7. Administration
Putting Efficiency First

Does England have the economy and infrastructure necessary to support a major international sports event such as the RWC?

The success of any world event is dependent on the effectiveness and thoroughness of the planning and preparation combined with single-minded execution.
To achieve this requires the establishment of the right organisational structures with key accountabilities and responsibilities set out.

England’s Economy

England has a stable economy which is the fifth largest in the world and attracts more international investment than any other country. It houses the corporate headquarters of many of the world’s blue-chip companies as well as the second largest stock exchange. It is also a tourist destination attracting nearly 30 million visitors a year.

Transport Infrastructure

England is fortunate in being one of the most accessible countries in Europe and indeed is an intersection for the world. Many international flights from continental Europe pass through London and on to the final destination.

There are five international airports which, by 2007, are projected to handle more than 100 million passengers annually. Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world and carriers from all likely competing countries have regular scheduled flights.
See Appendix 4 - Administration.

Throughout the country, England’s nine provincial airports offer alternative points of entry for international flights or a short internal flight. None of the proposed venues is more than an hour away from an international airport. See Appendix 4 - Administration.

High speed trains connect all major European cities to England via the Eurostar services operating between Paris, Brussels and London. Train services from London connect it to any city in England. London to Manchester, for instance, takes a little over two hours and London to Newcastle less than three hours. Supporting air and rail is a well-developed road network based on an established motorway framework. See Appendix 4 - Administration.

Corporate Structure

The RFU will establish a new wholly-owned subsidiary company, England 2007 Ltd, (‘Company’) which will be the corporate body responsible for all financial, commercial and operational aspects of running the Event in 2007. This will ensure that there is a distinct separation from the operations of the RFU and deliver the highest standard of corporate governance for the Event. The proposed corporate structure for the Company is set out in Appendix 4 - Administration.

Board Structure

The structure of the Board of the Company will mirror the established and successful organisation structure of the RFU and the key posts of Chairman, CEO, Finance Director, Commercial Director, Operations Director and Legal Officer will be taken up by the individuals occupying the equivalent posts in the RFU. Appropriate arrangements will be made within the RFU to ensure that each individual with dual responsibilities will be able to allocate sufficient time to fully discharge his responsibilities to the Company.

The Curriculum Vitae of the present incumbents of these positions are set out in Section 10 - RFU Tender Response Checklist.

We believe that it is important that there is a proper balance on the Board between executives and non-executives. We are therefore proposing that there should be two Volunteer representatives appointed by the RFU Council to ensure a strong Volunteer input and two senior Non-Executive Directors with significant plc experience to provide a link for the Board to be informed of developments and attitudes of the commercial world and to ensure corporate governance of the highest order.

Home Union Representation

In addition, we also propose, as part of our discussions with our fellow Home Unions, to invite a representative of each of them to be a member of the Board so that the Board benefits fully from the collective knowledge and experience gained by all the Home Unions in previous RWCs held in the British Isles.

We are therefore proposing that the principles set out above would be implemented in a way to achieve a balance of the Board on the following basis: five Executive Directors, three Volunteer Directors, three representatives of the other Home Unions and two independent Non-Executive Directors.

Corporate Governance

On this basis, the Board of the Company would have 13 directors made up as shown in the panel:

The Board will have scheduled meetings each quarter during the period from bid award until 18 months prior to the commencement date of the Tournament. Thereafter it will meet at least monthly and receive progress reports from each Executive Director on his area of responsibility. It will also receive monthly management accounts and reports from each of the Advisory Committees (see below).

The Company will produce a quarterly written report for the Directors of RWC Ltd on progress against agreed plans until 18 months prior to the commencement of the Tournament and thereafter on a monthly basis until the accounts for RWC 2007 have been finalised. Each year, the Company will submit a copy of the audited statutory report and accounts of the Company to RWC Ltd.

Board Advisory Committees

To assist the Board with keeping in touch with key stakeholders in RWC 2007 and the game generally, it is proposed to establish three Advisory Committees.
These Advisory Committees will provide regular advice and input to the Board of the Company and will receive regular feedback from the Board over progress and plans. The proposed roles, responsibilities and membership of each Advisory Committee are set out below.

Each of the Advisory Committees will meet twice a year between bid award and the year prior to the Event. In the year of the Event they will meet quarterly. After each meeting of each Advisory Committee, a written report will be produced and submitted to the Company for consideration and action as appropriate. The expenses of their meetings will be borne by the Company.

Commercial Partners Advisory Committee

The best Event will be one that maximises value for all partners including commercial partners. Many small issues can balloon into major problems as the Event approaches, if not dealt with at an early stage. To avoid this happening, it is essential that there is a structured process to enable the commercial partners to provide input and advice to the Company and RWC Ltd and also to listen to reports on progress and plans.

The purpose of this Advisory Committee will be to receive such input and advice from the commercial partners, as planning for the Tournament develops, and to receive feedback from the Company. The Advisory Committee will have one representative from each of the major RWC 2007 commercial partners, a representative of RWC Ltd and appropriate executive directors. This Advisory Committee will be chaired by the RFU Commercial Director.

Media and Television Advisory Committee

We intend to create a high profile for RWC 2007 and the game of rugby generally through all forms of media. This will cover broadcast TV, radio, print, photography, internet, 3G and broadband platforms. We need input and advice from the key media practitioners of all relevant developments in what is, and will remain, a fast moving environment.
The purpose of this Advisory Committee will be to receive input and advice from these practitioners, interpret media thinking and propose the best ideas for inclusion into Event planning.

