Leicester Tigers CEO Andrea Pinchen predicts the Premiership will be 'unrecognisable in 10 years' due to a shift to a franchise-style model, eliminating promotion and relegation. This change aims to attract new investments into England's top-flight rugby competition.
Key points
Leicester Tigers CEO predicts a bright future for the Premiership
Premiership to adopt a franchise-style model
Promotion and relegation will be eliminated
Change aims to attract new investment
Exeter Chiefs have new major backers
Mentioned in this story
Premier League
Leicester TigersExeter Chiefs
Leicester Tigers' Joaquin Moro gets off a pass in their game against Newcastle Red Bulls
Leicester Tigers recently hammered Newcastle Red Bulls 62-3 in the Prem [Getty Images]
Leicester Tigers chief executive Andrea Pinchen says the "future is bright" for The Prem, which she believes will be "unrecognisable in 10 years" after plans to change England's top-flight were adopted.
The competition will move to a franchise-style model, with promotion and relegation to be scrapped, from next season in a move that Prem officials have argued will provide the certainty needed to lure new investment.
Exeter Chiefs - who were promoted from the second tier in 2010 and went on to win two Premiership titles as well as the European Champions Cup within a decade - have become the latest club to attract new major backers, with the billionaire owners of Premier League side Bournemouth closing in on a takeover.
Pinchen said the clubs are three examples of how the "opportunity is huge" for the Prem to build.
"The fact that these multi-nationals are coming to the table to invest shows that there is the opportunity there and there is that growth there," she told BBC Radio Leicester.
Q&A
What changes are being made to the Premiership rugby competition?
The Premiership will adopt a franchise-style model, scrapping promotion and relegation starting next season.
Why is the Premiership moving to a franchise-style model?
Officials believe this model will provide the certainty needed to attract new investments into the competition.
What impact will the new model have on the future of the Premiership?
The CEO believes the Premiership will be 'unrecognisable in 10 years' due to these significant changes.
Which club recently attracted new major backers in the Premiership?
Exeter Chiefs have attracted new major backers, including the billionaire owners of Premier League side Bournemouth.
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"In another 10 years' time I think it will be unrecognisable.
"It feels very exciting and there is still lots of work to do to get there, of course there is, and we still have to balance the books whilst getting there, but I think the future is bright.
"People that want to come in and who are interested in rugby as a proposition, obviously don't want to invest with the risk of relegation, so I understand why that's happened.
"I also understand the flip where people say 'where's the jeopardy and what's to play for?', but I think that period of stability for investors to come in is critical for our sport and for us to grow moving forward."
Pinchen said the spike in attention that Leicester's Prem rivas have generated this season has also increased the level of interest in Tigers.
She said the backing of majority shareholder and chairman Tom Scott, as well as club president Peter Tom, has the club in a "good place".
"We have been so well supported by our own investors, Tom Scott and Peter Tom, who still continue to invest and they're extremely supportive," she said.
"We're not actively proactive out in the market seeking investment but yes, of course, those conversations are always being had.
"Has there been more? Yes, there has, but I think the important thing for us as a club is that we are here for the long term and we're not relying on one person who is able, and [we're] very grateful [for], to put their hand their pocket all the time."
Financial sustainability and "standing on our own two feet" are what the Tigers are most focused on, Pinchen says.
"At the moment we're loss-making, but we're working hard to ensure that we can stand on our own two feet, that we can grow from within, invest in the academy, get more investment in the academy and really grow from that point," she said.
"It is a long-term project for us to be sustainable. Financially, at the moment, we're on a strong financial footing. Do we want to be on a stronger footing? Yes, of course. And that's the aim and that's what we're working towards.
"It's not about winning today or making decisions today at the expense of tomorrow, you've got to really balance the two."
