JSG Cymru– WRU MEETING 26^th June 2024

 Virtual meeting – MS Teams

Attendees:

WRU: Abi Tierney (CEO), Nigel Walker (Executive Director of Rugby), Malcolm Wall (Chair of PRB), Simon Rimmer

JSG:   Barrie Jones (Crys 16); Gareth Storey (Crys 16); Dan Hallett (Dragons Official Supporters Club), David Allen (CF10), Hugh Campbell (CF10), Grant Berni (Ospreys Supporters Club), Sarah Collins-Davies (Ospreys Supporters Club), Simon Harrington (Cardiff Blue & Black Supporters Club).

Minutes: Sally Carter (CF10)

Apologies: The group offered best wishes to Cathy Green who has been in hospital.

New members:  David Allen was attending to represent CF10 in place of Lynn who is in Australia. Sally is also here from CF10 to take notes of the meeting.
The meeting commenced at 6.35pm.

Agenda

1. Strategy Report

The main issue to be discussed in this meeting is the high-level strategy that the WRU launched today. This meeting will focus primarily on the parts of the strategy of most relevance to the clubs and regional rugby.

• Abi Tierney introduced ‘One Wales’ – a strategy that encapsulates the whole of rugby in Wales from grass roots to international level.
• The process of creating the strategy has been as collaborative as possible and has included supporters. Abi Tierney thanked the JSG for the SWOT analysis which has fed into this strategy.
• This will be a living document and KPIs will be produced, and progress tracked.
• “Where Rugby Matters More”. Rugby is in the DNA in Wales and the strategy needs to unite people behind that passion. That will help us overcome hurdles and make the most of opportunities. The aim is to unite people and to work together to inspire and create opportunities for all at community, school and pro level.

Five Goals

The goals cover the period up to the end of 2029 which will include the 2^nd cycle of the Women’s world cup.

1. Men’s and Women’s national teams consistently ranked in the top 5
2. Club teams challenging in the play-offs of URC / Celtic Challenge
3. Retain and grow the number of active participants
4. Financial sustainability at all levels of the game
5. Increase the percentage of the Welsh public positive about Welsh rugby.                                                                                    

Four pillars

The goals will be supported by 4 pillars:

1. Develop inspiring, competitive clubs and national teams
2. Foster a thriving and sustainable community game
3. Accelerate the development of the women’s and girl’s rugby ecosystem
4. Capture, engage and grow our Welsh rugby audience through positive brands, experiences and narrative.

There will be more detail, action points and KPIs behind each pillar. This is very much a living document.

Enablers

Each pillar has linked enablers, and everything will be data and insight lead.

For example, pillar 1 “Develop inspiring, competitive clubs and national teams” has a series of related goals:

• ensuring the national team is consistently ranked in the top 5,
• national teams capable of competing for honours in the 6 Nations and RWC,
• consistently competitive clubs that challenge in the play-offs of their competitions,
• and more and better players for the professional game

These feed through into core objectives:

• drive two inspiring senior Wales programmes
• deliver outstanding development environments
• collaborate to build capacity and deliver a coherent player development ecosystem.
• Implement aspirational competitions at each phase of the player journey

In order to meet these objectives there is recognition that some areas such as supporting 7s rugby will have to have a reduced focus and that some male marquee players should be allowed to pursue opportunities overseas if there is no compelling offer in Wales – as is covered by the current ‘25-cap’ rule.

Nigel Walker spoke in more detail about the Professional game and the planned developments in this area:

• The aim is to develop inspiring, competitive clubs.
• Changes have already been made with developments such as Super Rygbi Cymru.
• There will be an emphasis on developing the youth game, with the clubs acting as a finishing school for identified young talent.
• Regional clubs must have a group of home-grown players that they can draw from.
• A key aim is for Wales to consistently be a top 5 nation in world rankings. The feeling in the WRU is that it is all about having the systems in place that allow us to peak at the right times. This is ambitious but realistic.

2. Finances

Malcolm Wall spoke about the financial implications of the strategy.

• We need to have consistently competitive clubs.
• There has been a big debate about the salary cap and the budget for the next season.
• We have developed a model that will allow all clubs to be competitive and nurture the game for players coming in at age 14 and all the way up to regional level.
• The WRU have had help from Portas Consulting to work out what funding we need to be competitive.
• £6 to £6.5 m is seen as the sum required (per club, per year). This has been agreed and worked through with the Professional Rugby Board (PRB).
• It is based on the concept of “what does good look like?” What do we need for funding and operational excellence, including coaching, facilities, and the overall package?
• We have identified a funding gap of over £29 million over a five-year period, which exists if this level of financing is to be achieved.
• The funding gap is the projected gap between our current competition and commercial funding and what we have agreed is required to make our clubs competitive.
• We have to look at ways that we can reduce this funding gap. Can we be better commercially? Can we achieve better competition income? Can the WRU increase its investment in the regional game and what are the external funding opportunities?

