We must set our standards high in terms of Governance and Administration. Our systems and structures should be subject to periodic review to ensure that we adopt and operate to ‘best practice’ standards for a National Governing Body of a major sport.

Objectives

To ensure that we have and maintain an efficient and effective management and administrative structure for the game

428 The development of the Union to date has resulted in the current structure of decentralised and devolved administration and decision taking through a number of bodies including the Council, Management Board, Standing Committees, CBs, PRL, FDR and NCA. We also have affiliated or associate organisations such as the ERFSU, SRFU, RFUW and the Referees Union. We need to review this structure periodically to ensure that it does deliver efficient, cost effective and democratic administration of our game for the benefit of all stakeholders. This would not affect in any way the role of the RFU Council as the only policy making body for the whole game.

To manage the RFU to PLC standards

429 Whilst we are not a PLC we need to set the highest standards for the management and administration of the RFU. Such standards are widely accepted and understood as those expected of PLC companies. These standards are set out in the Greenbury, Cadbury, Smith and Higgs Reports and the standards of practice expected of organisations in the conduct of their affairs in the Stock Exchange Yellow Book and the IIP handbook. We should not slavishly follow all PLC standards but select those that are appropriate and relevant to our organisation and structures. In addition, we will continue to work to develop policies in the areas of human resources, people management and quality management to high and recognised standards.

430 It is normal for many organisations providing goods and services to seek an independent assessment of their effectiveness, customer satisfaction and quality. The recognised international standard for achieving this is EN:ISO9001-2000. In its latest format this Quality Management System is focused on business improvement rather than the historical methodology of consistent processes. Registration to the standard is a pre-requisite for doing business in many market sectors, such as automotive, construction, manufacturing and public sector contracts with the NHS, MOD and local authorities.

431 As the RFU activity grows it would be a sensible business objective to seek registration to ISO 9001 with a carefully chosen scope covering the services delivered to the game but also encompassing the RFU commercial activities. It would be unusual that the proposed hotel operation that is part of the South Stand development plan would not be ISO9001 registered as a bench mark of its customer satisfaction.

432 Registration to ISO9001 will provide a framework in which to consolidate many of the existing RFU procedures necessary for running the game with the added advantage of a formal audit and continuous improvement methodology. Timing may be best linked in with the full operation of the hotel operation in season 2008.

Maintain good relationships with the IRB and the Six Nations and by the end of the Plan period be seen as a leader in IRB and Six Nations policy making

433 Our relationships with the IRB and the other Home Unions have improved significantly over the last four years. As the largest Union in the world in terms of members and participants, we should aim to play a major role in terms of policy development and be members of all key Committees of the IRB, supply the Chairman of a fair proportion of them and have a director on the Board of RWC Ltd. We should also be active in making proposals to the IRB for improved Laws of the Game and associated Regulations for the benefit of the community game.

Strategies and Plans

Examine the potential benefits of a separate Community Rugby Board and how it would interface with the rest of the administration

434 The possibility of establishing a Community Rugby Board should be evaluated. This Board would combine the functions of policy making (currently with the Community Rugby Standing Committee) and the executive/administration functions (currently with the Community Rugby & Operations Director). It would need clear Terms of Reference and Limits of Authority.

Review the qualification criteria for CBs

435 The Resolution 8.4B Working Party recommended that CBs should be the only administrative tier below the RFU (now enshrined in the Rules) and that a strengthening of CBs was required together with a delegation of responsibility from Twickenham. This has largely been achieved but CBs have recently been complaining about overload and this issue is addressed elsewhere in this Plan

436 Concern has been expressed about the criteria for qualification as a CB (15 Section 1 Clubs) as being too low. We now need to assess optimum size of a CB to ensure that the resolutions of the 8.4b Working Party as approved by the SGM can be effectively implemented. It may be that this requires a degree of rationalisation of CBs. This would also need a review of the entitlements for CBs to have more than one CB representative on Council.

437 A Task Group will therefore be established comprised of representatives of CBs, Clubs and professional staff (with a majority of elected members on the Task Group) to review the current arrangements and to recommend any changes that would improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of our structures within a democratic environment. As part of this review, the classification of clubs into ‘Sections’ should be reviewed and the qualification criteria for a CB should be re-assessed, including need for special cases.

438 This Review will retain the facility to take into account special cases where club criteria may not be an appropriate measurement of contribution. In these cases the quid pro quo may be to have a centrally funded employee, controlled and managed, locally in each CB to manage “bureaucratic drudge.”

