Ampthill Rugby Club admit participation in new Championship season 'in jeopardy'

Bosses at Ampthill Rugby Club have warned they may not be able to compete in this season's Championship because of funding problems.

Second tier clubs have only been offered loans by the government as part of the Sport Winter Survival package, not grants.

With the delayed season due to finally start on March 6, Ampthill have said they will "potentially not be able" to take part unless a solution is found.

The club have started a GoFundMe page which has already raised thousands of pounds in a bid to help with their costs, while England World Cup winners Jason Robinson and Ben Kay have both publicly offered their support.

Even before Covid, Championship clubs were told that their central funding from the Rugby Football Union was being slashed.

"Obviously the RFU cut our funding fairly dramatically by 75% over the last 12 months," Ampthill Director of Rugby Mark Lavery told ITV News Anglia.

"We've basically had no income for nearly a year by the time the competition kicks off, and you add those things together, and it does make it very difficult for us."

One of the major headaches for clubs is testing.

It's estimated it will cost clubs around £120,000 to test their players for Covid over the course of the season, and with no revenue coming in, many can't afford to pay it.

  • Watch an extended interview with Ampthill Director of Rugby Mark Lavery

Despite those costs, other second tier clubs, including Bedford Blues, are still keen to start the campaign.

Ampthill would also love to play, but they admit they need help to do so.

"We've had five promotions in 15 years, it's taken us a long time to get here," said Mark.

"We've only participated for half a Championship so far when it was closed early for the right reasons and we're just desperate to get to the start line."