'Dear Bill' - the full open letter to the RFU CEO from the Championship executive
Following the decison by the RFU to cut funding by nearly half to Championship clubs next, the Championship Club executive have penned an ‘open letter’ to the head of the RFU.
Chief executive Bill Sweeney claimed that the RFU could not justify continuing with the increased funding the governing body has provided between 2016 and 2020. “This is a decision based on a principle of ensuring levels of investment are geared to a clear return on investment.”
Here is the full open letter in response from the Executive of the Championship Clubs Committee (CCC) to Bill Sweeney, CEO of the Rugby Football Union to be shared with the Board of the RFU.
Dear Bill
The current four year agreement with the RFU for funding the Championship runs out at the end of this season. Throughout those years, the Championship Clubs Committee (CCC) have constantly strived to obtain appropriate funding for clubs in the league to achieve the RFU’s repeatedly stated goal for the Championship League to be the second tier of full-time professional rugby.
As the end of the four year period approached, efforts were stepped up by the CCC to obtain agreement to our funding with little or no tangible response from the RFU. We made it quite clear that the enthusiasm for developing our clubs was unchanged but, to provide a full-time playing contract for players with both the talent and aspiration for full-time rugby, a baseline of circa £1 million per annum was required to provide such players with an albeit basic liveable wage whilst training as a team and conditioning their bodies to produce a level of rugby that would have appeal to rugby supporters throughout the country and to prepare successful players for life in the Premiership.
Club owners, directors, committees and members – many of whom are ex-players themselves put the full weight of their efforts and available financial resources into developing their clubs and achieving the joy of success when their club gained promotion into a higher league.
With zero wins so far this season for Yorkshire Carnegie, relegation from the RFU Championship to National League 1 seems increasingly likely for a side that once finished fourth in the Premiership.https://t.co/cEGAx8w5uX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 16, 2020
Leagues were formed in the late 1980’s to bring structure to the game and guaranteed fixture lists to a club’s calendar. Over the years there have been well recorded successes and failures but, at the heart of the league system there was an all embracing word “Aspiration”. Every club then aspired – to greater things; to more challenging games; and, above all, to reap the enjoyable fruits of their collective finances, labours and passion. Not just a business but a way of life.
At the top of the pyramid and the pinnacle of aspiration sits the Premiership League, the Holy Grail of club development. Whether it was a planned achievement or merely an unachievable dream, the climb to the top was open to all.
This week, you finally agreed, Bill, to meet with the CCC to inform us of the RFU decision regarding funding. When that decision was made, we know not; how the diktat was arrived at and on what principle was employed we had little knowledge or involvement. The Chairman of the CCC was not even invited to address the Board of the RFU at its recent meeting to present the Championship view.
Some fantastic talent has risen via @Champrugby
Here's a XV of RFU Championship products#iplayedchampionshiprugby https://t.co/lhtNlO5wZR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 15, 2020
And then came Tuesday, 11th February 2020. A meeting had been arranged at Twickenham by the Championship Clubs, which was part of the standard regular meeting pattern. The main agenda item was to finally agree proposals as to how the Championship could become a more sustainable, more professional and more beneficial league for the rugby community as a whole. It was designed to be an aspirational meeting.
After many attempts to discover the outcome of the RFU Board deliberations on funding, it was agreed that you would attend the meeting with Connor O’Shea the newly appointed Director of Performance. The meeting commenced at 11am with the normal CCC meeting, with you joining us at 1.30pm.
At 8.20 am that morning we received a letter from you with the bombshell news that even the greatest pessimists in our midst could not have predicted – a 50% reduction in funding for the Championship for one year only.
Huge blow for second-tier rugby in England
https://t.co/V2kHLwHmRx— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 12, 2020
Despite many entreaties to you to deliver the verdict over the previous weeks and requests to “put our own case” to the Board, the email was delivered, somewhat reluctantly by you, just prior to your presentation, many CCC members receiving it whilst travelling long distances to Twickenham.
