RFU Mission Statement

• 'To promote and govern rugby union in England through maintaining stable structures for the game that enable its successful development at all levels for the benefit of its participants'.

• 'To be world leaders through excellence in every aspect of the elite game'.

• 'To promote and develop the game within the community so as to encourage optimum participation and enjoyment at every level'.

• 'To be commercially and financially the strongest Union in the world to provide the investment resource necessary to achieve our aspirations for the game'.

Overview

Since 1871 the Rugby Football Union has been working hard for the game of rugby. It is the governing body for the Game in England and membership has grown to comprise of approximately 2000 clubs, 27 Constituent Bodies (Counties), the Armed Forces, and Oxford and Cambridge Universities and Students on the principle of one member, one vote. To administer every facet of the game, the RFU currently has over three hundred permanent staff working from its headquarters in Twickenham and in our regional Schools and Referees centre in Wolverhampton.

The marketing structure of the RFU operates on regional, divisional, national and international levels to sell the game of rugby and maximise its income which is then used to support the game from grass roots through to the highest level. The most successful deal ever for English rugby was signed with BSkyB resulting in a massive £87.5m being pumped into the sport and this has helped to sustain England's place on the world stage.

Every year there are over 200,000 games played under the auspices of the RFU and the Union also has a financial commitment to the 8,000 mini rugby sides in the country. There are approximately 3,000 schools affiliated to the England Rugby Football Schools Union (ERFSU) and the Rugby Football Union annually invests £1.6 million in youth development schemes.

Ensuring that all its players are cared for, the RFU also runs a comprehensive insurance scheme for all registered clubs which covers referees, touch judges and officials and protects over 500,000 players every week. The scheme provides accidental death and disability cover up to £250,000 across all levels from player to sponge man when taking part in a rugby-related event such as coaching, training, recruitment or travel.

In recent years one of the RFU's goals has been to create a strong and vibrant club structure, with club competitions to support it. The English Rugby Partnership (ERP) which launched in 1997 oversees the organisation of domestic competitions whilst the RFU Competition Sub Committee continually works, in partnership with clubs, to develop quality players that will continually restore a renowned international England side.

The RFU was a founder member of the Five Nations Championship (now the Six Nations) that was started in 1910 and has been putting on international rugby fixtures ever since. These fixtures have given fans the opportunity to see superlative rugby and given the England side the match experience needed to become the first Northern Hemisphere side to be crowned World Champions, in November 2003.

 History
An English Game?
Various forms of football have been played all over the world for centuries. ‘Mob’ football, as it is known, came to England in the 11^th century and was very different from any of the codes played today. The game often involved hundreds of people and very few rules, but was still hugely popular. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was banned because of the damage caused by the participants and also because it interfered with the practice of archery - vital to the defence of the country before the development of gunpowder.

Public School's Influence
Football became popular in public schools as recreation for the boys when not studying. The various schools took ‘mob’ football from the towns and villages and played to their own rules - developed by the pupils themselves. Rugby School, situated in the middle of England, played on grass using a pig's bladder encased in leather for a ball.

Early Rules at Rugby School
The rules at Rugby School initially forbade handling the ball on the field of play unless the ball was airborne in which case it could be caught. The catcher stood still as did all other players. The catcher could then retreat from where he had caught the ball and either kick it wherever he wished or place it on the ground and try to kick it over the crossbar and between the posts which counted as a goal. Until he had passed the spot where he had originally caught the ball no one could move.

Running with the Ball
Very few rules changed until the mid 1820s when, legend has it, a student called William Webb Ellis caught the ball and instead of standing still, ran with it in his arms towards the opponent's goal line. By the 1840s this had become the norm. The Rugby World Cup has since been named ‘The Webb Ellis Cup’ in memory of this scholar.

The Spread of Rugby and Birth of the Union
When the boys of Rugby School left they took the game with them and clubs sprang up all over England and in the colonies where they worked either as service personnel or administrators. By 1870 it became clear that the game was being played to a variety of rules.
In December 1870 Edwin Ash, Secretary of Richmond Club put a letter in the papers which said, "Those who play the rugby-type game should meet to form a code of practice as various clubs play to rules which differ from others, which makes the game difficult to play".
On 26th January 1871 a meeting was held in London attended by over 30 people from 22 clubs and schools. As a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union was founded.

Formation of the Home Nations
A committee was formed and three ex-Rugby School pupils were invited to write a set of laws. The writers were all lawyers and the task was completed and approved by June of that year. At the same time the Scottish members of the new Union challenged the English members to a match and the first international match between Scotland and England was played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh on 27 March 1871 – Scotland won by 1 goal and 1 try to 1 goal.
The Scots formed their own Rugby Union in 1873; the Irish Rugby Union was formed in 1879 and the Welsh Rugby Union in 1880.

The 'Great Schism' - Professional or Amateur?
In 1893 the Committee of the Union began to hear reports that some players in the north of England were being paid for playing. This was contrary to the strict amateur code and efforts were made to collect hard evidence. The evidence arrived with a complaint by Cumberland County Union that a leading Yorkshire club had induced one of their players to leave for a monetary consideration. The Union set up an inquiry but was warned privately and through letters to the press that if the club was punished all the chief clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire would secede from the Union - a serious threat because a large proportion of international players were drawn from these counties. The inquiry was held at Preston and the club concerned was suspended.

Broken Time Payments
There followed two large general meetings at which efforts were made by the northern clubs to carry a resolution that men should be paid for "broken time" - that is to say when playing football instead of working. The motion was defeated.

