for a radical franchising process grow louder. Despite encouraging signs of growth in commercial income, the clubs in England’s top flight made a combined loss of £34m, according to the Leonard Curtis Rugby Finance Report. It comes as City [...]
Exclusive: Middlesex to play just two T20 Blast games at Lord’s in 2026 Sport Business Middlesex will play just two Twenty20 Blast matches at Lord’s next year in a further indication of their declining foothold at the Home of Cricket. The 13-time county champions have been tenants at Lord’s since 1864 and have a 12-month rental agreement with the Marylebone Cricket Club that is renewed on an annual basis, but [...]
Rolex sponsored Wimbledon stars made to pay for own watches July 9, 2025 A Rolex sponsorship or ambassadorial contract is widely seen as a must-have endorsement by aspiring young tennis players, yet such deals can prove to be a mixed blessing. Such is the value and scarcity of the Swiss luxury watches that their endorsement department operates a strictly enforced tier system, with only their A-list clients such [...]
BBC facing fight to retain £60m Wimbledon broadcast rights July 2, 2025 The BBC faces the prospect of having to significantly increase its rights fee to the All England Club to extend their exclusive coverage of Wimbledon beyond 2027 amid increased competition for tennis amongst broadcasters. While Wimbledon’s status as a Category A “crown jewel” event means live coverage has to remain available on free-to-air channels, the [...]
Inside Tier 2 Champ Rugby: What clubs think of radical changes May 16, 2025 For the first time in a long time the various tiers of English rugby union seem to be on the same page with the launch of Champ Rugby. On Thursday evening plans were unveiled for the second tier, which will be called Champ Rugby. It is arguably the biggest shake-up to the English rugby pyramid [...]
Ed Warner: Why our review calls for the RFU Council to be disbanded April 30, 2025 A review has called for the RFU Council to be disbanded. City AM columnist Ed Warner, who was part of the review panel, explains its conclusions. A number of readers have asked why I’ve been silent on the turmoil within English rugby in recent months. Resignation of the chair of the RFU; a special EGM [...]
RFU CEO Sweeney faces no confidence vote today March 27, 2025 Bill Sweeney could be ousted as Rugby Football Union chief executive this evening when member clubs vote on his future. Sweeney has been fighting for his future since the RFU’s latest accounts revealed he received a £1.1m pay package – including a £300,000 bonus – for the 2023 financial year despite the union making losses [...]
England Rugby Travel: RFU joint venture goes into liquidation March 21, 2025 England Rugby Travel Limited, a venture involving rugby’s governing body the RFU, has gone into liquidation. The firm, based out of Twickenham Stadium (Allianz Stadium), provided fans with ticket packages and experience for England Rugby matches both home and away. Paul Ellison and Rob Keyes of KRE Corporate Recovery Limited have been appointed liquidators for [...]
Brentford owner Benham weighs up minority investment in Bees March 19, 2025 Brentford have received multiple offers of minority investment from American groups who value the club at around £400m. Owner Matthew Benham has been seeking additional investment for over a year. Rothschild was appointed to oversee the sales process but City AM understands that the merchant bank is no longer working on the Brentford deal. The [...]