Invest in lower tiers rather than waste it on Championship

CHAMPIONSHIP clubs receive up to £650,000 a season from the RFU. Clubs below this level get nothing but a contribution towards travel expenses – and that, in my view, is how it should be.

Why should the RFU provide funds to allow clubs with no prospect of, and probably no aspirations towards, Premiership membership to maintain an artificially high playing status by paying inflated wages bills? Nigel Melville was quoted on the importance of financial sustainability for clubs and this should not be based on central funding.

Premiership clubs are contractually entitled to RFU payments in return for commitments to support the English national team which is vital as it generates the majority of the funds available to the RFU. In principle it is not unreasonable but it becomes questionable when all but one of the 12 are running up huge debts.

Many community clubs are struggling to provide the basic facilities. Financial help available from Twickenham for such clubs is limited – mostly in the form of loans – and is, rightly, subject to a rigorous application and vetting process.

If you had £500,000 to spare, would you rather make a one-off payment to a community club to sustain its facilities for years to come, or subsidise for one season the wages disappearing out of the game via a Championship club?