With news of Prem Rugby exploring options for expansion team to the 10-team franchise league, I've taken a look at 8 options for the league to consider and evaluated them with some pros and cons.

1) Wasps

Pros

• Big Market: Attempts to revive Wasps are already underway with a 24,000 capacity stadium already proposed for Sevenoaks in Kent. This would put a Prem Rugby franchise in an area of more than 1 million people. It's also an affluent area in which rugby is incredibly popular. A team in this part of Kent is a no-brainer for English rugby
• Brand Recognition: Before their demise, Wasps were one of the most iconic brands in global club rugby and won countless trophies. Adding a team of this stature back into the league will almost certainly increase its value
• Big Fanbase: As a result of Wasps' aforementioned stature, they already have a sizeable fanbase which would make them an immediate success upon their potential return to professional rugby.

Cons

• Potential controversy: Wasps left professional rugby with millions of pounds of debt yet to be paid back. Any return without paying off those costly debts would be met with much consternation.
• High Risk: The plan involves a massively expensive stadium and a luxury hotel in a very rich part of the country. This, on top of the debt mentioned above, puts Wasps in an immediately challenging financial situation. Bringing back Wasps could be great for Prem Rugby but it's not without risk

2)Worcester

Pros

• Ready to Make a Return: Worcester are now back in the Champ and competing towards the top of the table. Their stadium (SixWays) is owned by the club and is currently at the necessary standard. The fanbase is there as well. They were a Premiership team a few years ago and are in a position to be a sustainable one this time around.
• A Safe Option: Worcester are the only team on this list that could go straight up and cope immediately.

Cons

• Small Market: Worcester's population is just over 100,000 people, making it a very small market compared to other options on this list. It also operates in an already crowded part of the country which has: Bath, Bristol and Gloucester. 
• Not that rich: The Warriors are ready to compete at the top level with improved ownership, however the club doesn't have an abundance of cash to help it weather potential early losses.

3)Yorkshire

Pros

• The potential is huge: Yorkshire has had various Premiership clubs over the years but none have stuck. It's an area with a large population and no current team. It would be a brand new market that would be very helpful for the league as a whole.
• Strong playing base: Despite not having a top-flight team, Yorkshire manages to produce plenty of big talents. This is partially down to English rugby keeping a regional academy in the region despite them normally being reserved for catchment areas of Prem Rugby teams.
• National footprint: Prem Rugby has two northern teams but none in Yorkshire. If the league wants a truly national appeal, it must have a strong geographic spread of teams.

Cons

• Cost: There are several paths for a Yorkshire franchise but the most likely is a Leeds-based team that's either completely new or a rebranded version of Leeds Tykes. Regardless, this will be very costly. Leeds Tykes would also require investment to gain promotion from National 1 to Champ Rugby.
• Awkward Path: Doncaster is unlikely to be the location of any new franchise but, until a few weeks ago, Doncaster Knights had been trying to actually go up through the usual route and would've been eligible to do so. Leeds Tykes are a mid-table National 1 team, which is semi-professional, and a new team would cost lots of money and lack a fanbase.
• Stadium: This Yorkshire team would likely play at Headingly which would make them tenants at a stadium which hosts both of the Leeds Rhinos teams. It would also limit their earning capacity and moving to a new stadium would cost hundreds of millions of pounds. 

4) Welsh teams

Pros

• The teams already exist: One issue most candidates on this list have is player bases. The four Welsh teams already have competitive squads that compete in the URC and Europe. This gives them a head start compared to other teams and would allow them to be immediately competitive. The teams already existing also means the fanbases already exist, which would give the league an immediate economic boost, unlike an expansion to Yorkshire which would come with some big risks.
• Anglo-Welsh competition is already a familiar concept: Combining two nations into one league could be problematic, but these two nations are used to sharing a domestic competition. Wrexham, Newport, Swansea and Cardiff all play football in the EFL. In rugby, the Anglo-Welsh Cup was a well-established competition that was popular amongst fans. This is a straight forward combination that could work well for both sides.
• The timing could be perfect: The drama surrounding Welsh rugby is well known and it looks like the number of professional teams will be reduced to three. This could be the best moment for Welsh teams to leave the URC and join a new competition.

