Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director, RFU – “2017 Been Great So Far, But Hopefully More Victories to Come”

Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director, RFU:

2017 is shaping up to be a great year for rugby in England, both across the professional and grassroots game.

With the England men winning back-to-back RBS 6 Nations titles, England Women (the Red Roses) and Under 20s securing Grand Slams and the England Sevens most recently winning the Vancouver Sevens, the professional game has seen a number of successes. 

Similarly, grassroots rugby has had a positive start to the year as we continue to place a huge priority on participation in community rugby and growing our game by finding innovative ways to inspire people to play, volunteer, coach and officiate.

Starting from the ground up, we unveiled our first Rugby 365 Artificial Grass Pitches (AGP) in January, part of the RFU’s commitment to invest £47m over four years into the development of 100 AGPs across England.

Lancashire, Buckinghamshire and Somerset are the first three locations to benefit from a RFU Rugby 365 floodlit AGP and the new pitches were unveiled by England Head Coach Eddie Jones, RFU Chief Executive Ian Ritchie and RFU President Peter Baines.

It was great to see locals from across the three areas attend the pitch launches and we hope to see the pitches utilised by a range of players of all ages and abilities across each community. We’re already hearing great anecdotes about veterans getting their boots back on to try out the artificial surface and usual local rivals sharing space so they can both train in poor weather conditions.

Growth in Women’s Game

In January we also launched the RFU’s ‘Meet Your Inner Warrior’ campaign which aims to encourage more women and girls to play contact rugby. Over 1,000 females took part in special Warrior Camps at 100 clubs across the country and a further 100 Warrior Camps are set to take place again next month due to the growing appetite and interest from women aged 18-35.

This growth in the women’s game is only set to increase as we look ahead to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland this August. As the governing body for the sport in England, we look to fully utilise this exposure for rugby to encourage even more women and girls to try it and join their local clubs. Despite reaching our Rugby World Cup legacy target a year ahead of schedule which was to get 25,000 women and girls participating in rugby by August 2017, we are not resting on our laurels and look to attract a further 25,000 female players to the game by 2019.

Alongside our growth in the women’s game we are also focused on developing our partnership with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) to provide greater opportunities for people to develop as a rugby player throughout university and encourage students to stay in the game and transition to their local clubs after graduation.

We are also reaching out to returning players through our Return to Rugby campaign, inviting them to revisit the game within an informal and welcoming environment.

Our focus is on providing a range of playing opportunities for all ages and abilities and so we look ahead to a year that will see 24/Sevens kicking off, o2 Touch offering even  more chances for people to play social rugby and our Return to Rugby campaign welcoming former players back into the rugby family.

We encourage people to go to www.findrugby.com to find their favourite form of the game.  Only in the first quarter of the year it’s safe to say we’ve managed to pack a lot into 2017 and hope the year continues to see the game prosper and attract new people into rugby.

Steve Grainger

To keep updated on England Rugby news, go to www.EnglandRugby.com.

Tokyo 2020 Host City Contract Goes Public

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) have this week released the Host City Contract for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

This contract was first signed between the IOC, the TMG and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), following Tokyo’s selection as the Host City of the Games on 7 September 2013.

Upon the creation of Tokyo 2020 in 2014, Tokyo 2020 signed a Joinder Agreement to become a full party to the Host City Contract 2020.

In line with the Olympic Agenda 2020 framework, which reflects the positive evolution of providing Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOG) and host cities more flexibility, all of the Host City Contract 2020 signatories worked to incorporate, to their benefit, the updated operational requirements that were published by the IOC in 2015.

With this agreement now finalised to the benefit of all stakeholders, the organisations are publishing the Host City Contract, reinforcing their commitment to transparency.

The Host City Contract 2020 document is available for download at https://tokyo2020.jp/en/games/plan/#hcc

Rugby World Cup and Société Générale Extend Worldwide Partnership

World Rugby has announced that Société Générale has renewed its long-standing worldwide partnership of Rugby World Cup™ for the 2019 event in Japan.

The announcement, on the eve of the Rugby World Cup 2019 pool draw in Kyoto, confirms the French private bank giant as commercial partners for rugby’s premier event.

Société Générale is a major supporter of rugby worldwide from grassroots to the elite game and will also partner with the 2017 World Rugby Awards in Monaco on 26 November.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said:

“We are delighted to be extending our long-standing worldwide partnership with Société Générale. A brand leader, Société Générale shares values of integrity, solidarity, respect, discipline and passion with rugby, which have been evident during an association with the sport that stretches back more than 30 years.”

Société Générale Chief Executive Frédéric Oudéa praised the partnership: “This partnership reinforces a long-standing commitment to rugby and demonstrates the group’s forward-looking ambition to be a supporter of all forms of rugby, all around the world.”

