Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons,[2] is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the top division of the English rugby union system. Premiership clubs qualify for Europe's two main club competitions, the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The winner of the second division, the RFU Championship is promoted to the Premiership and until 2020, the team finishing at the bottom of the Premiership each season was relegated to the Championship. The competition is regarded as one of the three top-level professional leagues in the Northern and Western Hemispheres, along with the Top 14 in France, and the cross-border United Rugby Championship for teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and South Africa.
Current season, competition or edition: 2022–23 Premiership Rugby | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Administrator | RFU |
| CEO | Simon Massie-Taylor |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country | England |
| Most recent champion(s) | Leicester Tigers (11th title) (2021–22) |
| Most titles | Leicester Tigers (11 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | BT Sport ITV |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | RFU Championship[lower-alpha 1] |
| Domestic cup(s) | Premiership Rugby Cup |
| International cup(s) | European Rugby Champions Cup European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| Official website | Official website |
The competition has been played since 1987, and has evolved into the current Premiership system. The current champions are Leicester Tigers. The most recently promoted side are Saracens, who returned to the top flight in 2021.