By Matt Hardy A former Premiership Rugby chief executive has called on the government to cut red tape and back sports clubs to use the existing Apprenticeship Levy to fuel upskilling opportunities for athletes and local communities. David Ellis, who served as CEO of Harlequins for eight years until 2019, insists the compulsory tax could be better used to benefit local communities who rely on sports clubs. The Apprenticeship Levy is a tax paid by UK firms with an annual wage bill of over £3m – which includes all Premier League and Premiership Rugby clubs. The rate totals 0.5 per cent of a compa…