The Rugby Doomsday Clock

Our Universe is full of instant information and our attention spans are short, every device and application yells out for attention and our moral compasses flick back and forth with alarming speed. So much information needs processing that one tends not to spend too much time mulling over solitary issues or digging deeper than a headline. The Doomsday clock is currently set at 89 seconds to Midnight and we seem oblivious.

Governments, politicians, businesses and various organisations use this endless noise of information to bluster and bumble along in the hope that no one scrutinises their endeavours (or lack of), no scandals envelope them and they can keep their noses in the trough until it is time to pass the baton over to someone else who will do exactly the same. They follow the path of least resistance.

The RFU is one of those organisations, embattled CEO Bill Sweeney clings on defiantly to his handsomely paid role by making guest appearances on Podcasts where he looks so relaxed he is in danger of slipping under the table. Stats, dates and figures are bounded about, topics are glossed over and tangents are meandered along. The ire of clubs around the country has been growing steadily, there is an undeniable feeling of them and us, a lack of trust in the RFU that is reinforced when figures are glossed over, stats are fudged, promises missed and progress stalled. There are so many misgivings in the community game that clubs have so far failed to unite behind a particular issue. That is until the RFU awarded huge bonuses across it’s Executive board for performance that is lacklustre to say the least.

Bill Sweeney CEO pocketed a bonus of £358,000 (total salary £1.1m) as part of a performance based plan to keep the Executive team together through Covid, to put this in perspective his total remuneration is just shy of the funding the RFU gives to the Championship (second tier of English rugby). The bonus was declared at the same time as the RFU announced a loss of £37.9m and the redundancy of 40 community employees.

The optics don’t look great. However, the RFU finances are calculated over a 4 year period, taking into consideration things like 6 Nation home games, World cup years and Autumn Internationals. Rewind 4 years to 2020 and the RFU lost £10.8m. Yet again cost cutting measures were needed and 139 community staff were made redundant out of a total of 580.

It appears that every 4 years the RFU recognises that it is going to make a loss, and yet every 4 years it declares cost cutting measures that exclusively target the community game. In 4 years the RFU have cut 180 community officers yet paid an Executive board £1.4m in bonuses alone.

The RFU is a membership body that governs the game of rugby in England and serves the best interests of it’s 1600+ member clubs. Each club receives 1 vote which means each club is an equal and valued member. Simply put all clubs abide by the same set of rules and regulations. Yet clubs like Worcester and WASPS can go spectacularly bust owing huge amounts of money and not have to start at the bottom of the pyramid like every other club would.

Sweeney states in 2020, RFU priorities are “supporting the community game and our member clubs – which are the life blood of our game”.

A recent England rugby job description states “working at the RFU means being part of the ‘bigger picture’ at England Rugby: to be rooted in our purpose, which is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union & develop the sport for future generations”.

The RFU’s stated objectives are: To encourage the Game, and its values to flourish across England.

Yet, it all seems so very hollow. Just words that are used to create an image rather than the reality.

Rugby investment from RFU.

2015 – Professional rugby – £44.3m – Community Investment – £32.5m

2020 – Professional rugby – £66.4m – Community – £28.3m

2024 – Professional rugby £65.6m – Community – £30.5m

The recently signed community game and prioritisation plan (2024) hails £30m a year to be spent on the community game for the next 4 years. It sounds impressive but demonstrably less than 2015. According to the BOE inflation calculator £32.5m in 2015 is £44.05m in 2025. In real terms the RFU is spending £12m a year less on the community game. But whilst investment in the grassroots game withers the investment in professional rugby swells and bleeds the rest dry. Each Premiership club receives £3.3m annually from the RFU (in reality it is more like £4.2m when you add in RFU payments to Premiership Academies). It seems that everyone is treated equally but some more equally than others!

Statistics are used like sticking plasters to cover over the cracks of the community game. Everyone involved with community men’s rugby knows that it is in a downward spiral, so many clubs have gone to the wall and those that previously fielded 6 teams a week can barely scrape 3 on a Saturday.

Yet Sweeney reports that playing figures this season are actually quite good, newly appointed interim Chairman Bill Beaumont says playing numbers are back to pre-covid levels. Are they really? The RFU is relying on it’s new participation statistics. Previous to Covid you only had to register as a player if you were in the 1st XV. Now everybody has to register as a player, even if you only play once a season for the 9th XV.

Clubs need to start holding the RFU accountable, demand proper communication, have an overview of where money is being spent, be engaged in the decision making and the direction of rugby in England and form more of a collaborative approach.

Split the Professional and Amateur games. The Exec board can work on professional rugby and a slimmed down (12) council takes charge of the amateur game. All revenue from Twickenham is split 50/50 between both.

The rugby Doomsday clock is ticking, player numbers dwindling, premiership with total debt of £311m, shrinking numbers of schools playing rugby, concussion lawsuit, 6Nations set to go to pay-per-view.

It needs change before it goes pop!

Chris Callaway is the Founder of Southwark RFC in London.

Photo by Richard Glendenning on Unsplash