Large sums of money have been talked about in the media. Abi Tierney explained where these figures have come from.

• There is a £1.45m funding gap per club per year to get to ‘what good looks like’.
• There is the existing £20m debt which they are looking to re-finance in the autumn with better payment terms.
• At the simplest level we are spending more money than we are bringing in annually and the difference is approximately £15m. This has been covered by CVC money but this is important to note because the receipts from this CVC investment will stop in 2026.
• Unless we can reduce this shortfall the game in Wales will not be sustainable.

Gareth Storey asked how this funding gap has come about?

• Covid took out our major income stream (at an estimated cost of £30 million); TV money and income flatlined in the years following but costs have continued to rise along with the general cost of living and inflation.
• Abi Tierney accepted that the WRU didn’t respond quickly enough to this change.
• It was accepted that changes at a senior level in the organisation did not help the financial situation. However, the WRU emphasised that this did not have a major impact on the overall financial situation.

Hugh Campbell asked how our proposed budget compares to other teams in the URC.

• Malcolm Wall stated that the WRU have benchmarked against other clubs, and it is reasonable. It is not at the top, but it gives us a fighting chance.
• We are not spending as much as the Irish clubs, but the IRFU want to keep all their players within Ireland which we have already accepted is not attainable in Wales, though the ambition is for the majority to be retained in Wales.

David Allen asked if it was definitely the case that the difficult decisions about funding the professional game would be made in October.

• Abi Tierney responded that a paper outlining the future of the professional game in Wales will be taken to the Board by October to give clubs a degree of certainty for the contracting period 25/26.

David Allen pointed out that it is going to be a very difficult 6 months. At the moment all clubs agree that something drastic needs to be done but our current unity may disappear when the proposed cuts are aimed at individual clubs.

• Malcom Wall agreed but said there had been a recognition that the status quo is not sustainable.
• That doesn’t mean the solution has to be unnecessarily extreme, and it doesn’t mean that the only solution is to lose a region.
• Tomorrow there will be a presentation of the WRU’s business plan, signing off what the costs are, what the funding gap is, and the work needed to bridge the gap.
• There will then be 6 weeks to confirm that this plan can work before more options need to be considered.

Sarah Collins-Davies asked what the clubs and regions will have to work towards in terms of KPIs.

• Abi Tierney noted that there are two different things here: the structure needed to achieve the overall goals, and the KPIs that will fall out of this to allow these goals to be met.
• If we change the regional structure the WRU will work with the Regions in parallel to ensure we meet the required standards.

Gareth Storey asked if Portas will be involved long term and what impact this will have financially?

• Abi Tierney said that Portas are excellent value for money and have brought a great deal of knowledge and a huge database of information.
• The WRU will want to use them again for targeted work going forward.

In conclusion Abi Tierney stated that “This will only work if we can unite the whole of rugby behind it”. The WRU will continue to work with the JSG and the fans are an important voice within that as we strive to make a genuinely world class game in Wales. If we want to win consistently, we need to have this structure in place.

3. Judgement Day

The meeting now turned to reflect on the latest Judgement Day and what the long-term future is for this fixture.

• A detailed and robust discussion took place on the recent Judgement Day event @ CCS.
• Members of JSG who attended this event reviewed their experience and suggested improvements for supporters.
• WRU are committed to the event for next year. The date has been set and it will take place at the Principality Stadium. The planning for this year is way ahead of the normal schedule.
• Malcolm Wall asked if we could keep this as a standing agenda item and would welcome feedback from JSG on future plans. Abi Tierney agreed that it would be good to engage with fans to get a better idea of what we want and to help curate future events.

NB The rest of this section is redacted due to commercial sensitivities of the matters discussed, but a welcome and healthy debate was held.

4. Additional Income

Dan Hallett asked about additional income streams. There have been a number of high-profile concerts in the stadium this summer. Is this the kind of revenue that can be a game changer? Are the Parkgate Hotel and SCALE performing to a level that will make a difference?

• Abi Tierney responded that SCALE is still too new to report back on.
• The hotel is exceeding against forecast but there is a large mortgage that needs to be paid and the cash generated currently needs to be retained to maintain upkeep of the building. However, the hotel is an asset on the books and the cash it generates will be able to be used for rugby in the longer term.
• The concerts have each exceeded their income targets for food and beverage, although there is a need to increase profit margins. The WRU makes money from food, beverages but not as much from merchandising for example, so it is important to build the margins on these as far as possible.

