We’ve visited the length and breadth of the country holding meetings with over 500 people from 400 grassroots member Clubs, Constituent Bodies, Referee Societies and National Representative Bodies, with further meetings planned. 

This has been an incredibly worthwhile tour, and we have heard loud and clear that there are specific areas where you want and need more support from the RFU. As a result of hearing your feedback, we are going to take action in the following areas: 

• Governance Reforms
• Financial Sustainability
• Continued Growth of the Community Game
• Reducing Administrative Burden
• Simplifying and Modernising Competition Structures
• Investment in Community Club Infrastructure
• Improving Communications

More details on this can be found in this document alongside a reminder of our ongoing work and state of play.

Listening to your feedback the board has also instigated an additional resolution for members to vote on at the Special General Meeting on 27 March.

This relates to the ongoing Governance and Representation Review, which will look at ways to support local areas taking more power of decision making.

The additional motion is:  

Members believe the Governance and Representation Review should be expedited and this should include formal consultation with the wider game.  Proposals (including to address feedback from the roadshows) should be shared before the RFU’s AGM and members are to be further consulted on actions later in the year.

I urge member clubs to vote in favour of this resolution which can bring about meaningful governance change and against the motion that members have no confidence in the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Any decision relating to the employment of the CEO is the responsibility of the RFU Board and the Board unanimously supports Bill Sweeney remaining as CEO. This support is based on his achievements to date, highlighted in Our Track Record and Areas of Focus document, as well as his ability to deliver the RFU’s strategy while being highly motivated to respond and react to what we have heard from you, our members.   

It is worth remembering that the call for an SGM initially came from the Rugby Football Referees Union and some Championship Clubs. The group who now call themselves the Whole Game Union (WGU) have called into question the integrity of fellow volunteers and suggested highly misleading statements about the RFU. From our conversations with you, our member clubs, our understanding is that the WGU do not represent the wider views of our game and that we can collaborate effectively to deliver the changes you want.

A vote of no confidence risks sending the Union into paralysis and creating a costly leadership vacuum, especially at a time when we are recruiting a new Chair and when our CEO is spearheading vital commercial and broadcast negotiations that will play a huge role in safeguarding our future financial sustainability.

Details on how to vote can be found in this document. 

I urge you to exercise your right to vote and to vote for meaningful proactive change in relation to governance, by voting against resolution one and for resolution two.

This document explains the facts and why voting for an expedited Governance and Representation Review would be the right vote for the community game and for rugby in England, both on and off the pitch.  

Finally, it is clear from meeting so many of you that you are all doing incredible work, giving up your free time to make a huge contribution to the English game – on behalf of everyone at the RFU my sincere thank you for what you do.

Sir Bill Beaumont GBE DL