This Advisory Committee will have representatives from the major broadcasters of the Event from around the world, together with representatives of the print media, new electronic media and appropriate executive directors.

This Advisory Committee will be chaired by the RFU Communications Director.

International Advisory Committee

The RFU is a strong supporter of the IRB’s Global Development Strategy through the provision of finance and resources by Foundation Unions to developing nations as set out in the RFU’s Alliance Agreement proposals submitted to the IRB in 2001.

This Advisory Committee will be established to provide a forum for the non-Foundation Unions to have an input and involvement in the planning and preparation process, particularly with a view to ensuring that the RWNC meets the objectives and aspirations of the game.

It is proposed that this Advisory Committees will have three representatives from the non-Foundation Unions, a representative from each of the IRB regions, the IRB Development Director and appropriate executive directors.
The Chairman of the RFU Management Board will chair this important Advisory Committee.

Event Management Structure

Whilst the policies, plans and budgets will be approved and controlled by the board of RWC Ltd, the day-to-day management and execution of the approved plans will be conducted by a management team reporting to the RFU and Company CEO.

General Management

The importance of the two Tournaments will be reflected in the appointment of a RWC Tournament Managing Director to manage the RWC and a RWNC Tournament Managing Director to manage the RWNC. Both these appointments will be made within months of the bid award and will be in place for the entire four-year period leading up to and including the Tournaments.

The two Tournament Managing Directors will be supported by a Finance and Budgetary Control function under the RFU Finance Director to ensure proper, professional budgets, management accounts and statutory accounts are produced. Because of the overriding importance of safety and security at all world events, a specialist security team will be set up reporting directly to the company CEO.
The proposed management structure would be as detailed in Appendix 4 - Administration.

The management structures reporting in to each Tournament Managing Director will be somewhat different reflecting the different natures and demands of the RWC and RWNC.

For the RWC, each of the key functions of Ticketing, Marketing, Operations and Media will be headed up by a Director with responsibilities as set out in the organisation charts in Appendix 4 - Administration.

Operations

Of particular importance will be the Operations function for the RWC which has two primary elements, Competitions Management and Venue/Match Management. Each of these elements is fundamental to the successful delivery of the Tournament and will require dedicated teams in each area. The Operations Manager will chair a Technical Committee similar to that used in the Commonwealth Games with specific responsibility to co-ordinate the competitions and match functions within the framework of the Tournament.

The Competitions Management function will manage the logistics of the participating teams, co-ordinating their travel, accommodation and training requirements in consultation with team managements and the appointed Liaison Officers.

It is anticipated that a Competitions Management Team will be required for each of the four pools, subsequently merging to manage the Super 8 and Knockout stages.

With a possible 21 venues and 40 games to be managed, up to four Venue/Match Management Teams will be required. These teams will be required to work with the Stadium Managers, Security Director and Marketing Director to ensure the delivery of all the commercial rights, match administration protocols and security arrangements required by the Host Union Agreement.

The specific match responsibilities include medical and anti-doping provision, officiating and ‘Field of Play’ management, VIP and protocol administration, and provision of team venue requirements.

Communications

There will also be a Communications Services Department whose responsibilities include the establishment of a hot line call centre with a six-language facility and provision of tournament information to fellow Unions. Maximum use will be made of technology such as a dedicated website, broadband and 3G platforms.

RWNC Management

For the RWNC, there will also be Ticketing, Marketing/PR and Operations functions. The key management requirements will be operational including logistics and co-ordination of the army of Volunteer support. To handle this, there will be additional functions relating to the support, management and control of the eight Regional Controllers and the provision of a ‘rapid reaction’ Volunteer Support Unit.

The Tournament Managing Director for RWNC will produce a template for the Regional and Match Committees to work to that will give a focused, consistent approach to the matches, whilst retaining the opportunity for each host club to create a unique event.

Both Tournament Managing Directors will produce a written report for each meeting of the Company. A copy of these reports will be supplied each month to RWC Ltd.

RFU Experience in Hosting World Class Events

Effective organisational structures and event management systems help to co-ordinate and take advantage of the lessons, good and bad, gleaned from experience.

The RFU has extensive experience in staging and hosting world class and other major sporting events and these are set out below:

• Commonwealth Games Manchester 2002 - the RFU was responsible for organising and managing the Sevens Tournament
• RWC 1991 - the RFU shared the event with France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The RFU managed seven matches in England including the final at Twickenham
• RWC 1999 - the RFU shared the event with France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales holding nine matches in England, including back-to-back semi-finals at Twickenham
• Heineken European Cup Final 2000 at Twickenham
• IRB World Series Sevens (2001 and 2002) at Twickenham
• Rugby League World Cup 2000 - Opening Ceremony and match at Twickenham
• Rugby League Cup Final 2000 at Twickenham.

Use of Technology

The RFU has, over the last two years, invested heavily in technology to improve both commercial returns and the efficiency of the administration of the game in England.

The main developments are as follows:

• the RFU’s new and greatly expanded website, rfu.com. This now has a database of all member clubs, Volunteers, officials and coaches. It is being extended to provide a full registration and administration facility
• The Rugby Store at rfu.com. This ‘on-line’ retail facility now accounts for over 20% of our merchandise sales
• the RFU’s broadband TV service, rfu.tv. This now shows highlights of all England and Premier Rugby matches together with a full range of archive search facilities
• the RFU is in negotiations with 3G mobile phone licensees over rights for matches, results and news for the new devices shortly to be on sale.

In addition to all this activity, we have also set 30th June 2004 as E-Day throughout our Union. E-Day is the day all administration and communication within the RFU and its member clubs goes fully electronic.