Tony Rowe is right to say rugby needs to Americanise in Britain Sport Business I never thought I would say it but rugby needs to learn from Formula E if it is to survive long into the future. Because the all-electric racing series, despite being a country mile behind Formula 1, has innovated throughout its decade-long existence. Formula E, until 2022, had a Fan Boost feature, where supporters could [...]
A London Broncos success story will shape rugby league in capital Sport Business Come this time next weekend an Australian rugby league legend, some of his countrymen and thousands of Londoners will gather at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane as a renewed London Broncos take to the field in the Championship. One of only two English clubs in the top two tiers of rugby league south of Warrington, London [...]
A chance to test yourself: Youngs and Watson on the Investec Champions Cup AD For all they achieved in their distinguished careers, there remains one prize that has eluded Ben Youngs and Anthony Watson. Between them, the former England internationals amassed over 200 caps, toured with the British and Irish Lions and played in some of the game’s most iconic stadiums. Yet the Investec Champions Cup never found its [...]
Premier Sports to broadcast five Six Nations matches across UK January 7, 2026 Premier Sports will broadcast five Six Nations matches across the UK as the streaming platform looks to strengthen its rugby offering. The Irish broadcaster, which holds the UK rights to rugby competitions such as the French Top 14, Investec Champions Cup and multinational United Rugby Championship, will show one match per round, beginning with Scotland’s [...]
Exeter Chiefs post £10m loss as they seek fresh investment January 7, 2026 Prem Rugby club Exeter Chiefs have posted a loss of £10.3m in their most recent accounts, just weeks after chairman Tony Rowe reiterated plans to sell a stake in the club. The Devonian team, seen as one of English rugby’s great promotion stories, saw their ownership company Exeter Rugby Group PLC record losses of £10.3m [...]
Exclusive: Brits say taxpayer shouldn’t bail out struggling football and rugby clubs January 5, 2026 The majority of Brits say that the government should not use taxpayer money to support professional football and rugby clubs that are teetering on the edge of financial difficulty. Exclusive research by Ipsos for City AM shows that British adults think football teams (67 per cent) and rugby teams (66 per cent) should not seek [...]
Prem to Champ to sevens: Four rugby business stories to follow in 2026 January 2, 2026 How do I feel about rugby in 2026? I am not too sure. We were supposed to have the launch of Ultimate Sevens and R360 but one of those has been mothballed until 2027, we were supposed to have an exciting promotion race in the Champ but ring fencing may stop that, and we’re still [...]
Which Gallagher Prem Rugby stadium is the best? December 26, 2025 There are 10 Gallagher Prem Rugby teams fighting to thrive, survive and just coast along this year – and their stadiums are key to achieving momentum. But which stadium is the best to watch England’s top flight competition in? In last year’s inaugural edition I had Newcastle Falcons’ (now Newcastle Red Bulls) Kingston Park bottom, [...]
Newcastle Red Bulls, Dupont and ITV: Top rugby business stories of 2025 December 19, 2025 This year really has been a 12 months where the business of rugby became a major talking point in ovalball discourse. We have always seen the odd deal here or investment there but 2025 has seen a step change across the sport, and it remains to be seen how it will pan out. So here [...]
Cornish Pirates: We will kick door down to reach franchised Prem Rugby December 18, 2025 The chief executive of Cornish Pirates insists she is ready to “kick the door down” to get her Champ side into Prem Rugby if the top flight becomes a ringfenced franchise league. Prem Rugby and the Rugby Football Union are exploring a franchise model which would see the current 10 teams form a new ring-fenced [...]