Prem Rugby is planning a huge overhaul of its play-offs, with the semi-finals set to move to a neutral venue from the 2029-30 season.
The proposal would end more than two decades of home advantage for the league’s top two teams, replacing it with a showcase weekend where both semi-finals are played in the same city.
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Destination weekend planned
Prem Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor has revealed the long-term vision is to create an event similar to European rugby’s finals weekend.
Liverpool and Brighton are among the cities being considered, with the aim of attracting larger crowds and turning the play-offs into a major rugby festival.
“The semi-finals that we have just had were awesome in terms of the rugby spectacle,” said Massie-Taylor.
“But I think they would sell out larger venues and neutrals would go as well. This is about the long term. In the long term, it will be more valuable if you are playing in bigger stadia.”
Clubs divided over proposal
This season’s semi-finals at Northampton’s Franklin’s Gardens and Bath’s Recreation Ground both sold out, but each venue holds only around 15,000 supporters.
While some clubs welcome the chance to grow attendances, others are concerned about losing the financial rewards of hosting. A home play-off is estimated to generate between £600,000 and £750,000 for clubs.
There are also fears removing home advantage could reduce the incentive to finish at the top of the regular-season table, although Prem Rugby is exploring options such as increased prize money or a bigger share of play-off revenue for higher-ranked teams.
The changes are not expected before the 2029-30 season.
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