Oldham chief urges caution

OLDHAM RL chief Chris Hamilton called for the brakes to be applied to proposals for the restructuring of Championship and Championship One rugby when clubs in those competitions met today.

The "far-reaching" proposals are contained in a document from the RFL which forms part of a think-tank incorporating a complete revamp of the sport from top to bottom.

"The paper contains proposals on issues of incredible importance and it is our view that they cannot be rushed through," said Hamilton.

"The implications for clubs at Championship and Championship One levels are far reaching and will significantly affect every club outside Super League."

He said clubs needed more time to consider not only the many and wide-ranging proposals, but also their implications in terms of the future of the sport at part-time professional level.

Among the main proposals are calls for clubs in the 2012 Championship campaign to have a minimum ground capacity of 3,000, including 500 seats, and floodlights that must be of a required standard.

Over the last three years clubs in both Championship divisions have received equal funding from RFL sources, but the call now is for Championship One clubs to get only half the amount allocated to clubs in the higher tier, from 2012.

It is also thought the sport beneath Super League might benefit if the Championship was increased from 11 to 14 teams with Championship One boosted accordingly by the promotion of community clubs.