National One Rebranding Takes Massive Step Forward

The prospect of a new 12 team professional league to replace the current setup on National One received a boost last night as the RFU Council voted in favour of the plans at their latest meeting.

This decision was despite a plea from the organisation representing the very clubs most affected by this change, The FDR; to defer the changes for at least another season.

This now means that we will see five teams relegated from National One this season and only one team promoted as the streamlining of the league is rushed through in readiness for the new look league in 2009/10
This all seems unfair on clubs at the bottom, particularly for clubs such as Newbury and Sedgley Park who despite never being able to challenge for a place at the top end of the table have always, in the last four seasons, done enough to finish outside of the two relegation places and have fully deserved their chance to share on merit the same pitch as Harlequins, Northampton and Leeds. They are now left with the prospect of returning to the community game with very little hope of return unless they are prepared to turn fully professional, unlikely for Newbury who only this season relinquished there professional status due to financial troubles.

Then we have clubs such as Nottingham and Coventry who are struggling to survive in the current National One climate and yet have been two of six National One clubs who pushed for the plans to be accepted at yesterday’s meeting.
It seems to be a bit like Turkey’s voting for Christmas as far as these two clubs are concerned.

The whole proposal seems to have been planned with little thought for the long term future of the clubs involved and I only hope that in the discussions which will now inevitably follow this decision that the RFU and FDR will be able to agree on a structure and financial package which will benefit the clubs involved rather than force them out of existence.