A switch to summer rugby is a possibility according to the head of the body that represents professional clubs in England.
Premier Rugby’s chief executive Mark McCafferty admits that moving the season from the winter to summer months is under discussion.
"We have talked about this at board level as part of the normal planning process," McCafferty told the Sunday Telegraph.
"It opens up the possibility of the better weather, a different type of rugby and the ability to expand the crowds. But we need everybody to participate in the debate because you've got the June internationals and Lions tours which occur in that period. So it's not a solution we can implement by ourselves.
"These things do take several years in their gestation, but there will come a point when an opportunity presents itself and you've got to be ready for that."
A plan to switch the season to March-November from the current September-May calendar was mooted by top English and French sides after the recent World Cup saw the domestic teams lose many of their best players for the start of the Premiership and Top 14 tournaments.
Much has been made of the difficulties posed by playing club rugby during international windows, with some clubs believing a summer switch could provide a viable solution.
"It was an idea which received support," a chairman of a Premiership club told the Sunday Telegraph.
"The clubs stated that they never wanted to play important domestic fixtures during a World Cup again because, without their star performers, it was too damaging in terms of results and attendances. Some went further than that and included the Six Nations as a concern.
"Summer rugby was seen as a possible solution to the problem."
