A new Guinness Premiership campaign begins next month with officials, players and fans hoping the title-chase eclipses the excitement and drama of last season.

So many stories were told last season, perhaps none greater than London Wasps' inexorable rise up the table, culminating in their Guinness Premiership Final triumph.

A group of young English players played major roles in some of the most memorable matches of last season, with many going on to represent England.

These players were often the focus for attacking rugby, most memorably at the Recreation Ground for Bath Rugby's match against Gloucester Rugby in early January, in another Bath match against London Wasps in mid-February and in a sell-out final between Leicester Tigers and London Wasps in front of 81,600 at Twickenham in May.

With another host of young English players likely to come to the fore, some of the best foreign players at the peak of their careers and a strong spine of experienced Premiership campaigners, the Guinness Premiership 2008/9 has all the right ingredients to be another cracking season.

As the new season starts, another set of talented English youngsters will be looking to make their Guinness Premiership debuts, with members of England's World Junior Championship Final squad starting to make their way in the professional game.

Players like Nathan Catt, Mark Odejobi and IRB Young Player of the Year nominee Joe Simpson, will hope to join team-mates like Miles Benjamin, Noah Cato, Hugo Ellis and Jordan Turner-Hall in the Guinness Premiership.

The 2008/9 Guinness Premiership season will see five matches in the first four weeks as a result of the end of the Guinness Premiership season being brought forward over the summer to allow the British and Irish Lions to travel to South Africa with a full complement of English based players.

"Moving the end of the season forward was a real problem for the clubs", said Premier Rugby Chief Executive Mark McCafferty. "But we worked closely with the Lions to resolve it and we can now look forward to a great culmination to our season."

Off the field, Premier Rugby and the clubs continue to make considerable strides commercially. Last season finished with a world record attendance for a club match and record gate receipts. This season will begin with nearly 100,000 supporters coming through the turnstiles over the first weekend.

Premier Rugby has also been joined by two new commercial partners in Gatorade and Hilton Hotels, both with unparalleled reputations in their fields, whilst Gilbert have upgraded their sponsorship from supplier to full partner level.

For the start of the 2008/9 season, Premier Rugby has also concluded a deal with ITV for a one hour highlights show to be screened weekly at 6.30pm on Sundays on ITV4.

The programme will feature highlights of every match in each round of the Guinness Premiership, with special shows around the Guinness Premiership semi-final and final on ITV.

This will supplement the award winning coverage on Sky Sports, which this season will comprise 33 live matches available in high definition, as well as the regular Rugby Club show, giving the Guinness Premiership greater coverage than ever before.

Premier Rugby's Commercial Director Jon Varney said, "The club game in England is in a strong position commercially. The tournament and what happens on the field is the bedrock for that strength, but we also have a very attractive demographic and an ethos within the sport that sponsors and supporters associate with."

"That commercial strength allows us to invest, as a number of clubs are doing, in stadia and allows us to continue to develop domestic talent through the academies, whilst also bringing in the best talent from overseas. That in turn creates an attractive environment for existing and new sponsors, broadcast partners and other media.

"It also helps us get involved in debates on the future expansion of the sport at domestic and international level. It's vital that our voice can be heard and we can represent the interests of the professional club game."

McCafferty added, "Twelve months ago I said it should be the best Premiership season ever and I think that was the case. Standing here today I am confident that we can surpass that and enjoy an even better season this time round.

"It is a big season for us off the pitch as well, as we bring on new sponsors and look to develop to the next level our media and sponsorship partners.

"Like most people, I now just can't wait for the season to start and pick up where we left off in May".

Matches in the Guinness Premiership produce more points and more tries per match than in any other northern hemisphere league:

(Close games, ave. winning margin, points per match, tries per match)

Guinness Premiership, 47%, 11.58, 42.36, 4.57

Top 14, 48%, 13.65, 37.58, 3.49

Magners League, 44%, 11.13, 36.71, 3.78