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Premiership Rugby Chief Executive Mark McCafferty. Adam Davy/EMPICS Sport

New £5 million salary cap for the 'most competitive league in world rugby'

Premiership Rugby has announced that their clubs will be operating under a boosted wage limit from 2014/15.

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY HAS confirmed that the salary cap for Aviva Premiership clubs will rise to £5 million [€6,067,415] from the start of the 2014/15 season.

That figure will exclude the salary of one player from each club, who will be payed under an “unlimited allowance”.

The wealthier Premiership clubs will be encouraged by the boost, which will give them more freedom to attract and retain international players. The fact that a single individual is excluded from the wage limits means the likes of Saracens, Leicester and Northampton have the scope to handsomely remunerate their marquee signings.

The raised salary cap itself is £4.76 million, up from the current £4.26 million. However, £240,000 of ‘academy credits’ give the clubs scope to boost their actual wage budgets up towards £5 million. Those credits reward clubs for including academy graduates in their senior squads.

To qualify for that status, the player must have joined the club before turning 18, must be under the age of 24 and must earn more than £30,000. For each of those players, the club will receive a £30,000 ‘credit’ from the overall budget. For example, if such a player earns £40,000, only £10,000 would be counted towards that club’s salary cap calculations.

The new limits also include dispensations for clubs who suffer at the hands of injury. When a player is injured for 12 weeks or more, those sides will be allowed to appeal to the salary cap manager to recruit a replacement. That replacement’s wages will be included under a separate £400,000 cap for such situations.

The sum total of all injury replacement players’ salaries at one club must not exceed that £400,000 limit for that season.

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Leicester Tigers were crowned Premiership champions in May, 2013. Clive Gee/PA Archive/Press Association Images.

The much-criticised [on these shores at least] Premiership Rugby Chief Executive Mark McCafferty says this salary cap boost is recognition of the English league’s progress in recent years.

The Premiership Rugby clubs have approved this increase following the financial boost given by the new contract with BT Sport and the renewal of the competition’s title sponsorship, with Aviva.

“The objective of the Salary Cap is to control inflationary pressures on clubs’ costs, and to provide a level playing field for clubs to ensure a competitive Aviva Premiership Rugby competition.

“These objectives are borne out in the financial success the league is now seeing with more clubs breaking even, and a healthy turnover of teams at the top of the league with three different winners in as many years. Aviva Premiership Rugby is the most competitive league in world rugby (highest number of games finishing in less than one score compared to any other rugby competition in the world).”

Read the full details of the Premiership salary cap here –>

What do you think about the news that English clubs will be spending more money on wages? let us know in the comments section below.

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22 Comments
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    Mute blindside
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    Apr 5th 2020, 11:20 PM

    Genuinely not having a go, but why not just stay off it, away from it and completely avoid social media. People will always oppose strong opinions and equally strong opposition to those opinions.

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    Mute Adrian Carroll
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    Apr 5th 2020, 11:47 PM

    @blindside: I think its because he is trying to stay relevant.

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    Mute my name
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    Apr 5th 2020, 11:59 PM

    @blindside: even if he didn’t have a profile online the abuse would still be there. Obviously he didn’t help himself last week, but every November he gets more than anyone’s share of abuse

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:06 AM

    @Adrian Carroll: Wrong. Players these days are isolated and they need it. Mich like us now.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:07 AM

    @Louis Jacob: *much

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    Mute Liam Connery
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    Apr 6th 2020, 3:18 PM

    @Adrian Carroll: clown

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    Mute nicknack
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:01 AM

    I’m sure he gets fairly bad insults from social media and during matches but certainly don’t help himself wearing balaclavas putting it up on social media either

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    Mute Mel Roberts
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:25 AM

    The abuse he gets from his fellow countrymen is nearly every bit as bad as bad as what he gets across the water. The fella is the first one to put his hand in his pocket whenever there is fundraising for anything, he can never be found wanting for effort each and every time he pulls on a green jersey. While he may have made a mistake last week it in no way justifies the abuse he gets.

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    Mute stephen keane
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:40 AM

    @Mel Roberts: my god for once I agree with u

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    Mute Cian Nolan
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:11 PM

    @Mel Roberts: It was a badly misjudged joke on his part. Naive and Stupid. But there’s no doubt he receives way worse online than his joke last week.

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    Mute Nic Antonio
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    Apr 6th 2020, 12:38 AM

    Priceless asking McClean to take a cut Even though he’s donated a lot of money in the last month not to mention other causes in the last few years.McCleans not on the same money as the lads at the very top,he won’t be getting that money when he retires and what he does earn now will be taxed heavily.Yes he can live comfortably now but he’s not obliged to take a cut,he’s doing his bit in this crisis.

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    Mute Colm Connolly
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    Apr 6th 2020, 9:15 AM

    Let’s be honest here the abuse is vile and wrong but he puts out stuff like last week that brings it on ,I’m not justifying what the trolls have said to him but he should know by now what will be said to him , I have a serious problem with his ability on the pitch and he makes me angry but I dont wish harm on him , ya he gives it 100% every time he plays in green but that’s just him running about like a headless chicken , unfortunately he will still make the squad at the moment but let’s call a spade a spade here , he has in no way lived up to the hype from the start of his career and now never will
    If the stories of his donations in the past few weeks are true then fair play to him he is doing more than the owners of alot of clubs and should be commended

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    Mute Mark Smith
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    Apr 6th 2020, 9:38 AM

    OMG , when you are in a massive hole, ffs stop digging.

    He is a media gift that just keeps giving.

    Has he shit for brains or what. Has he no advisors or does he just not listen to friends or family.

    Just play football and shut up trying to justify your stupid actions of posting yourself in a balaclava .
    rich people try to buy their way into our hearts with their donations or cover their badness,in any case it should be done and it’s tax efficient for him.
    Now he is using reverse psychology that he is the victim and totally innocent.

    I suppose through time he will lead us to the ‘ it has effected my family and they are receiving treatment as a result ‘ bit to buy him some sympathy or his sister will LEAK what a good boy he is putting someone up for Christmas .
    Don’t make me laugh

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    Mute Darren Laird
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    Apr 6th 2020, 9:39 AM

    Your going to reap just what your sow!

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    Mute Phil O Stine
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    Apr 6th 2020, 8:20 AM

    Sticks and stones

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