RFU reveal Richie start date

Posted on Jan 17, 2012 in English Rugby, RFU

Following Ian Ritchie’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the Rugby Football Union, it is confirmed that he will leave the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club and take up the RFU role on 27th February 2012. Ritchie also stands down as the Independent Non-Executive Director of The Football League and from the Board of Wembley Stadium.

RFU Chairman Paul Murphy said: “We are very pleased that Ian can join so soon. It is well acknowledged that he has a fantastic reputation and the RFU will quickly benefit. His appointment has been exceptionally well received around the game and I know the staff cannot wait to work with him.”

Ritchie said: “I am very much looking forward to meeting and working with new colleagues and partners at the RFU. There is much to be positive about, seeing a new generation of players emerge in the RBS 6 Nations and seizing the unique chance to grow the game when hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015 is very exciting.

“Joining the RFU as CEO was an irresistible opportunity.  It was a very difficult decision to leave the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club but I know they have a fantastic team and I wish them continued success for the future.”

RITCHIE STANDS DOWN FROM FOOTBALL LEAGUE AND WEMBLEY STADIUM BOARDS

Ritchie was appointed to The Football League Board in April 2004, in a ground-breaking move that saw him become the first independent Non-Executive Director of a domestic football governing body.  He is the only person to have held the position to date. Ian joined the Wembley Stadium Board in July 2008 during the new stadium’s second year of operation. He stood down in December following his RFU appointment.

Football League Chairman Greg Clarke said: “I would like to thank Ian for the outstanding contribution he has made to The Football League during the last seven and a half years.

“When it created this role, The Football League was looking for somebody to bring greater levels of independence, continuity and insight to its decision-making process.  Ian has delivered in every way. On behalf of our clubs, I would like to wish him every success in his new job at the RFU.”

Wembley Stadium Chairman Melvin Benn said: “On behalf of the Board at Wembley I must pay tribute to Ian for the invaluable contribution that he has made to the success of the new Wembley Stadium during his time with us. We wish him well as CEO at the RFU.”

Ritchie said: “It has been a real pleasure and an honour serving on the Board of The Football League and at Wembley. I wish them both every good fortune in the future and look forward to keeping a sporting connection.”

Following his appointment as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Rugby Football Union, Ian Ritchie is to stand down as the Independent Non-Executive Director of The Football League and from the Board of Wembley Stadium. Ritchie will leave The Football League Board at the end of February and takes up his new position at the RFU on February 27.

Ritchie was appointed to The League Board in April 2004 in a ground-breaking move that saw him become the first independent non-executive director of a domestic football governing body.  He remains the only person to have held the position to date. The process of appointing a replacement is already underway and will be led by the Board of The Football League.

Ian joined the Wembley Stadium Board in July 2008 during the new stadium’s second year of operation. He stood down in December following his appointment at The RFU and details of his replacement on the Board will be announced in due course.

In paying tribute to Ian Ritchie, Football League Chairman, Greg Clarke, said “I would like to thank Ian for the outstanding contribution he has made to The Football League during the last seven and a half years. 

“When it created this role, The Football League was looking for somebody to bring greater levels of independence, continuity and insight to its decision making process.  Ian has delivered in every way.

“On behalf of our clubs, I would like to wish him every success in his new job at the RFU.”

Wembley Stadium Chairman Melvin Benn said: “On behalf of the Board at Wembley I must pay tribute to Ian for the invaluable contribution that he has made  to the success of the new Wembley Stadium during his time with us. We wish him well in his new role at the RFU.”

Ian Ritchie said: “It has been a real pleasure and an honour serving on the Board of The Football League and at Wembley. I wish them both every good fortune in the future and look

forward to keeping a sporting connection.”

Blackett Review panel report on the RFU

Posted on Jul 11, 2011 in English Rugby, RFU

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) Council met today to discuss the findings and recommendations of the Blackett Review panel set up by the Council on 10^th June following the departure of John Steele to look into recent events at the Union.

The panel and its terms of reference were announced publicly on 15^th June and since that time have been working to establish the facts of the situation through interviews with the involved parties, analysis of media coverage, written submissions from other interested parties and assessment based on their expert knowledge. This has included over 65 face to face interviews or written submission, over 90 media articles and nearly 100 hundred RFU documents on which evidence their findings were based and recommendations made.

At the Council meeting there was wide debate on the recommendations and as a result of those a copy of the report will not be made public but an executive summary will be made available by the panel in a timely fashion.

The following decisions were reached:

• Martyn Thomas withdrew his nomination for Chairman of the Board at the AGM creating a ‘casual vacancy’
• Council appointed Paul Murphy, Senior Vice President and Member for Oxfordshire, to be interim Chairman. Murphy was  previously an RFU Board member and Chairman of Governance
• A Special General Meeting will be convened as soon as possible to elect a new Chairman
• The whole Board was given a vote of confidence by Council and will continue in their roles
• Martyn Thomas continuing as Acting CEO was endorsed by Council
• Other recommendations on governance and confidentiality will be dealt with at future meetings

Paul Murphy, elected Acting Chairman of the Board, said, “We were concerned that the reputation of the RFU had been damaged by the recent events which were played out so vividly in the media. We wanted to ensure that we put in place an independent panel capable of undertaking a comprehensive and expert review of what took place so we could learn lessons for the future and take the first step forward towards rebuilding that reputation. I would commend the members of the panel because that is exactly what we received. Their report was based on detailed evidence, was thorough and gave clear recommendations.”

Murphy continued, “In the end after lengthy discussion we have taken what we believe are the right decisions for the future of the game and the Union itself. These were difficult decisions and there was a lot at stake for us all but in the end we felt that we had to ensure our members, players, supporters and all other stakeholders could see we had taken firm action to address the issues and move forward.”

