Gloucester chief executive Lance Bradley says the Premier League needs more “financial transparency”.
Both Worcester and Wasps went into administration due to financial problems this autumn.
The clubs have since been relegated and relegated from the Premier League.
Bradley reiterated that Gloucester’s finances were in a “good position” but said that things could be done better in the league to make it more sustainable.
“I’m in the car industry, there’s a high level of transparency in this industry between the dealer and the manufacturer,” Bradley told BBC Points West.
“If we had this between the clubs and the PRL [Premiership Rugby] you would have noticed the Worcester situation three years ago and the Wasp situation maybe five years ago.
“We are talking about introducing it, we have already agreed, other clubs are behind it – I hope. That would be better.”
Gloucester recorded a pre-tax profit of just over £1m in its latest accounts but still has a government loan of more than £11.2m to pay off.
“There are also some management issues,” Bradley added.
“A lot of things go to a vote at the moment – it doesn’t always lead to what’s best for the league. In the PRL we have a great manager in Simon Massey Taylor, I think we have to trust the manager to make the right decisions and let them continue.”
“Something Bold, Something Different”
As it stands, the salary cap, which applies to all teams in the The Premier League is set to increase from £5m back to £6.4m. Still, Bradley said the league needs to first work on creating a more attractive package for fans and stakeholders to increase overall revenue before raising the cap.
The salary cap was lowered in 2021 due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There is a feeling at some clubs that they would like to spend more, especially to be competitive in Europe,” Bradley said.
“But the main thing, the thing that is most important to everyone, is that we want to have a competitive league in England – so we have to have a Premier League that is very competitive.
“It’s more attractive to fans, it’s more attractive to television, and then your revenue goes up anyway.”
Bradley echoed the calls from Exeter’s director of rugby Rob Baxter for reducing the league to 10 teams and suggested that a smaller division would create an opportunity to focus on different competitions such as the Rugby Premier League Cup.
Currently, the cup is mainly used by clubs to field academy or extra players, or those returning to full fitness from injury.
“There is an opportunity to do something very exciting – a cup competition involving Championship clubs,” Bradley added.
“The sad demise of these two clubs [Worcester and Wasps] does it give us a chance – should we do something different, should we do something bold?”
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