If you follow the Six Nations, you may remember that the Wales v England match was threatened by a potential strike. Read more here. You probably missed the publication of the review that found sexist treatment of women by WRU. Likewise, you probably missed the huge vote in March to implement a dramatic new structure for the WRU. It’s important news for me, and made the national news in the UK, but probably doesn’t spread down under.
In the last week the first of the changes voted for in March has come into effect. Leuan Evans, Chairman, has gone and has been replaced by Richard Collier-Keywood.
Why is this radical? Evans stood on a reforming slate, to have the chairman’s position no longer elected but appointed. He’s stepping aside as the last elected chairman to be replaced by the first appointed one. All part of modernising the WRU.
At the same time, part of the wider target of increasing the representation of women at the top level, Alison Thorne is joining the board as an independent director. Her background is as the former chair of a Welsh equalities charity. In fairness to the WRU it had already implemented a lot of the changes recommended in the review, but you would imagine it can only get even better after this appointment.
Although we haven’t had an official announcement yet, it seems likely that the WRU will appoint an independent, female CEO after Wales Online reported Nigel Walker was unsuccessful in becoming the permanent CEO. Walker had been acting as temporary CEO after the report into sexism was published. However, the reforms that he and Evans helped pushed through moved the WRU to suggest they would prefer (although not require) one man and one woman in the top two roles, and both of them to come from outside rugby. I think the drive to have more women (almost any women) on the board is a good thing, and to have the top two roles filled by people from outside rugby is a good thing, although I think Walker has done a good job and do feel a bit sorry for him.
Why do I say Walker has done a good job? Well the third piece of news, is that the WRU, the Welsh Shirt, has a new sponsor. Go Compare is probably not a name you’re familiar with in Australia, but it’s a Newport-based insurance-price comparison website. It’s also just announced a multi-year seven-figure sponsorship deal for the back of the Welsh shirt. Welsh Rugby is currently cash-strapped and exactly which seven digits and how long this lasts could make this anything from a plaster to a significant pick-me-up. However, you’ve possibly read my diatribes about how tough times are the
British economy. If you haven’t here’s a very quick recap:
- We have the highest inflation for decades – that’s common to a lot of places and in a large part due to the invasion of Ukraine and the knock on effects of that.
- However, in the UK it’s staying higher for longer than in most places, for reasons that even most economists don’t really understand.
- Inevitably linked to that, we have interest rates that have risen sharply. A year ago they were about 0.5%, today they’re closer to 7%. Servicing loans is much harder, whether that’s your mortgage or you’re an industry taking out a loan to invest in the business.
- Fuel costs, like in a lot of countries, have gone through the roof. Running your business is a lot more expensive than it used to be.
- All kinds of businesses are going to wall in these parlous times. While the specific causes of the two of the three premiership rugby clubs going under might be somewhat unique to rugby, 23% of the businesses going under in the sector reflects wider society. Perhaps not exactly, but businesses of all sizes are closing their doors, or in the case of three of the seven water companies looking at failing back into public ownership.
So landing a reasonably hefty sponsorship deal in these circumstances, and that is something that’s gone through under his watch, is a success.
There are more elections to the board in November where, hopefully, these reforms will continue to spread through the WRU. That was the mood in March at the EGM, the delay to November was to allow for hustings, the normal voting process and for the new board to be elected at the AGM However, the signs are good that the WRU will drag itself from the 19th Century straight to the 21st.