Judge Jeff Blackett who chaired the Review panel, added, “We are glad Council received the report in the spirit it was delivered. The panel worked tirelessly over the last 3 weeks to gather a huge amount of evidence and we felt our recommendations were valid and appropriate based on that evidence. As guardians of the game though Council had some important decisions to take and discussions were robust and emotive in that regard. I would like to thank my panel for a job well done and hope that as a game we can now draw a line under the events of the past few months and get on with rugby.”

Martyn Thomas, acting CEO, concluded, “This was a difficult day for the Union but at the end of the day this does now mean we can finally move on. I would like to thank Council for their support both in terms of me continuing as acting CEO and in my other roles. The most important thing was that we maintained stability for staff and our other partners and in the coming weeks I will be ensuring that we navigate to calmer waters and that we can get on with our core purpose of rugby. With RWC2011 upon us we have something to look forward to and I will ensure Martin and his team have all the support they need to be successful in New Zealand.”

Gordon McKie resigns as Scottish CEO

Posted on Jun 16, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Allan Munro, the Chairman of the Scottish Rugby Board today (14 June) announced that Chief Executive Gordon McKie was leaving the organisation with immediate effect.

Commenting on his departure, Munro said: “Gordon has provided great leadership, accountability, stability and transformed Scottish Rugby in the past six years.

“He has achieved a great deal during his time as Chief Executive and, on behalf of the Board and the staff, we thank him sincerely for his extensive efforts in leading the development of our sport at all levels and rebuilding our reputation amongst many of our key stakeholders.

“Specifically, since his appointment in August 2005, we have made great progress under his stewardship and enjoyed some significant highs in recent years, including the growth in the number of people playing the game, achieving our highest ever world ranking position of sixth, enjoying notable wins at home and abroad for our national team and securing strong partnerships with sponsors and public sector partners.

“Gordon has demonstrated a willingness and an ability to support the Board in the implementation of tough decisions that required to be made in the best interests of the game. Unlike 2005, when Scottish Rugby was close to insolvency, he leaves behind a solid platform and a stable financial base with significantly reduced debt, from which the next phase of developing the game in Scotland can be launched.

“We are determined to continuously develop our sport both on and off the field and will now start our search for a new Chief Executive.

In the interim, I have asked our senior Non-Executive Director and former internationalist, Jock Millican, to take up the position of interim Chief Executive during the recruitment process. Jock has a wealth of business and rugby experience and, with the continued support of our committed staff, is ideally placed to take up this interim position.”

Commenting on his interim appointment, Millican said: “Gordon has done a great job at Scottish Rugby and I wish him success in his next challenge. I will be working closely with the staff to ensure that the transition to a new Chief Executive is as seamless as possible. The recruitment process has already started and we will look to conclude this as swiftly as possible.”

Gordon McKie added: ‘’It has been a tremendous privilege for me to be appointed to lead the management team that has served the interests of Scottish Rugby over the last six years, and I particularly want to thank them for supporting me. I will look back on my time at Murrayfield with a real sense of pride as much has been achieved since the dark days of 2005.

“I very much appreciated the Board’s recent unanimous vote of confidence in the executive management team, and I take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support. However, from a personal perspective, I instigated discussions last weekend after considering matters with my family, as the time is right for me to leave Scottish Rugby and move on to fresh challenges.

“As a long standing supporter, I will always retain a great interest in rugby in Scotland and I wish my successor and all those associated with the game every success in tackling the challenges that lie ahead.’’

Sri Lanka Restored to Full IRB Member Union Status

Posted on Apr 13, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

The International Rugby Board has announced that the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) has been restored to full IRB Member Union status with immediate effect.

The decision, taken by the IRB Council, after a comprehensive review of membership status of the SLRFU, follows the successful completion of the Union’s Annual General Meeting and Board elections in accordance with its constitution.

SLRFU representative sides will participate in Asian Rugby Football Union competitions during 2011.

Sri Lanka has one of the fastest growth rates of Rugby participation in Asia with over 103,000 men, women and children playing the sport, representing a 250% increase since 2007.

Ian Metcalfe to take over chairmanship of rugby’s Professional Game Board

Posted on Feb 7, 2011 in Rugby News

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby have today announced that Ian Metcalfe, RFU Board Director, will replace Martyn Thomas, Chairman of the RFU Board, as Chairman of the Professional Game Board (PGB) with immediate effect.

The Professional Game Board was formed out of the eight year deal signed three years ago by the RFU and Premiership Rugby and the individual clubs. Its remit is to monitor and manage all issues to do with the playing of professional rugby in England ranging from season structure to player welfare and including recommending variations to the eight year agreement where required.

The RFU nominates the chairman of the PGB, which is a two year limited tenure, and for the first period this was agreed to be Thomas in his role of Chairman of the RFU Board. He has now decided to step down and the RFU Board has chosen Metcalfe to take over.

Martyn Thomas, commented, “Ian is an outstanding choice as the new chairman of the PGB. He has a deep knowledge of high performance rugby and has trust and credibility with the professional clubs and, as through his involvement with the RPA, is highly respected there also. I am sure he will lead the PGB with distinction and vision.”

A double Cambridge Blue, Metcalfe is managing partner of Wragge & Co, one of the UK’s largest law firms and was previously a player with Sale and Moseley, where he was captain in 1985-87. He also played for England B and went on tour with England to New Zealand in 1985. He played four times for the Barbarians and still sits on the BaaBaas committee.

Ian Metcalfe added, “It is a huge honour and privilege to be chosen to chair the PGB. Professional rugby continues to grow and prosper but at the same time is facing significant challenges. Working with our partners at Premiership Rugby, the Championship and the RPA we will ensure we stay focussed on making the right decisions at the right time to encourage that growth and meet those challenges.”