Just four grassroots clubs opted not to sign the Welsh Rugby Union 'Statement of Truth', allowing them to openly pay players in the 2021/22 season, WalesOnline can reveal.
On an annual basis, clubs must return the form to receive their piece of the £11.8 million of ring-fenced funding for the amateur game in Wales. Clubs that choose not to sign it are free to spend the revenue they generate themselves however they wish, including on paying players.
Out of over 300 clubs, the four that did not sign the Statement of Truth for this season are Newbridge, Tata Steel, Narberth, Glamorgan Wanderers.
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All four of the clubs also decided against signing the Statement of Truth for the two seasons that preceded the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2019/20 season there were six clubs who were on the list, with Brecon and Blackwood deciding to sign up this time around.
Welsh Premiership clubs hold an A license, meaning they are exempt from the Statement of Truth, and some of the top Championship clubs do too. They are Bedwas, Cross Keys, Bargoed and Pontypool.
The payment players in the community game is the source of constant debate in Wales. With money as tight as it is in the Welsh game, many feel that paying amateurs for their time on a Saturday is a waste and that it would be better served to invest in facilities and infrastructure.
Clubs receiving funding from the WRU and paying players is a breach of the Union's policy but it is an open secret that this is happens, with the community game awash with stories of clubs taking the funding and paying players on the quiet, though cracking down on it has proved difficult. It was a particular focus for former WRU chairman Gareth Davies before he was voted out of his post in 2020.
In 2019, the WRU issued a firm warning to clubs that they could be in breach of PAYE and tax obligations if they failed to give notice of their payment of players. The Union also encouraged clubs to report other team they suspect of doing this to HMRC.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic has averted the WRU's attention and, whilst it is still something that needs to be tackled in Wales, their priority has simply been to ensure clubs survive. With what everyone hopes is going to be a 'normal' season on the horizon, the Union may well begin tackling the issue of paying amateur players once again.
