Strike a pose: The Premiership captains pose with the much-prized silverware © Getty Images

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Tournaments/Tours: Guinness Premiership

Teams: Bath Rugby | England | Gloucester Rugby | Harlequins | Leeds Tykes | Leicester Tigers | London Irish | Newcastle Falcons | Northampton Saints | Sale Sharks | Saracens | Wasps | Worcester Warriors

The Guinness Premiership looks set to weather the storm of unsavoury headlines that have blighted the sport in recent months with the stage set for another record-breaking season.

In the wake of the 'Bloodgate' scandal at Harlequins and the drug-related controversy at Bath, the official season launch was a reminder that we're allowed to feel excited by the prospect of the latest battle for the English crown.

Fans are being urged to 'Be part of it' and it appears that they are taking up that offer like never before with record season ticket sales across the country. This boon comes despite countless reports suggesting the sport's popularity would suffer for the ill-advised behaviour of some of its protagonists.

Reigning champions Leicester Tigers are also setting the benchmark off the field having surpassed their previous best of 13,100 season tickets sold earlier this summer - but they are not the only side proving the doomsayers wrong.

Newcastle languished at the wrong end of the table for much of last season and were forced to re-build their squad in the off-season - but supporters appear to have backed their recruitment drive with the Falcons recording an increase in season ticket sales of over 55% on last season.

The good news does not end there with Saracens and Harlequins also reporting large increases in their season ticket sales. At Vicarage Road, Saracens season ticket sales are nudging 4,000, 30% up on last season, whilst under-fire Harlequins were able to announce an increase of 25% to 6,300 season tickets sold earlier this month.

London Irish are reaping the benefit of reaching their first ever Premiership final last season with ticket sales up 20% on this time last year and surpassing 5,000 for the first time. The popularity of rugby in London is further endorsed with news that ticket sales for the sixth London Double Header have already passed 55,000.

Premiership new boys Leeds Carnegie are also getting in on the act with sales up 50% on last season as supporters prepare for a season of top flight rugby.

But this is not a new trend. The profile of the sport and in particular English rugby's top flight has witnessed a meteoric rise since the dawn of professionalism. The average attendance for the 2008-09 season was a healthy 11,414, compared with an average attendance of 5,507 for the 1998-99 season - an increase of 107% in ten years.

This season's figures are set to receive a significant boost with both Harlequins and Saracens set to stage 'home' games at larger venues in order to cash in on the Premiership's soaring profile. These games, in addition to the London Double Header that will kick the season off, will see Sarries play host to Northampton at Wembley Stadium in Round 2 and Harlequins welcome Wasps to Twickenham in Round 11.

Another key element to the success of the Premiership is its competitive nature. Leicester topped the table at the end of the regular season but still lost six games while fellow finalists London Irish tasted defeat on nine occasions to underline the fact that there is a real spread of teams capable of lifting the silverware while the rest are knocking at the door.

The season structure has also witnessed change and the play-off system that originally drew scorn is now viewed as a fitting and dramatic finale to the season. As has become the tradition, this season will once again culminate at the impressive Twickenham stadium that has been full to capacity for the past two finals.

A crowd of over 80,000 is once again the target this season and Premier Rugby officials are confident of another sell-out. "The Premiership Final has become a 'must-see' event in the rugby calendar," boasted Premier Rugby's Head of Marketing and Promotions, Jon Duckworth. But there is a case for suggesting its appeal is stronger than that with the end of season finale proving a draw for many neutral fans.

Premier Rugby's own exit survey conducted following Leicester's victory over London Irish in last year's final revealed some exciting results. An incredible 43% of those polled were making their first visit to Twickenham and 98% would come again - such was the impact of the match day experience - not just the game. Perhaps the most encouraging stat was the 80% who said they would attend the final again regardless of whether their side made the final.

Praise must go to Premier Rugby's marketing of the event and to the fans for making the occasion such a great spectacle. And for the 12 clubs about to embark on the latest Premiership campaign there can be no greater incentive than to play a leading role in this season's finale on May 29 and hit the headlines for all the right reasons.