LEADING Rugby Football Union officials believe the introduction of a new professional league below that of the Guinness Premiership is the right way forward for English Rugby.

After months of debate on the issue, the RFU yesterday detailed plans for the new 12-team Championship, currently National Division One, which they say will help to develop English players, coaches and referees in a competitive, professional and financially secure environment.

Funded by the RFU, Premier Rugby Limited, the new five-year agreement with Sky Sports and sponsorship, Championship clubs – including Exeter Chiefs, Cornish Pirates and Plymouth Albion – will, they insist, be financially better off in a structure that directly underpins the Premiership.

RFU Management Board Chairman Martyn Thomas said: "The Championship will be a vital part of the structure of English rugby.

"For too long First Division Rugby has hovered between the community game and the Premiership, uncertain of both its standing in the structure and its future. Now is the time to establish its rightful place.

"The RFU is fully committed to funding and supporting a professional and robust league with minimum entry criteria and a salary cap that will support the Guinness Premiership.

"We will be increasing our funding to the new Championship from £1.65m a year to £2.3m and, under the new eight-year agreement, PRL have committed to £1m per annum funding.

"That significant investment, coupled with more matches and television coverage under the Sky Sports contract, will give the clubs more financial security than ever before and create a vibrant and viable structure to take the game forward."

According to the proposals, which will be put before the full RFU Council this Friday, the new Championship structure will see the current National Division One reduced from 16 teams to one of 12, each team playing 22 league games, with the top eight featuring in a play-off to see who wins promotion into the Premiership.

The eight teams will be split into two groups of four with the top two progressing through to the semi-finals and a final, which could be played on a home or away basis or at Twickenham.

The winner of the final will then be promoted into the top flight, providing they meet Minimum Standards Criteria.

In addition to the Championship, the format of the Anglo-Welsh Cup will be altered and there will also be the introduction of a new Anglo-Welsh Trophy.

The Anglo-Welsh Cup would be made up of the 12 Premiership sides, four Welsh regional teams, plus the clubs that finish in the top four in National One this season.

The eight remaining Championship sides and eight Welsh Principality Premiership sides will then contest the Anglo-Welsh Trophy. But whilst Thomas was happy to paint a seemingly perfect landscape for the future of the professional game within England, leading authorities within First Division Rugby are not so convinced that the proposals will bring such rich rewards.

Negotiations between the RFU and First Division Rugby, the umbrella organisation for National One clubs, have been ongoing for at least 12 months, but currently the two parties remain somewhat distanced in agreement over the new proposals.

And amongst those concerned with the proposals are officials at Exeter Chiefs, Cornish Pirates and Plymouth Albion.

Exeter board member John Baxter said yesterday: "As far as we are concerned, the main issue is not central funding, the main issue is putting a decent structure in place. I do think those clubs that are so heavily reliant on the central funding issue are putting the cart before the horse to a certain extent.

"I am not saying it's not important, but rugby clubs have to be in a position where they can generate income and not rely solely on the RFU to take them through into the professional game.

"Having said that, obviously when one compares the level of core funding that we get compared to the Premiership clubs there is quite some difference. When we first went into the professional game it was on a ratio of three to one, now it's about ten to one.

"Of course we would like to see more core funding and I know there are certain issues about it, but to use the structure and getting a good structure in place is the number one priority."

Baxter also has concerns over the running of the new Championship, adding: "The other issue we would have to address the RFU over would be the autonomy so that we could run our own competition.

"At the moment, under these new proposals, it seems we would not be able to run the Championship and it would be run solely from Twickenham and that would not be acceptable.

"We have been running our own shop to a certain extent for some time, but the RFU seem to want to run the whole shebang and that would be like turning the clock back, so we're not happy about that either."

However, Baxter does feel there could be room for manoeuvre between both the RFU and FDR, but knows time is fast running out, especially with Friday's council meeting looming large on the horizon.

"At Exeter we are in a position to move up providing everything is right," he said. "If the RFU could and would deliver this package, I am sure a majority of us would sign up to it. At the moment, though, there are still too many questions that need answering."

Likewise, just down the A30, the Cornish Pirates are not fully convinced about the new proposals as they stand.

Pirates chief executive Rod Coward said: "The Cornish Pirates have always supported the proposal to form two fully-professional leagues each of 12 clubs and we see ourselves very much part of that. We believe it is to the benefit of both our supporters and Cornish rugby to have a club competing at the highest level we can.

"The problem, as always, when something new and which is as far reaching as these new proposals are, the devil is in the detail and the level of funding currently being offered by the RFU is not sufficiently different to that which we have now.

"Given that any additional monies that might be available from the Cup or sponsorship are not at this moment guaranteed, in our view that means clubs are being asked to commit to something which, at this moment in time, is tenuous. FDR have done some costings and they work our over the period of the agreement it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that clubs could be faced with having to find an extra £3 million. We support the idea of a Championship, but properly funded, and we want to be part of it. Really the ball is in the RFU's court. Up your offer and make it a little bit more attractive."

The Pirates, however, insist they will not be taking any major risks in their bid to stay within the elite game.

Coward added: "The Pirates are totally solvent and will be until the end of the current season. However, we have been let down badly by a major sponsor who made many promises but actually provided nil financial support.

"This major shortfall has been made up by Dicky Evans, but the harsh truth is that if we are to accept the opportunity to play in the Championship with a fully professional team and despite Dicky's continuing to support the club with major sponsorship, our budgets show we will still be faced with a considerable shortfall.

"Based on his commitment we will require £300,000 to provide a squad capable of competing in the new competition.

"If this extra £300,000 cannot be raised for next season and for the future seasons, so long as we remain in the Championship, then the Cornish Pirates will have no alternative but to decline to be a part of Elite Rugby and to return to The Mennaye with a consequent drastic impact on our playing and future prospects.

"We are not alone in facing up to the realities of life in professional sport and it is in no one's interests to bury our heads in the sand and for supporters and people in Cornwall to believe that the Cornish Pirates are immune from the problems so recently acknowledged by Nottingham, Coventry and other clubs."

However, should the RFU council agree to the proposals it will leave all 16 National One clubs and some others in the divisions below with some serious decision making to do.

Baxter added: "If we don't move into this Championship what do we do? Do we fall back into the amateur game? What would the finance be if we don't accept this package? Where will the structure be if we don't accept this package? At the moment, none of those questions have been answered.

"Rugby clubs need to bear in mind, there are those issues which, to me, are very concerning. At this time, though, we are getting into bed with no one. We want to see the small print and then we'll make a decision."

At the Brickfields, Plymouth Albion are also monitoring the situation closely. Club chairman Dr Graham Stirling added: "We do accept in principle the changes that have been proposed and we fully support the move to a 12-team, professional league. We would, however, like to revisit one or two areas.

"We agree the principle of a play-off for promotion at the end of the season, but we feel it needs to be structured in a way where it gives advantage to those clubs that do finish higher.

"The other area is the central funding. We feel at this time there is too big a discrepancy between the club coming down with a significant parachute payment and what is on the table at the moment. It's essential that we get back to the drawing board on that."

However, Premiership clubs are unlikely to buy into the idea of a reduced salary cap in the Championship and Stirling said: "I very much doubt the Premiership will buy into it, although a salary cap would go part way to getting a solution.

"We also recognise that we must generate new income streams; that is part of the growth of the club and increasing the revenue coming in. However, the gap is so great at the moment this is a golden opportunity, we feel, for the RFU to give us some reasonable funding, even if it's not there long term, to try and bridge that gap.

"To move to the new structure with the very limited funding that is on the table at the moment could cause some concern."