RFU changes Championship semi final revenues

The Rugby Football Union Council has agreed to a change in the RFU Championship regulations concerning the allocation of match day revenues from the 2010 semi finals.

The requirement for this goes back to November 2009 when the Championship clubs - which includes Bedford Blues - requested that the RFU change the final from being a single game at Twickenham Stadium to being a two-leg final with the games played at the finalists' grounds.

The clubs also unanimously agreed that the match day revenues from each leg of the final should accrue in full to the home club.

Following discussion within the Championship Clubs Committee it was agreed by the majority of the clubs that the existing semi final split of match day revenues (being tickets, programmes and car parking income only), that is 70 per cent for the home side and 30 per cent for the away side, created an unfair balance of revenues for those clubs in the final stages in favour of the home club (which will be the top team in each pool at the completion of Stage 2), who would then go on to receive 100 per cent of their final home leg.

The request was therefore made to the RFU by a majority of Championship clubs, under their collective responsibility, that the allocation of semi final revenues should be 70% for the losing side and 30 per cent to the winning side to ensure a more equitable distribution of income for teams in the final stages.

That required a further change in the regulations which was subsequently approved by the RFU Council.