RFU Rose Awards for outstanding service
The RFU Rose Awards 2023/24 have rewarded two outstanding servants of rugby for their extraordinary contribution to the game over a number of years.
Described by colleagues and teammates as a true ambassador of the game, Fiona Stockley has nearly 30 years’ involvement with rugby as a player and administrator.
Her playing days began at London Welsh in 1994, before she moved first to Newbury, then to Harlequins and finally Wasps FC in 2000. She has also represented England Select, England A and England Academy.
At Wasps, Fiona was not only a player but also sat on the Women’s Rugby Committee. When Wasps FC Women entered the TP15s, she became team manager and trained to become a fourth match official.
More recently, Fiona has been the trailblazer helping to develop the women’s section of the world-famous Barbarian F.C. Establishing the first-ever Barbarians Women side and presiding over the inaugural match in 2017, she has been managing and developing Barbarian Women for the past seven years. Appointed the first-ever female Committee member of Barbarian FC in 2023, she works to ensure greater parity in funding, fixtures and profile for the women's side.
Fiona is a senior manager in the NHS, working for East London Foundation Trust and also a Patron of Rugby School, as well as being a Trustee of the Atlas Foundation, founded by Jason Leonard.
Providing an outstanding level of specialist guidance, Philip Johnson has been fundamental to proper governance of a number of important RFU programmes.
He recently completed a maximum term of nine years as an Independent Trustee of the Rugby Football Foundation (RFF), the charity which empowers grassroots rugby clubs to engage and attract players, coaches and match officials from parts of their local communities which are underrepresented in the game.
Having joined in December 2014, he made a huge contribution to the oversight of the Foundation. His passion for the Foundation’s work has been outstanding and his advice and guidance was central to the Debenture GiftAid scheme which secured a seven-figure sum to support the charity’s activity.
He also oversaw the annual flow of funds from the RFU, via the RFF to Rugby Football Development Ltd which helps develop the community game.
Philip is also the independent member of the RFU Audit and Risk Committee and is still bringing his considerable expertise to help committee members reach views on many complex matters, including in the past the Six Nations CVC deal.
He has always had the best interests of the RFU at heart and continues to be a sounding board on accounting challenges faced.
