Rugby Chat

Mmmm.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/new-lond ... by-return/

If he thinks he will be able to build a new stadium on the Hazelwood site he is living in cloud cuckoo land. Chelsea FC were after it as a training ground before moving to Cobham a few years ago and they couldn't get permission for that even with all the money the could spend on planning appeals and so on.

But it's good to hear that if they can't get into the Championship next season they are prepared to wait another year. Very big of them.

I remember when the Championship had credibility and you got to play there by winning promotion on the field of play.

Let's think about this.
They own half a badge - the Amateurs co-own it.
They do not own Hazelwood - which presumably is still in the hands of the administrators. The Companies House website is down.
They have no planning permission for Hazelwood - and we believe a prior application was turned down.
They have no players under contract.

Of course they are fit and proper people to own a Prem side.

"We'd be very happy with the Championship". I bet you would, cheeky b******s. Get back to the bottom where you belong.

Think we all need to get used to the fact that the ruling bodies will talk a good game about meaningful promotion and releagtion and earning a place on the pitch, but will always just catapult a brand in if the opportunity arises. Same thing will happen with wasps if they ever reemerge, and any national league team that gets big money backers will be in with a chance too

Dawson9 wrote: Fri Oct 23, 2026 6:05 pm Think we all need to get used to the fact that the ruling bodies will talk a good game about meaningful promotion and releagtion and earning a place on the pitch, but will always just catapult a brand in if the opportunity arises. Same thing will happen with wasps if they ever reemerge, and any national league team that gets big money backers will be in with a chance too

Correct

Dawson9 wrote: Fri Oct 23, 2026 6:05 pm Think we all need to get used to the fact that the ruling bodies will talk a good game about meaningful promotion and releagtion and earning a place on the pitch, but will always just catapult a brand in if the opportunity arises. Same thing will happen with wasps if they ever reemerge, and any national league team that gets big money backers will be in with a chance too

Agreed and that is why the RFU are unfit to run our sport. It's also why the top of the non-corrupt English rugby union pyramid is NL1.

If that’s the case why do Nat1 clubs aspire to promotion to the Championship?

Not all do but those that do probably cling to the hope that one day it might become an honest division again soon.

You don’t think that using the word “corrupt “ is perhaps a little strong when 13 of the clubs are there on merit and have little influence outside their own internal issues?
There certainly wasn’t any move to stop the top two from Nat 1 coming up, unlike the ringfenced Premiership.