Cons

• There is limited evidence of demand for these games: A common argument in favour of an Anglo-Welsh league is how popular games between English and Welsh teams could be. However, these teams often play in European competitions and there is no evidence of an uptick in demand when a Welsh team hosts an English team rather than a French team.
• The Welsh teams aren't all very popular: Part of the problem facing Welsh rugby is the lack of popularity of the four regions. Cardiff are the only side to consistently have attendances that would be an asset to Prem Rugby.
• It would fundamentally change the league: Prem Rugby and the RFU have started working very closely together and adding four teams from another union could dramatically weaken that partnership.

5)Birmingham

Pros

• Big market: England's second City currently doesn't have a Prem Rugby team so putting one there makes sense. It has a large population, and is close to a few current sides, so rugby is popular in the surrounding area. If rugby can make it in Birmingham it would significantly elevate the value of the league.
• Interested parties: As soon as it was reported that Prem Rugby would be becoming a franchise league, rumours emerged of interest from the owners of Birmingham City FC in putting a franchise in Birmingham. Tom Brady may be the face of the consortium, Knighthead Capital, but it's backed by serious cash behind him. Their investment would be big news for English rugby.

Cons

• Lack of current interest: Gloucester and Leicester recently played a game at Villa Park and the stadium wasn't even half full. If Birmingham is to have a team in Prem Rugby it will need to grow interest in the sport in the city itself.
• The route in is tough: Before having a team in Prem Rugby, the club must play at least one season in the Champ. That would be done one of two ways for Birmingham. Either they create their own new team, and put them straight into the Champ, or they buy Birmingham Moseley and invest sufficiently to get them promoted from National 1. This puts more steps in front of whoever would take on this challenge.

6) London Irish

Pros

• Fan base already exists: London Irish were already a Prem team before their demise and so currently have fans who are just waiting to come back. This could be an easy win for Prem Rugby.
• The club is already on the path back: London Irish has already been bought by a different group which is looking into getting the team back into pro rugby. This puts the Exiles close to the front of the queue

Cons

• No home base: When the club went under, the team was a tenant at Brentford's stadium but the club has had multiple homes over the years. Before that, the club played its games at Reading's stadium. It remains to be seen where this team would actually be based if it returns. The value of the team to Prem rugby also differs greatly depending on which location the club chooses.
• The fan base wasn't that big to begin with: Despite existing since the 19th century, London Irish had one of the lowest average attendance figures in the premiership, This puts a question mark on how much the club would actually be worth to the league.

7) Cornwall

Pros

• A unique market: Cornwall would represent a market that isn't utilised by any other sport. The biggest football team is (soon-to-be) National League South Truro City and the cricket team is a minor county. Rugby is a popular sport in the area and could cement itself as number one with a top-flight team
• The club is already strong: The Cornish Pirates are currently a mid-table Champ team but have been higher in the past. The club has the base to authentically grow into a good Prem team.

Cons

• Lack of infrastructure: Cornwall doesn't currently have a stadium of the sufficient standard to join Prem Rugby and, as a result of factors mentioned above, there are no local football stadiums for the team to play in. Instead, the clubs would have to invest in a multi-million dollar stadium and training base. This cancels out the advantage of already having a strong club identity and squad.
• Not a big market: Prem Rugby has made it no secret that they want a team in Yorkshire, Birmingham and Kent. These additions would give rugby union a truly national reach and bring in some huge, untapped markets to the sport. In contrast, Cornwall has a population of fewer than 1 million people and is not overwhelmingly wealthy. This limits the potential of an expansion team in the county.

8) Coventry

Pros

• Already a strong team: Coventry currently sit 3rd in the Champ and have consistently been one of Ealing's biggest challengers. This means the step up to the Prem would be easier for Coventry to handle than it would be for less established teams.
• Evidence of a decent fan base: Coventry have previously had attendances of over 7,000 people for Champ games. This is close to Newcastle, Saracens and Sale in the Prem. 
• Ambitious owners: The club's owners have repeatedly showed willingness to invest in the club to get it to the Prem without wanting to be reckless-enough to secure their place before the club is ready. This puts Coventry in a good place to take advantage of added interest in the game.

Cons

• A crowed market: Coventry is a short train journey away from Gloucester, Bristol and Leicester and isn't too far from Bath or Northampton. Add Worcester to that list and things get trickier. This means that adding Coventry might not bring as much value as adding a team from Yorkshire or Wales.
• Not the biggest opportunity in their area: Even if we ignore the existing clubs, Coventry could still play second fiddle to another new side. Birmingham is also in the historic county of Warwickshire and represents a more glamorous, high-potential option in the local area.