I think they're called stakeholders whatever that means. There was talk of Italy coming on board but I don't think it happened. Boks are likely to have a big say because their domestic TV deal is huge and largely responsible for URC profits.
Italy x2 fits in that comp. I don’t think they care about SA if the current comp is a pathway to bankruptcy.
that's the question though, what will the Welsh do as their system falls apart? An Anglo-Welsh league makes a lot of sense for both parties, particularly once the Welsh have culled a team.
That makes a lot of sense Wilson. Wales and Scotland joining England must be appealing as hell. How easy for travel etc, can do it all on bus etc if wanted.
Exactly. And quite why URC would want to dismantle a profit-making organisation to bail out a fatally flawed Prem is beyond me.
The 'URC' as a whole wouldn't, but the Welsh might. They are drowning and the URC hasn't worked for them - financially or in an on field performance sense.
The Welsh have one vote out of four (or more, depending on how much say CVC has). They will be down to two teams, it's only a matter of which ones, so their limited resources become less stretched. Even allowing for their idiocy I can't see them bailing out of a profitable competition for a great unknown. CVC's interests are eyeballs and profit. URC supplies both, the alternative an unknown. If I were CVC I would kick the Prem up the arse. They are in cloud cuckoo land. A financial black hole and they want to increase the salary cap. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Seem in a hurry to get it back up to a 12+ team comp, perhaps more fixtures / more TV money?
I think that rises from the belief that the loss of the two extra home games each has led to the gap in revenue and expenses. And that may be true. But I also think that the product on display has never been better. I've never been a big Prem viewer but I have begun to enjoy it far more over the ladt couple of seasons. So they have to balance the level of competition with growth and not rush it for sake of vested interests much like the SL in England is currently doing with a push to 14 teams despite the competition being severely lopsided.
That's the theory. More matches, more TV money. But which teams are added to the 10? The Prem has a minimum stadium size rule. Stadium needs to hold at least 5,000 with permission to increase to 10,000. No Championship stadia fit the need. Plus their crowds are, relative to the Prem, tiny.