A proper and independent Club Audit needs to be introduced

439 It is essential in a democratic institution such as the RFU where membership of the Council is based on club numbers, that the Game has confidence in the rights of CBs to nominate the right number of members. As qualifying clubs numbers in each CB may change from year to year, it is essential for the integrity of our democratic processes that all Members have confidence in the system. As part of the implementation process for this Plan, the Council, through the Governance Standing Committee, will set up an independent sub Committee to conduct the annual audit of Member Clubs. 

The size, composition, role and responsibilities of Council to be reviewed

440 There have been many debates over the last ten years about the role and responsibilities of Council. The RFU has commissioned a number of reports - Bishop, Lowry, Deloittes and the Resolution 8.4b Working Party to name but a few. Many of the recommendations have been implemented but there is a residual feeling in some parts of the game that we still have not got things quite right.

441 There have been concerns expressed that Council is too big and should be reduced. The size of Council is, of course, intimately linked to what its role is or should be. Council’s role is also affected by what we expect of CBs in terms of game administration. It is important that this issue is put to bed once and for all. Council should therefore debate this matter in the context of the changes to the CB model structure set out earlier in this Plan. This debate should take place early in the 2005/06 season.

442 The proposed review mentioned above may well bring forward new ideas and recommendations. We should therefore keep an open mind about the role and size of Council and whether a separate board for Community Rugby is desirable. Inevitably such a process will necessitate a review of the Management Board and its terms of reference. Method of selection of Chairman to be reviewed

443 There has been much discussion as to whether we have the right method for the selection of the Chairman of the Management Board. The Rules currently allow any Member to propose, with a seconder, a candidate for the position to be voted on at an AGM. Three of the last four Chairmen have been elected in this way and it is likely that this will be the favoured route for all future candidates to take. Council needs to review the selection process for the Chairman of the Management Board through the establishment of an appropriately qualified and representative working party including members from the game generally.

Review the business of Council

444 As part of the review process for this Plan we have reviewed the agendas for each of the Council meetings over the last three years to assess whether Council has wasted too much time on purely administrative matters (eg rubber stamping Governance recommendations on regulations) and not enough time on considering the key strategic issues facing the game. This review tended to support this view.

445 Commencing with the first year of this Plan, 2005/06, the business of Council meetings should be changed to ensure that a major strategic issue is placed on the agenda of each Council meeting for debate. The real value in Council meetings is the assembly of over 50 very experienced rugby administrators from across the country and the combined knowledge they can bring to bear on these strategic issues. These strategic items could be identified and planned one year ahead so that all Council members would have adequate warning and could sound out their constituencies accordingly.

446 It could well be that as a result of such a review Council could delegate some of the routine regulations work to the Governance Standing Committee to free up more time to debate the major strategic issues. In addition the review could possibly look at the Council’s reserved powers to see whether all of these are still necessary or could be passed on to other bodies.

Review the requirement for four Standing Committees

447 The Committee structure was last reviewed by the Gillingham Task Group in 2000/01. This recommended the continuance of four Standing Committees and defined the respective roles and terms of reference of sub-Committees, Working Parties and Task Groups. 

448 With the other reviews envisaged by this Plan it would make sense for a review of the Committee structure in light of other changes that may be made. It is therefore recommended that a Task Group be reconvened during the plan period to consider the Committee structure and whether any changes are appropriate in the light of other developments.

Consider the amalgamation of the RFUW with the RFU

449 It is UK Government policy that NGBs in any sport should cover the whole sport and both genders. This may in future become a condition for the provision of Government funding to NGBs. As far as rugby is concerned, the IRB also wish Unions to be responsible for both male and female rugby as there is currently a regulatory loophole as to who governs women’s rugby in countries where there are separate male and female Unions.

450 The working party set up by the Management Board to consider the issues that would result from an amalgamation of the RFU and RFUW has now reported. The Management Board has accepted the working party’s recommendation that as a matter of policy the RFUW should amalgamate with the RFU subject to resolution of financial, administrative and other issues.

Develop and implement a strategy for improving our influence within the IRB

451 To achieve results we need to develop a positive policy programme that meets the requirements of IRB Member Unions and will gain support because the programme initiatives are right for the development of the game worldwide and are not self-serving. Neither are they based around securing positions of power and influence for personalities. It is by proposing and adopting meaningful policies that we will achieve long-term results. As with other aspects of our business we must set, in consultation with our IRB representatives, clear targets in terms of RFU proposals adopted or improved representation on IRB committees. We must critically access the success of our strategy against the targets set.

452 Whilst we do need to continue the process of improving relationships, we also need to expand and deepen those relationships by having more regular contact with other member Unions of the IRB. This needs to take place at different levels by both executive and elected members through regular meetings, dialogue and exchange of information. The fostering and development of ‘one on one’ relationships between both Council members and executives with their opposite numbers will be helpful in increasing our influence and enabling the RFU to be seen as a ‘team player’. 125

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