This year two of the autumn internationals are Sunday games. Was this dictated by TV, and will it be detrimental to income?

• Abi Tierney said that this is partly a knock-on impact of not performing well. TV doesn’t necessarily want to give us prime time slots, in the same way.
• Nigel Walker pointed out that there are swings and roundabouts from year to year as to which days get allocated to which teams in the Six Nations and, taken overall, the scheduling is generally fair to all parties.

5. Rafferty Report and Related Issues

Sarah Collins-Davies asked a number of questions on behalf of Cathy Green relating to the Rafferty report and the commitment of the WRU to observe the recommendations, and also whether the recommendations applied across the board, including the national teams’

This section has been redacted due to the sensitivities of the matters discussed and in order to respect the privacy of individuals.

In summary, the WRU takes these issues very seriously and is working every day on building and evolving its culture. JSGCymru expressed concern regarding several specific issues It was agreed that the HR policies at the WRU need to be continually updated and the right balance between transparency and duty of care to individuals should always be struck.

6. Closing Remarks

• David Allen asked if there is anything the JSG can contribute to this process going forward? Can we be helpful as a sounding board for ideas?
• Abi Tierney stated that they are keen to keep supporters updated and she would like to think more on the role the JSG can play.
• Abi Tierney felt that today’s discussion about Judgement Day has been much more valuable to her than simply using these meetings to give us presentations. She would like to find a way that this can become a more meaningful exchange of ideas, even if sometimes this may require a degree of confidentiality.
• The Strategy will not be successful without the support of the fans.
• Abi Tierney asked if this is something we could return to at the next meeting when she has had a chance to formulate some concrete ideas and proposals. The JSG was happy with this.

7. Date and Time of next meeting.

We will look to hold the next meeting in October, possibly before the announcement of the more detailed strategy.
The meeting closed at 19.50pm.

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JSG Cymru WRU Minutes February 2024
MEETING MINUTES
Date: 20th February 2024
Time: 18:30-19:45
Location: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Attendees:
Abi Tierney (WRU)
Nigel Walker (WRU)
Malcolm Wall (WRU)
Barrie Jones (Crys 16)
Gareth Storey (Crys 16)
Sarah Collins-Davies (Ospreys Supporters Club)
Cathy Green (Ospreys Supporters Club)
Lynn Glaister (CF10)
Dann Hallett (Dragons Official Supporters Club)

1. Introductions and Previous Communications
Following introductions, Barrie Jones commenced the meeting by congratulating Abi Tierney in both
Welsh and English on her recent appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the WRU. Abi expressed her
gratitude and conveyed her eagerness to collaborate with everyone present. She emphasised the open
nature of the conversation but acknowledged the requirement to document the proceedings. Lynn
Glaister provided a brief overview of the agenda, including discussions on the independent review,
strategy, finance, Judgement Day, and women’s rugby.

2. Independent Review
Abi Tierney addressed the attendees regarding the independent review published in November. She
emphasised the importance of implementing the recommendations effectively and transparently.
Cathy Green raised a query about including a supporter representative on the review panel.
Abi explained the panel’s composition and assured regular updates to stakeholders. The conversation
also touched on past interactions between JSG Cymru and the WRU and the need for transparent and
constructive engagement going forward.

3. Strategy
Abi Tierney outlined the ongoing process of developing a new strategy for Welsh rugby, incorporating
inputs from various stakeholders. She discussed the need for broad engagement and feedback
mechanisms, requesting a SWOT analysis from supporter groups.
The supporter groups gave an overview of their membership structures and communication mechanisms
with their associated memberships and clubs.
Nigel Walker and Malcolm Wall emphasised the strategy’s comprehensive nature, encompassing both
professional and community rugby. The discussion extended to pathways for young players and the
balance between sustaining the game financially and nurturing talent.

4. Finances
JSG questioned how the Parkgate Hotel was performing in terms of revenue generation.

Abi Tierney noted that after a difficult start, the Parkgate Hotel was now delivering. Abi went on to
provide insights into the financial challenges faced by the WRU, including debt repayment and revenue
generation. The conversation revolved around restructuring debts, diversifying revenue streams, and the
impact of events like the European finals on regional clubs.
Malcolm Wall highlighted the significance of the Principality Stadium as a revenue-generating asset and
discussed strategies for financial sustainability.

5. Judgement Day
Barrie Jones raised the issue of seating arrangements at Judgement Day to enhance the spectator
experience.
Malcolm Wall assured plans for facilitating block seating and Nigel Walker confirmed the event’s return to
the Principality Stadium in the following season.

