Ealing Trailfinders have officially withdrawn their appeal to the RFU, after the club was originally denied entrance to the top flight based on the size of their ground.
Under current rules, stadiums need to hold a capacity of a minimum of 10,001 people to allow a club to participate in the Gallagher premiership.
With a capacity of roughly only 4,000, the West London side is destined to spend another season at least in the Championship.
Ealing have released a statement today:
@ealingtfrugby Club Statement on the Minimum Standard Criteria Appeal pic.twitter.com/NRHt9y8Gte
— Ealing Trailfinders (@ealingtfrugby) April 22, 2022
The Rugby Football Union announced earlier this month that both Ealing and Doncaster Knights had failed to meet the minimum standards criteria for Premiership entry. This meant that despite who won the Championship, neither side would be able to make their way into English rugby’s top flight.
Ealing the eventual winner went on to appeal this decision, but have today accepted the terms of the decision as no ground share or expansion plans had been put into place.
The RFU has reiterated that they will continue to work with Championship clubs to build a sustainable league. The Professional Game Board has also pledged to review standards relating to minimum capacity ahead of the audit process next season.
Sign In