Downsizing the European Champions Cup has been proposed as a way to protect player welfare if the Premiership is ring-fenced with more than 12 teams. There are 13 Premiership shareholders – the current 12 teams plus Bristol – and a handful of Championship clubs who have the ambition to join the elite. At present the Championship clubs receive in the region of £550,000 and that is likely to increase in the event of ring-fencing. And if a 13- or 14-team Premiership were to materialise, it may be the European competitions that feel the pinch. Rather, access to the Premiership after either a four- or five- year hiatus would depend on certain criteria, including things such as supporter base and playing budget, exceeding that of one of the existing Premiership teams.

Source: The Guardian April 02, 2018 15:56 UTC