6. Women’s Rugby
Discussions centred on integrating women’s rugby with regional clubs, pathways for female players, and
promotional efforts for women’s competitions.
Nigel Walker and Abi Tierney emphasised the need for a clear strategy to develop women’s rugby at the
right pace whilst addressing infrastructure challenges.

7. Welsh Language
Barrie Jones highlighted the importance of Welsh language representation within the WRU, suggesting
updates to the organisation’s Welsh language website.

8. Any Other Business (AOB)
Gareth Storey expressed gratitude to Abi Tierney for her time, and Abi extended her willingness to
engage further with the supporter groups.

NEXT MEETING
April 2024 (specific date to be advised).

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We are excited to confirm that the Ospreys Supporters Club has shown its commitment to the up-and-coming talent in the region, by becoming the exclusive Player Sponsor of Harri Deaves.

Following his debut in 2022, Harri has regularly featured in the squad this season, including being named in the starting line-up for our recent wins over Sharks, Benneton, Scarlets, and Cardiff together with his Player of the Match performance against the Lions in South Africa.

Speaking on the announcement, Sarah Collins-Davies (OSC chair) said:

“We are delighted to be able to support the Ospreys this season through the sponsorship of one of our brightest future stars, Harri Deaves. We are proud to be a part of his journey which we are sure will go from strength to strength in the coming seasons and we look forward to working with the Ospreys as part of a successful partnership.”

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Our new OSC badges are now available!

The 2023-24 badges mirror the colours of our new European shirt with an aqua mask on a black nickel background.

All profits from badge sales go to the Ospreys Supporters Club chosen rugby related charity

You can purchase your badge on matchday at the Riverside Bar or from our online shop by clicking on the link below.

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SECRETARY’S REPORT

This year in an effort to avoid unnecessary duplication, the chair, Grant Berni and myself, decided to agree on a set focus for our reports. Consequently, it falls upon me to offer a reflective synopsis of what, in all honesty, been something of a turbulent year for the game in Wales. What, I hear you ask, is new in that? I think that the most significant factor is the absolute chaos that followed the revelations brought to light by a small, but brave and determined band of women who ensured that the WRU was finally brought to answer for some of its significantly damaging short comings. I am sure that members will join me in hoping for a significantly improved structure at the very top of Welsh rugby.

Back now to our primary focus, that being the season for our own team, the Ospreys. URC wise, it was certainly a mixed bag of results, but within the higher tier competition in Europe, we certainly provided a reason for optimism! Personally, I have to say beating Leicester at Welford Road, was equally matched by the whole experience at Saracens. We didn’t manage the win, but we did compete and were, in all honesty, unlucky to loose that day! Results aside though, the OSC filled 5 coaches to travel to the game, a big contribution to the 2,500 plus Ospreys supporters that were there to support the team that day. Ospreys Number 8 Morgan Morris and several other players reported that the sight of the, “Black Sea,” as they left the bus on arrival, was the highlight of their season! Enough said. I should like to take this opportunity of thanking those committee members who were responsible for running, “Operation Saracens,” a wonderful achievement.

Our charity activities, once again we excelled, raising £2,000 to support our nominated charity, “Sporting memories,” run by the OITC team. Once again thanks to all involved, for their fantastic efforts and of course, to our fantastically generous supporter base, who once again exceeded all expectations! Our speculative decision to diversify in to the millinery business and produce OSC bucket hats, proved to be successful, as we add different colours to our range this coming season! The addition of , “ Toby’s Tombola, ” to post match activities, has contributed to our charity fund and provided much entertainment! Thanks also to Ospreys Rugby and local businesses, who have donated prizes.

Last season we continued to contribute to the Ospreys Online Match day Programme, with various features on our pages, focussing heavily on our wonderful supporters, teams from our feeder clubs and rising stars.  Our thanks to Ospreys Rugby, who have ensured that we have received visits from players throughout the season. I think I speak for all Ospreys supporters, when I say, that we remain grateful to the players for coming over; especially those who have arrived straight off the field!  It means a lot to us all. Our system of awarding OSCAs (Groggs) to the players awarded Player of the Month/ Season, has once again proved popular with players and supporters alike.

Congratulations to Morgan Morris on winning the Player of the Season award, for the 2022-2023 season.

I think that I have covered everything, if not please forgive my lack of memory.

In conclusion, I would like to thank everyone who makes the OSC a success! It is my firm belief that the OSC extends beyond the management committee and includes all who hold a current season ticket, the current requirement for membership. Any member wanting to help in any way, please speak to one of the committee.

