The Prem Rugby play-offs are set to be played at neutral venues from the 2029/30 season, as the English top flight undergoes a radical change.
For every season since they were introduced, the Gallagher Prem play-offs saw the top two sides in the table host the teams who finished third and fourth respectively, in a one-off semi final for a place in the Grand Final.
However, as Prem bosses continue to look for ways to strengthen the brand and heighten the interest in the division as a whole, this is now set to change.
From the 2029/30 season onwards, the Prem play-offs will be played at neutral venues, with high ranking officials stating a vision for both finals to be played in the same city a day apart.
One of the key drivers for this is stadium capacity, with the two hosts last campaign - Bath and Northampton Saints - only able to support around 15,000 spectators a piece.
In the French Top 14, which this change is modeled on, both semi finals were hosted at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, which has a capacity of 67,000.
Reports suggest that the clubs have had a mixed response so far, with the point of finances the main consideration.
At present, clubs earn an estimated £600,000-£750,000 from hosting a semi final, meaning that the neutral venues would need to earn a similar amount, to make the change viable - such is the delicacy of the Prem clubs' finances.
Speaking on the decision, Prem Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor said: "The semi-finals that we have just had were awesome in terms of the rugby spectacle, and they're sell-out games with their home crowds,"
"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" he continued.
"You have to mix up trying to open up new markets and with tried and tested fan bases."
What venues are under consideration?
Based on reports so far, the Prem hierarchy will be looking for venues bigger than those currently available in the division.
Leicester Tigers' Welford Road is the current biggest stadium in the Prem, with a capacity of 25,849, though most in the league are well below this.
With that in mind, most Premier League stadiums would easily be of use and, with the mandate to expand the game across the country, venues in the North West and on the South Coast would be considered.
So far, Liverpool and Brighton have been mentioned as Cities of interest, with Everton's Hill Dickinson stadium and Brighton's AMEX stadium likely to be chosen.
