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| | Wednesday, 21 March, 2001, 13:05 GMT Players and clubs unite against RFU  Players' boss Hopley is delilghted with the deal Rugby union's elite clubs have announced a new joint venture with players in a bid to end the disputes that have marred the professional game. The 12 Premiership clubs' umbrella group, formerly known as English First Division Rugby (EFDR), finalised the details of the Premier Rugby Partnership at a board meeting on Tuesday. The players and clubs will collude to negotiate a "more equitable reward and recognition for their talents and investments" from the game's governing body, the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The new partners stressed they had no intention of breaking away from the RFU or withdrawing support for England's Six Nations campaign, despite recent rows with the RFU.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, the clubs and players will "negotiate the share of the revenues generated from the international game". Premier Rugby Partnership will also push for a "stable fixture schedule" with a maximum of one game per week. Shares in the new venture are split 50/50 between the players and Premier Rugby. The players will have three directors on the board including a place for Professional Rugby Players' Association chief executive Damian Hopley. He said: "For the first time ever the players will have an active voice and genuine vote in the running of the game. "Moreover, it won't just be players qualified to play for England that will benefit.
Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler said: "It is clear to us that we must find a lasting solution to the problems which have dogged us since the game became professional." But he insisted that there will be no breakaway from the RFU. "In simple terms, we want to stay in the Union. We want the RFU to run the international games and we seeking to complement and support the performance of the England International teams. "In fact, we believe England could win the World Cup in 2003, let alone in 2007, and we will work with the RFU to achieve this and other aspects of their eight-year strategy. "However, the time has come to recognise that the professional clubs and players have legitimate rights to manage the club game and to a stable playing and financial environment in which to work." RFU chief executive Francis Baron said the union's management board would give the Premier Rugby document "proper consideration". He added: "Although it is disappointing that the clubs have rejected the long-form agreement, it has been noted that many of the principals and policies of both documents concur," said Baron. "However, while the long-form agreement remains the RFU's preferred option, our management board will be giving proper consideration to the Premier Rugby document over the next few days. "A scheduled meeting of the board takes place on 29 March when we will decide on our response. "A meeting will then be sought with Premier Rugby." | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Other top Rugby Union stories: Links to top Rugby Union stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||
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