The Rugby Football Union has announced it will make 139 positions redundant as part of cost-cutting measures to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney set out the job losses as he said the union expected to lose £107million in revenue in the short term.
The union will begin a consultation process with staff before announcing decisions at the end of next month, Sweeney said.
“To ensure we have a sustainable RFU we have announced to colleagues that it is proposed that the total number of roles across the organisation will reduce by 139.”
Sweeney added: “This will be a difficult process, but we will be consulting with colleagues in a fair way to completely remodel our business.”
He said the RFU was projecting a recovery period which could last up to five years, with a cumulative 20 per cent loss of revenue over that time frame.
Sweeney said that, despite the plans to remodel and operate in a very different way, the priorities of the RFU remained to support the community game, maintaining the ability of England representative sides to compete and to encourage people from a range of backgrounds to participate in the sport.
Sweeney added: “We have already made some significant cost savings. We furloughed 60 per cent of our organisation; implemented a three-month pay reduction which has been extended for some; introduced pension pauses; and refined business planning and introduced stadium and office running efficiencies to reduce costs.
“Unfortunately, this is not enough to run a sustainable operation and safeguard our future.
“We need to maintain our organisation for the long term, this is not a short-term cost reduction exercise, the RFU will still stand, but the impact of Covid 19 will continue to affect us for many years to come.”