The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced a major overhaul of English rugby’s top tier, with the Gallagher Prem set to be expanded but fundamentally changed.
This major reshuffle at the top of English club rugby will see promotion and relegation abolished.
A landmark deal to reform the structure of professional rugby in England was approved “overwhelmingly” in a vote by the Rugby Football Union Council on Friday.
The proposal would make the Gallagher Prem a franchise model, with 12 teams joining the district starting in the 2029-30 season and 20 teams expected to join by 2040.
From the 2026-27 season, automatic promotion and relegation between the Prem and the Championship will be replaced by a standards-based expansion and relegation model.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney welcomed the move, saying: “We recognize that moving away from the traditional system of automatic promotion and relegation is a significant change.”
“But it is equally clear that the professional game needs to evolve if it is to thrive. The previous structure did not provide the financial stability, investment reliability or broader systemic benefits that the game now needs.”
“This reform is about securing the future – creating a model that is ambitious, sustainable and able to support the whole rugby community from the grassroots to the international stage.”
The vote followed several months of work with key stakeholders including the RFU, Premiership Rugby, Championship Rugby, Premiership Women’s Rugby and the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA).
Professional rugby in England is seeking financial stability.
Mike McTighe, chairman of the Men’s Professional Rugby Committee, said: “This is an important step forward for professional rugby in England.
“It has long been clear that the previous system did not provide the financial sustainability or long-term confidence that the professional game requires.
“This agreement therefore represents a collective responsibility for all parties involved to come together to change this situation and design a model that provides greater certainty for investors, a clearer path forward for ambitious clubs, and a stronger foundation for the rugby ecosystem as a whole.
“We know there will be intense scrutiny, and rightly so. The evidence will come in the form of increased stability, renewed investor confidence, tangible benefits for the women’s game and continued support for community rugby.”
Premiership clubs in the top flight will be required to run a Premiership Women’s Rugby team or fund meaningful local women’s development schemes and will be fined if they fail to do so.
The Expansion Review Group (ERG) will be established to assess the league’s readiness, investor appetite and which clubs are ready for expansion, before clubs wishing to participate go through a formal expression of interest and bidding process.
Premiership chief executive Simon Massey-Taylor explained: “We are now firmly on the path to a richer and brighter future for Prem Rugby.
“Our vision is to be the best league in the world for current and future Gallagher Prem Club fans, players and investors, and these important changes across the game will help us achieve this.
“The changes agreed today demonstrate unity across the game and will enable current and future club investors to invest with confidence in our new growth plans and the wider ecosystem of English club rugby.
“We are extremely proud of what Prem has accomplished over the past few years and are incredibly excited about the opportunities that now lie before us.”
