English top flight rugby is back this evening with a snazzy new brand: the Premiership has become the Prem, and Thursday nights are the new Fridays.
Sure, tonight’s opener between Sale Sharks and Gloucester is a one-off to accommodate the Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Allianz Stadium, but a lot is going on in the world of Prem Rugby. Here are my four stories to watch this season.
Back the Bull(s) market
The biggest story over the off-season was the acquisition of Newcastle by energy drink giant Red Bull. The Newcastle Red Bulls, as they’re known now, will look to harness the university population in the north east – and the odd stunt – to rejuvenate a club that nearly went bust last season.
The club are trying hard, too, with every former player – myself included – invited back to a match to be part of a club under new management.
What success looks like for Red Bull remains to be seen, but the project will not be complete within 12 months. What the company has inadvertently done, though, is increase chat about franchising.
Prem in the black?
No Prem club made a profit, according to their accounts. Gloucester Rugby were pretty close but, alas, also in the red.
Can any side get close to being in the black this season? Exeter Chiefs owner Tony Rowe has predicted it’ll be difficult given there are only nine Prem home games for each team.
The sport needs to get radical, with the TNT Sports TV deal and CVC Capital Partners cash nowhere near close to stopping haemorrhaging finances across the Prem.
Down with the kids
Prem Rugby bigwigs claim the audience has seen a spike among 18-34-year-olds, and presumably some of that will be down to the new, somewhat garish, orange Prem Rugby branding.
Older fans tend to be the ones spending chunks of their income on season tickets, but younger audiences are the ones who will be attending long into the future. So their retention is key.
Whether the Prem is able to grow, and keep young eyes away from the R360 project on the periphery, is going to be a battle for the future of rugby’s audiences.
Into the abyss or Prem growth?
It looks as if the top flight could expand to 12 teams in the coming years, with a freeze on relegation part of plans to save Prem Rugby.
It will be interesting to see whether Worcester Warriors’ return sees them fast-tracked back into the inner circle.
Furthermore, assessing the attitudes towards the entry of a Welsh side could be fascinating too. Though I would quite like the Prem to target the best Welsh team for integration, rather than one of the two that could be cut by the Welsh Rugby Union.
The whole structure of the Prem appears to be up for debate at the moment, but it cannot overshadow the rugby. There seems to never be a dull day in the world of union.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11