The Northern Unions Break Away
In August 1895 twenty two clubs seceded from the Rugby Football Union and formed the Northern Union (which in the 1920s became the ‘Rugby League’). The loss of these northern clubs, and the many others that followed them, to the Northern Union had a serious impact on the English international side and it was several years before the loss could be made up.

Billy Williams Cabbage Patch
The Rugby Football Union had been playing international matches at various venues, notably the Oval and Crystal Palace. In 1906 the Committee of the Union asked the Finance Sub-Committee to look into the feasibility of purchasing a plot of land upon which to build a stadium for the exclusive use of playing rugby. As a result in 1907 a parcel of land of 10 1/4 acres was purchased near the town of Twickenham, which is 12 miles from the centre of London. Instigated by William Williams and having formerly been a market garden, the pitch became known as Billy Williams' Cabbage Patch.

Early Days at Twickenham
Over the next two years the infrastructure was completed and the first match (between Harlequins and Richmond) took place in 1909. The first international between England and Wales was played in January 1910. Since then only a handful of home internationals have been played elsewhere.

The Magnificent Modern Stadium
When the stadium was opened it was designed to accommodate 20,000 people both seated and standing with space for 200 cars.
Now after extensive rebuilding the capacity is 75,000 all seated with car space for over 3,000 vehicles. There are escalators in each of the three new stands and in the East and West are a total of four bars each measuring over 47 metres in length. In the East there is the main shop (The Rugby Store) and the Museum of Rugby - a state of the art, multi-media museum housing the world's finest collection of rugby memorabilia. Tours of the stadium also operate from the Museum six days a week. In the West there are two more shops; the Spirit of Rugby Restaurant; the National Fitness Centre; Committee suites; six large changing rooms on the ground floor with an adjacent medical suite (which includes a fully equipped dental surgery and x-ray room).There are also four other large restaurants within the stadium. Overall, the total area of the stadium has increased from 10 acres in 1907 to 35 acres in 1997 and there are plans to expand the facilities in the near future.

Trouble and Strife
Up until 1885 England, as the founder Union, had made the Laws of the Game. In 1884 England had a dispute with Scotland over a try - England said it was a try and Scotland maintained it was not. In the exchange of letters which followed, England claimed that as they made the Law, if they said it was a try then it was. This heavy-handed approach did not go down well, and Scotland refused to play England in 1885.

The International Board Enters the Scene
In 1886 an International Board was formed by Scotland, Ireland and Wales but England refused to take part - as a result of which the other Home Unions refused to play them. England changed its stance with regard to representations on the Board and in 1890 relations were resumed. The International Board gradually took over more and more responsibilities and now, at the present time, they make the Laws and run the game. In 1995 they announced that the game would become "open" – that is, players could be paid for playing. So, exactly 100 years after the Northern Union had broken away, the ethos of the game had completely changed.

The Glittering Prizes
The Calcutta Cup?
Amongst the several trophies played for by England each year is one which stands above the rest - the Calcutta Cup. Presented to the Union by the Calcutta Rugby Football Club in 1878 the cup is of Indian workmanship and is made entirely from melted-down silver rupees. The body is finely engraved with three king cobras forming the handles. The domed lid is surmounted by an elephant which is, it is said, copied from the Viceroy's own stock and is complete with a howdah. The Union decided that the cup should be played for every year between England and Scotland and whoever wins will keep the cup for that year. It was first played for in 1879.

The Millennium Trophy?
In 1988 the City of Dublin's Millennium was celebrated by the presentation of a trophy in the shape of a horned ‘Viking’ helmet, donated by Digital, which is now played for annually between Ireland and England.

The Six Nations' Trophy?
The most recent addition to the trophies is the Six Nations' Trophy, first awarded in 1993. It is a sterling silver trophy with 15 side panels representing the 15 members of the team and with three handles to represent the three officials. The cup's capacity is 375 centilitres – sufficient for five bottles of champagne. Within the mahogany base is a concealed drawer which contains six alternate finials which can be screwed on the lid which is detachable. Each finial is a silver replication of one of the six national Rugby Union team emblems.

Women's Rugby
Women's rugby, which started in 1983, is one of the fastest growing women's sports. It has over 420 clubs and 8,000 participants in England alone. The official governing body is the Rugby Football Union for Women which was formed in 1994 with the dissolution of the Great Britain Women's RFU. Each of the Home Nations now has its own union. The RFUW is recognised by the RFU and holds associate status. The RFUW is run by a Board of Directors who are all volunteers. At club level women's rugby has a national league structure comprising of Premier 1 and Premier 2 National Divisions, plus a further two national leagues as well as divisional and regional competitions. England compete annually in the Six Nations Championship where Spain take part instead of Italy. They also finished runners up to New Zealand in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2002.

The Varsity Element
Oxford University versus Cambridge University is probably one of the oldest annual fixtures in the world. First played at Oxford in 1872 it has had many venues, finally coming to Twickenham in 1922. It is now played on the second Tuesday in December each year and attracts a huge crowd.

Rugby for the Young
More and more the emphasis is on rugby for young people. Whilst the first schoolboy International was played versus Wales in 1905, mini rugby took off after the World Cup of 1991 and the Union now has a large team of Youth Development Officers visiting schools and clubs regularly to assist with the coaching of the young. In 1994 the Daily Mail newspaper sponsored a Schools' Day at Twickenham which was a great success and ten years on is still an annual event which generates huge support.