Page 20 - RFU Annual Report 2015/2016

Chief Executive Officer
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At the elite level, The Rugby The partnership is worth over £200 Hundreds of clubs gave facilities
Players’ Association five-year million, with the first four-year a facelift ready for the new
funding deal with the RFU and payment fixed at £112 million. season. The programme delivered
Premiership Rugby Ltd sees The second four-year payment over 200 NatWest RugbyForce
£7m delivered into could potentially be higher than workshops across England, and
RPA programmes to £112 million, subject to financial for the first time clubs were
support current and performance under the rugby entered into a competition to win
Will Greenwood or Lewis Moody
revenue share partnership
former RPA players. approach. The funding model for as an honorary board member,
the clubs is based on the English with Royston and Bolton RUFCs
For the second successive year Qualified Player (EQP) threshold securing their services.
all registered professional being met, the Elite Player Squads
players, coaches, support staff (EPS), and standards for club Twickenham Stadium’s season
and referees completed a academies being achieved. drew to a close with a popular
mandatory online concussion new-look HSBC
awareness module. Head The Professional Game Agreement
Injury Assesment will see the England Elite Player London Sevens, before
Team GB men and women flew
was extended to Squad increase from 33 to 45 out to help to make history as
the A league and players, and greater flexibility rugby sevens made the sport’s first
during core international periods
Championship and so that 36 players can be selected appearance on the Olympic stage.
the RFU launched for the camp instead of 33.
Rugby Safe with easily The England Head
accessible information for Coach will now also
everyone in the game. be able to make the
final selection of
A great deal of work was done on
our Heads of Agreement, and our 45 squad members
proposed agreement with PRL was in the first week of
approved by Board and Council October. A reduced number
before the RFU and of 20 players will also be selected
Premiership Rugby as part of a Next EPS squad for
Limited (PRL) agreed training camps and possible Saxon 2016 was always likely to be a
a ground-breaking, fixtures. time of renewal, with Rugby
progressive new Ensuring that our World Cup the end
partnership for the clubs are successful and the beginning
next eight years. continues to be a of a cycle. Nigel Melville

major imperative. has become our new Professional
Rugby Director, Joanna Manning-
The agreement sees Premiership
clubs benefiting from the The RFU Council in December Cooper is in the new role of
successful financial performance approved investment in Director of Digital, Marketing
of England Rugby for the first Artificial Grass Pitches and & Communications, and Simon
time, PRL and the RFU having the installation of Massie-Taylor joined us in
agreed an appropriate share of 100 floodlit AGPs September as Chief Commercial
rugby revenues as a basis for the nationwide. The floods Officer.
investment over the life of the deal. which hit clubs reinforced the
This will enable both need for all weather pitches, as the Rob Andrew stepped down having
the RFU and the RFU worked to support those most contributed hugely to the game
and the organisation as a whole in
clubs to continue to seriously hit. his 10 years at the RFU, not least in
grow together on NatWest RugbyForce in June building strong relationships with
and off the pitch, and once again saw rugby clubs open professional clubs and through
all parties to work together to make their doors for a weekend of DIY, our stream of talented age
England Rugby the best in the recruiting club members and the grade players.
world for club and country. local community as volunteers.

Annual Report 2015/16