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Statement | Club response to RFU Council vote
Bedford Blues acknowledges Friday’s RFU Council vote to reform the structure of men’s professional rugby in England by effectively ringfencing Prem Rugby into a franchised league.
The ambition for the new expansion model for the top flight is to create an investable, globally competitive league, while expanding rugby’s fanbase, widening its geographic footprint and delivering benefits to the rest of the game.
It is being introduced in recognition that the previous system was not delivering financially, discouraging investment and failing to generate meaningful benefits for the wider rugby ecosystem. As is well documented, Bedford Blues remains one of the only sustainable professional rugby entities.
From the 2026/27 season, automatic promotion and relegation between the Gallagher PREM and Champ Rugby will be replaced by a criteria-based expansion and demotion model.
The Champ Rugby Board voted to support the new proposal. This decision was arrived at after much debate. It was endorsed by the clubs, as the best practical course of action, in the circumstances the whole game, finds itself in. It does allow and indeed requires further discussions to take place in good faith, so that the missing detail can be understood and worked through in full, before assessing its wider impact on the league and its member clubs.
The Champ Rugby Board have been contributors to the new plan, with the clubs recently receiving the proposals two weeks before the Council vote. However, there are still important questions to be answered that are fundamental with regards to governance, funding, aspiration and jeopardy, which we have been given assurance will be worked on in the coming weeks.
Those conditions are critical for the success of this proposal. We are hopeful that once we have that clarity, we can give our full support to the vision outlined.
At Bedford Blues, our position is that promotion to the top tier has not been a realistic opportunity for a considerable time. The lack of equitable funding for aspiring clubs, and the investment required makes this the case. Whether this new model is genuinely for the long-term benefit of the game remains to be proven.
Whilst we have always been disappointed with the barriers to promotion, we are however realists, and this clarity allows improved planning both for our league and club. The opportunity to battle to be the best club in England, outside of a closed shop franchise, is very exciting for Bedford Blues.
We will be engaged in the discussions on the detail of these proposals, and should the position and opportunity change, we would consider our stance in the best interests of our club and supporters. Until then, our focus remains on making Bedford Blues and Champ Rugby the best they both can be.