The Power Point presentation you gave was an absolute gallop through “facts and figures” as you saw them – certainly not allowing the gathered Championship representatives to assimilate the material. But your main thrust was that the Championship clubs had, over the past 4 year agreement, failed to achieve a set of five deliverables required as part of the 2015 Funding Agreement.
Those deliverables, as far as we could assimilate through the high speed delivery, were stated as:
- To produce a financially viable 2nd tier of the professional game
- To develop and grow a 2nd tier of professional clubs with the ambition to become Premier Clubs
- To develop England Qualified Players (EQP’s) for Premier Clubs and, ultimately, England teams
- To develop future England Premiership and National coaches
- Develop a Community Programme associated with the clubs
Let us be quite clear here, not one club attending, particularly those who were in the Championship in 2015, had any knowledge or recollection of such requirements. We signed Participation Agreements to obtain funds and, for the last 4 years all clubs have been striving hard to develop the “brand Championship”. Had we been failing in any contractual requirements, why on earth did the RFU not inform us on an annual basis as would happen in any professional circumstance?
Bad form by the RFU?
https://t.co/tZjMG5dId1— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 12, 2020
As an aside, it would be equally interesting to test the above targets against Premiership Rugby clubs – particularly the first one requiring financial viability!
As a matter of fact, most of the above “deliverables” have indeed been achieved to various degrees by most Championship clubs. Personal and club resources have been poured into individual clubs to supplement the inadequate RFU funding – to develop facilities; to provide medical and training personnel; to enhance supporter experiences; and, to ensure that the players, who put their bodies through increasing physical pressures, earn at least a very basic living as a full-time professional rugby player.
Bill, regarding the Championship, you and the RFU are presiding over a self-fulfilling prophecy. Starve your racehorse and it will have no chance of winning the race. The funding received over the past 4 years has, at absolute best, provided only 50% of basic funds required to operate a full time squad. You have now decided that your inadequate funding has produced your own definition of inadequate return and hence you are going to halve the input.
It reminds me of a well-meaning bar owner in the mountains of Spain who told me that, as he was only receiving half his previous custom, he was going to double his prices – that would fix it!
They're fuming over the lack of consultation
https://t.co/KuCtIKPjgU— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 12, 2020
Getting down to basics, a sum of approximately £3 million per annum is being saved by the RFU and, vicariously, PRL via your current moves. We are acutely aware of the reduced RFU financial circumstances – after all, as an industrial and provident society, you are owned by over 2,000 member clubs – and we know that, for example, an overspend of tens of millions of pounds has been experienced on the East Stand club project which cannot have helped!
To unilaterally foist the intended reduction on the Championship clubs with little or no consultation and just a few months prior to the start of season 2020/21 is a disaster, for our finances and the RFU’s reputation. Just take a few moments to look at the reaction from the rugby community as a whole on social media. Look at players’ and club staff reactions.
Please accept that our next season has already started, with player retention and recruitment being carried out since the New Year, based on the feeling that empathy and understanding would not allow for such a draconian move without the usual decent notice period of at least a year.
The CCC have asked for a moratorium for two years, to allow more considered debate. It would be a wise and popular move to consider swallowing pride, post media statements, and allow any agreed change to take place in an orderly and sensible fashion.
Bill, you are relatively new to a most difficult job. Please, please, please take a year or two to get to know the clubs out there – not just the Championship but all of your 2,000+ “owners”. See what they achieve through hard graft; feel their pride in their club; hear what they think about rugby in general; and, most importantly, help us all to retain “Aspiration” to the undoubted benefit of the game we love at all levels.
Yours
Geoff Irvine, Chairman
Steve Lloyd, Deputy Chairman
Ian Connell, Independent
The Championship Clubs Executive
Comments on RugbyPass
Less modern South African males predictably triggered.
10 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
79 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
79 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
5 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
10 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to comments