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Championship clubs call for SGM
By Jon Newcombe
The 12 clubs in English rugby’s second tier issued a statement over the weekend calling for a Special General Meeting and a motion of no confidence in the leadership of the RFU.
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Championship clubs have long been unhappy with the treatment they have received on several issues whilst Bill Sweeney has been CEO of the RFU but his recent pay bonus of £358,000, which is more than double what a club gets in central funding for the year, is seen as the final straw.
RFU Chairman Tom Ilube has also been under fire for allowing Sweeney to be paid more than a million pounds when the English game is financially struggling with losses of £42 million recently posted by the RFU, who have made 40 RFU staff redundant.
The Championship clubs have sent a letter to RFU President Rob Udwin, who hasn’t escaped criticism himself after initially blaming media spin for the pay scandal.
In the letter, the clubs stated that they could no longer stand by and allow the current situation and the unaccountable decision-making that led to it, to continue without challenge.
They said that they would be urging all other clubs and members of the union to support their call for an SGM (100 signatories are required) and a vote of no confidence so that the first steps to fundamental change could be taken.
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As an Englishman, it’s difficult when the game you love so much doesn’t love you back. The national team are poor, the domestic league has been (largely) humbled in Europe this weekend and my team Bristol who are playing some of the most exciting rugby in the Prem, got their pants pulled down by the mighty Leinster yesterday.
On top of all that, governance at the top of the English game is sickeningly bad while tv rights are becoming increasingly fragmented and placing even greater demands on the paying punter.
Frankly, It’s a complete sh$t show.