Ealing Reportedly in Discussions with Welsh Rugby Union
Speculation that club make shock move to United Rugby Championship
Vallis Way ground deemed inadequate for English Premiership. Picture: Ealing Trailfinders
February 16, 2023
Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club have reportedly been in discussions about joining the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) which could see teams like Leinster and Munster playing at Vallis Way.
Steffan Thomas, the rugby correspondent of Wales Online, says that it is being proposed that Ealing merge with or replace one of the current Welsh regional clubs. He says that Ealing’s players have been told about the discussions.
Welsh Rugby is currently in significant financial difficulties with a players’ strike being talked about which could affect the upcoming Six Nations game between England and Wales. There are currently four Welsh professional sides, but new salary caps are being proposed for introduction over the next few years which would substantially reduce earnings for players based in Wales.
It is understood that Ealing, which has solid financial backing from entrepreneur Mike Gooley, would be required to take on the contracts of some of the top-paid players from the Welsh club that folds.
In return it would become a member of the WRU and be admitted to the United Rugby Championship (URC). This is an elite league in which the top sides from Ireland, Scotland and Italy play with teams from South Africa also competing.
Ealing Trailfinders were told earlier this week that, despite having won English rugby’s second tier league two seasons in a row and currently topping the table, it would not be admitted by the RFU to the Premiership because its facilities at Vallis Way were not up to the required standard. There were some reports that Ealing was considering legal action against the RFU.
An RFU statement said minimum standards criteria were in place to ensure clubs "have suitable facilities to protect player safety and welfare, provide financial sustainability and to deliver a good quality, safe environment for spectators”.
According to Steffan Thomas’s report, Ealing would be allowed to participate in the league while continuing to play at Vallis Way. Clubs in the URC often have smaller capacities than the English Premiership with the two Italian teams playing in grounds that can handle attendances of around 5,000 and the Welsh teams playing in front of a capacity of 8,000. The requirement in the English Premiership is that grounds must have firm plans to host games with crowds of 10,000 or over with a current minimum capacity of 5,000. Ealing Trailfinders is not able to obtain a licence or planning permission for the Vallis Way site.
Ealing has long argued that it was impossible for them to meet the requirements for upgrading its Vallis Way ground without access to the extra revenue that being in the top tier would produce with TV money being a major source of cash for Premiership teams. It is thought likely that Ealing would use the extra revenue brought in by participating in the URC to expand capacity at its current ground.
The plan could meet many obstacles including the requirement for approval from the Rugby Football Union, other clubs in the URC and World Rugby’s governing body. However, the crisis in Welsh rugby is believed to be so severe it is thought possible that the new arrangement could be in place by the beginning of next season if there were no objections.
We have contacted Ealing Trailfinders for comment.
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