Ring-fence ‘would threaten Carnegie’s future’

ENDING promotion and relegation would place a “huge question mark” over Yorkshire Carnegie’s future, according to chief executive Gary Hetherington.

After seven seasons outside the top-flight, Carnegie’s A-share holding in Premiership Rugby expires at the end of this season and, having sold their P-share to Exeter for £5m in 2012, the Yorkshire side will no longer be entitled to a seat on PRL’s board.

Hetherington dismisses plans to ring-fence the topflight as speculation but, with RFU boss Stephen Brown admitting he is open-minded to change, Hetherington concedes Yorkshire are vulnerable. Hetherington told The

Rugby Paper: “We wouldn’t see ring-fencing the Premiership as a positive development because promotion is the entire ambition of our club.

“We don’t see our longterm future in the Championship and there has to be an opportunity for us to get back into the Premiership, otherwise there’s a huge question mark over the club’s future.

“Our investors joined the club three years ago with a single objective – to fund a team that can get into the Premiership and harness the talent and support throughout Yorkshire.”

Hetherington insists losing their Premiership shareholding will not see dissolution of the successful Carnegie academy that, among others, spawned Danny Care and Paul Hill.

He added: “Ours is one of the top performing academies. Yorkshire’s strategically important to English rugby so I don’t think there’s any question that would disappear.”

With a £43m redevelopment of the Emerald Headingley Stadium underway, Hetherington added: “In 12 months we’ll have an iconic stadium that holds 20,500 and will be one of the outstanding rugby facilities.

“Our share-holding in Premiership Rugby ends this season, but our longerterm ambitions remain fully intact.”