From a personal perspective, I would like to say that I am honoured to have served as OSC Secretary, this past season and thank everyone for the support I have received.

Keith. J.Collins. OSC Sec.

CHAIR’S REPORT

I’d like to start by rewinding to 2020 when we started planning how to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Ospreys Supporters Club.  As well as planning events for our 10^th anniversary, we set out some ground rules on how committee members should behave, we generated clear objectives for the OSC and a plan on how to achieve them.

From an ambitious 24-point action plan that’s now three years old, we’ve made significant progress and are a long way down the road to building on what we already did, so whilst the journey isn’t over, committee members should be proud of what we’ve achieve as a collective.

Our 3 objectives remain unchanged:

1. To be the best supporters club around
2. To have OSC committee members happy with what they do
3. To have OSC members happy with what we do

We plan to continue doing what OSC members find valuable in terms of matchday experience both at home, semi-home and at away games (Saracens last season will be a lasting memory for anyone who travelled to North London last season) & we value feedback from all OSC members to help shape how we develop what we do in the future.

Working relationships with the Ospreys and Ospreys in the Community remain in good health and I’d like to thank former Ospreys brand director Paul Whapham for helping establish more robust lines of communication with the OSC over the past few seasons.  Despite it being a given that the OSC supports Ospreys Rugby, we don’t always see eye to eye and I appreciate that the Ospreys management value the voice of the OSC and do listen to our concerns when we raise them.

On another positive note, work continues as part of Joint Supporters Group Cymru and meetings with the WRU resumed after Ieuan Evans and with Nigel Walker took up the two senior leadership positions.  Meetings have continued following the appointment of Richard Collier-Keywood as chair & we aim to continue to provide a voice for supporters of the professional game with the governing body.

I’d like to thank the committee members for their hard work throughout the season and say thanks to Nigel Maggs, who stepped down during last season.

Thanks again to the committee members, to the Ospreys and most of all to our membership – here’s to the new season.

Grant Berni, OSC Chair

TREASURER’S REPORT – Year ending 30/06/23

We opened the 2022 /23 season with a carried forward balance of £2,214 and at the 30th of June
2023, we reported a closing balance of £5,307.

Within that, I would just like to take some time to highlight some figures of material significance:

We received £500 in sponsorship money from Sportsbreaks.com. We would like to note our thanks to Sportsbreaks.com for their support in recent seasons, enabling us to fund our Player of the Month and Player of the Season awards.

Badge and Tombola proceeds totalled £2,507 – thanks for this must go to the loyal supporter base and Riverside regulars for their ongoing support. As a result of their generosity, we have been able to donate more than £2,000 to Ospreys in the Community and their Sporting Memories Project. The donation has been made since the closing of the 22/23 season accounts and will be reported in next season’s figures.

In terms of expenditure, we spent £775 on Groggs / our Player of the Month and Season awards. As previously noted, the majority of this cost has been covered by the sponsorship received via Sportsbreaks.com.

Badge sales covered the initial outlay of £588 to purchase the badges, with any profit then added to our fundraising for OitC.

Following a successful trip to Saracens for our last 16 Champions Cup tie, we made a profit on bus sales of £1,446. It is never our intention to make money on such trips and even in a climate of ever increasing costs, we endeavour to make transport as affordable and accessible as possible. The money generated from this trip was as a result of unprecedented uptake and a significant effort to organise five supporter buses for the game. Some of the profit offset the £130 loss made on the Neath bus, enabling us to keep that service running.

We have expanded our supporter merchandise offering with the sale of OSC bucket hats. Sales covered the initial outlay on these, with any profits intended for investment in enhancing the supporter match day experience.

Other small items of expenditure incurred as a result of running our core activities, can be shared as part of the full end of year account. We have continued to be self-financing and again, have not required financial input from Ospreys Rugby.

We have continued to develop our online shop and the option for contactless payment has proven popular with supporters. The efforts of committee members to continually improve what we can offer and in the most convenient way possible, is hugely appreciated by myself
and others involved.

Louise Collins-Davies, OSC Treasurer

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The Ospreys Supporters Cub’s Annual General Meeting will take place at 18:30, Monday 13th  November at the Swansea.com Stadium.

All OSC members (season ticket holders) are invited to attend and to stand for election to the committee should they wish to do so (providing conditions laid out in the constitution are met – see the link below). If you have the energy, commitment and the skills to contribute to the OSC, please email keith@ospreyssupportersclub.com to find out more or to submit an application to join the committee.

Applicants will need to meet the conditions laid out in the OSC constitution, (link below). 

Further details about the AGM and committee and can be found here in the OSC constitution

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