Penberthy worried by league plans

Penberthy says the club will not risk it's future on going professional

Redruth director of rugby Dave Penberthy has said he is worried how the club would cope if they were promoted into a professional league.

Redruth sit top of National League Two and, if Rugby Football Union plans are approved, they could be promoted into a fully-professional second tier in 2009.

But Penberthy told BBC Sport he does not think the club would be able to sustain a fully-professional team.

"We would have to look at it and see if it would be detrimental to the club."

He added: "We would love to be a National One club but we have got to bear in mind that under no circumstances will we put the future of the club at stake.

"We've been around for 135 years and we intend to be around for another 135."

I have worked out that it would cost at least �1.25m for a basic squad and professional coaches and staff

Redruth director of rugby Dave Penberthy

The plans, which are unpopular with many clubs, would reduce the size of National League One to 12 teams from the start of next season and make it a fully-professional league called the Championship, if they are approved by the RFU Council.

There would be more money for clubs from the RFU and a new television deal.

But for semi-professional Redruth it could cost them more than they could afford to go full time.

"I have worked out that it would cost at least �1.25m for a basic squad and professional coaches and staff," said Penberthy.

"But a lot of our players and coaches are professionals elsewhere and wouldn't want to give up their jobs to play rugby full time.

"I wouldn't give up my job for possibly only 12 months of professional rugby," added Penberthy, who is a sales contracts manager at an energy saving equipment company.

606: DEBATE

The RFU does appear to be going ahead against the wishes of the clubs representative groups? Surely this is asking for trouble?

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And he said it would be tough for his side to attract major sponsorship to support the team.

"We are just three miles from the Cornish Pirates and Launceston are just up the road, plus there's Plymouth Albion and the Exeter Chiefs nearby as well," he said.

"They have all played in National One in the past two seasons and are all looking for major sponsorship as well."

But he admitted there would be advantages to going up.

"For a lot of our players who do have aspirations to be professional it is very appealing," he added.

"We would get more money from television and turnover would increase as we would have big derby games against the Cornish Pirates, Exeter Chiefs and�Plymouth Albion."

He said the club would discuss how they cope with promotion, should they achieve it, at Christmas.