RFU announce ground-breaking MPGP deal to ‘stabilise and transform the professional game’
The new MPGP has been agreed by the RFU, Premiership Rugby and RPA
The RFU, Premiership Rugby and RPA have today announced a new eight-year Men’s Professional Game Partnership (MPGP) in an effort ‘to stabilise and transform the professional game’ in England.
The announcement comes after 18 months of collaboration between the stakeholders in the English game, and aims to create ‘world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues with players and fans at the heart of it.’
Commenting on the new deal, Bill Sweeney, RFU CEO said: “This eight-year commitment will reshape the rugby landscape and reset the professional game to support, showcase and fund our game for the next decade and beyond.
“We have spent the last two years interrogating the data and listening to all parts of the game to understand what we need for rugby to grow in the future, how all parts of the system interact and support each other, and where we need to focus and allocate our investment for the best outcome.”
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Premiership Rugby CEO, Simon Massie-Taylor, added: : “The new Professional Game Partnership is fundamental to the next phase of English club rugby. We have worked hard with the RFU and RPA to provide more financial stability, better governance and a joint high-performance plan that will help make the Men’s England Team and the Premiership clubs as successful as possible.”
Christian Day, RPA General Secretary also commented on the deal: “The Rugby Players Association’s inclusion as signatories to the Men’s Professional Game Partnership is a landmark day for our organisation, but most importantly for the players. The RPA will always exist to support, promote, and protect our members. Building an adequate safety net and striving to make England the best place to play rugby in the world. We are progressing through a time of what we believe to be positive change and unity for rugby union in England after a period of collective challenge. This new agreement should start to give players a feeling of real value, and in doing so can only improve their value add back into the game that they love.”
What is the new MPGP deal
The new MPGP deal is designed to improve the success of both the England national side as well as the success of the professional clubs in the Premiership.
As part of the new deal, the England Elite Player Squad (EPS) will be enhanced to 25 members, and the England management team will have final say on all medical matters for those in the squad.
Elsewhere, the U20 EPS squad will also be increased to 50 players and there will up to four England A matches per season.
There is also some new player welfare models, as well as more a streamlined approach to academies and the grassroots game.
Off the pitch, a new Professional Rugby Board (PRB) has been established to ensure all rugby decisions are brought under one roof. There are also some new initiatives to grow revenue across the game, including a new Joint Marketing Agreement, implementation of an independent Financial Monitoring Panel (FMP).
There will also be a new salary cap formula for the 2025/2026 season aligned to key central financial metrics, which will include a review of the salary cap credit system.
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