The English Rugby Football Union has signed a new deal with its players that form the Elite Performance Squads at senior level, saxons and U20. The deal will see an increase in payments for squad selection, match fees and performance bonuses, and will run through the 2015 Rugby World Cup and one year beyond.
This removes the danger of a repeat of the unease that preceded the 2011 World Cup when England players had threatened to boycott a number of official events in a simmering row over payments.
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[ismember]News of the improved contracts comes on the heels of an eight year deal with the English Premiership that fosters a real sense of stability in the sport in England. This is likely due in part at least to the new broadcast rights deal signed with BT Vision that is good for the clubs in England but which continues to cast a shadow over the future of the Heineken Cup.
It is believed that as few as four of the English Premiership Clubs are fully self sustaining in financial terms, and uncertainty through the rest of the sport at club level is creating a natural unease among players as well.
Earlier this week we wrote about the potential move of Jonny Sexton from Leinster to Racing Metro. The rumoured incentive of an €800,000 a year contract is more than the Heineken Cup Champions are able or willing to pay through the central contracts controlled by the IRFU.
Whether he goes or not there will be increasing pressure in hanging on to the top stars that have led to such strong performance on the international stage by the three provinces of Leinster, Munster and Ulster over recent years.
“The new contract duly recognises the efforts made by the Senior Elite Performance Squad as well as the increasing overall value of the players to the RFU and their partners,” said Rugby Players Association Chief Executive Damian Hopley after the deal was announced.
In soccer and other professional sports financial value has increasingly gone towards the talent, with salaries at many soccer clubs in the upper echelons of the game drawing 80-90% of financial revenues.
It is a fast spinning round-a-bout but one that will increasingly be sought by players who see the money their performance brings into the sport through gate receipts, broadcast revenue and commercial partnerships, and are anxious to secure their own financial future during a short career window.[/ismember]
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English Rugby Signs Player Deal
