Bill Sweeney: no vote of trust was not an easy time personally, “says the head of the RFU

The CEO of Rugby Football Union Bill Sweeney says that “it was not an easy time” after surviving a vote of any trust last week.

The motion, which provided that the RFU board of directors ended the occupation of Sweeney, It was voted against 65%.

Those who support the motion, like the union of referees and championship clubs, had mentioned various failures of governance perceived on Sweeney’s watch.

In a letter to the members’ clubs, Sweeney says that the move has had a personal toll but added that it is ready to go on with a mandate for the reform.

“The division sown by those who carried on the original Motion Sgm took place aggressively in the media and would be negligent on my part not to admit that it was not an easy time for me personally,” Sweeney said.

“However, this role is a privilege and the control that derives from it is an integral part of the responsibility.”

Sweeney, 67, had been widely criticized for bringing home 1.1 million pounds last year in a moment of record losses of RFU.

The RFU has declared operational losses of £ 37.9 million last year, only a few weeks after having announced the plans to fire more than 40 employees in the last round of layoffs.

To accelerate the governance reform in the English game, a second motion was overwhelmed in an overwhelming way during the meeting.

Looking to the future, Sweeney has continued: “In the end this process will help us to reform our membership and push the forward changes that we have wanted to implement for some time and our members have transmitted a clear message that the leadership team that we have here to move forward with work and bring improvements”.

In the letter to the members of the RFU, Sweeney has listed three areas where change is a priority including the governance reform, improved communications and greater support for growing participation.

“It is essential not to lose sight of the many bright things that happen in rugby and the bright future that I believe is in front of us,” added Sweeney.

“We can only do it together and I can’t wait for a much closer relationship between the union and all the interested parties of our game in the future.”