Betsafe Sign Partnership with First-Ever Football Start Sixes Tournament

Global gaming brand Betsafe has been announced as the official Principal Partner of the inaugural Star Sixes tournament, to be staged at The O2, London, from 13-16 July.

Organised by Pitch International (London), in partnership with Football Champions Tour, a leading sports management agency, Star Sixes will reunite the world’s greatest players in their national team colours to renew old rivalries.

England, Brazil, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Scotland will be among the 12 nations in action during four days of intense competition, which will be screened live by Sky Sports.

Stellar names like Steven Gerrard, Roberto Carlos, Michael Ballack, Carles Puyol, Robert Pires, Deco and Jay-Jay Okocha will pull on their national jerseys again – and Betsafe will provide fans with the chance to meet many of the stars on show.

“We’re delighted to welcome such an established global gaming brand as Betsafe on board as our official Principal Partner,” said Neil Bailey, CEO of Star Sixes.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with Betsafe as we build up to what should be a gripping tournament for football fans across the globe.”

End of FIFA Reform – Ousted Ethics Judges Hit Out at Council Decision

By Christian Radnedge

The two men who led FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee have lambasted the decision of the FIFA council not to renominate them this week in Bahrain, calling it the “end of FIFA reform”.

Ahead of congress on Thursday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the council announced they had proposed not to retain the services of ethics chiefs Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbely.

Eckert and Borbely’s work over the past few years has been seen as instrumental in exposing corruption in world football, and helping to bring to an end Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini’s involvement in FIFA.

Now, Eckert and Borbely have released a joint-statement saying “FIFA will suffer from this decision in the medium and long term”.

The statement continued: “The work of a credible and independent Ethics Committee is an important part of the FIFA reforms whose goal was to restore the trust of the public and other stakeholders.

“Since 2015 the Investigatory Chamber has carried out 194 investigations and the Adjudicatory Chamber has sentenced more than 70 officials.

“The impending and clearly politically motivated non-reappointment puts de facto an end to the reform efforts. This will inevitably lead to a renewed loss of trust and further hurt the already tarnished image of FIFA.”

The frustration and anger felt by the two men is clear from the rare statement. Understandably so, given the amount of work undertaken and the fact that they both had expected to continue their roles past this week.

In fact, it is understood Eckert learned about his removal whilst on a flight to Bahrain where a hastily arranged ethics committee press conference was arranged for Wednesday morning.

There, the two men told reporters: “We investigated several hundred cases and several hundred are still pending and ongoing at the moment”.

The proposed replacements for chairmen of the two chambers of the ethics committee are Colombian lawyer Maria Claudia Rojas and Greek judge Vassilios Skouris. Their appointments will be put to the FIFA congress for approval on Thursday.

Full statement:

Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély regret the decision by the FIFA Council to not re-nominate them for the position of the chairmen of the two chambers of FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee.

The impending non-election will set the work of the Ethics Committee far back and is de facto the end of FIFA’s reform efforts.

It must be assumed that entire FIFA will suffer from this decision in the medium and long term.

The work of a credible and independent Ethics Committee is an important part of the FIFA reforms whose goal was to restore the trust of the public and other stakeholders.

Since 2015 the Investigatory Chamber has carried out 194 investigations and the Adjudicatory Chamber has sentenced more than 70 officials.

The impending and clearly politically motivated non-reappointment puts de facto an end to the reform efforts. This will inevitably lead to a renewed loss of trust and further hurt the already tarnished image of FIFA.

Consequently, the non-reappointment will have a negative impact on FIFA in the medium and long term.

The successors of both chairmen will have to familiarize themselves with the dossiers and the processes. The non-election will lead to long delays in current investigations and proceedings, and complicate the prosecution of violations of the Code of Ethics.

It appears that the heads of FIFA have attached greater weight to their own and political interests, than to the long-term interests of FIFA.

They have accepted jeopardizing FIFA’s integrity, and, hence, the future of the game.

The two chairmen Cornel Borbély and Hans-Joachim Eckert look back at the work accomplished by the Ethics Committee with pride.

They have enforced the Code of Ethics with independence and consistent legal work, and hence, have made sports history. Their work received the sympathy and support of reform-minded forces, for which they want to express their sincere gratitude.

LA2024 Welcomes IOC Evaluation Commission For Three-Day Visit

By Christian Radnedge

The International Olympic Committee’s evaluation commission began their inspection of Los Angeles on Wednesday, judging the city’s effectiveness to host the 2024 Olympic Games.

The sun was shining on delegates and assembled media as they arrived this week for their three-day visit, which will then be followed by a similar visit to rival candidate city Paris.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, who was recently elected for a second term, welcomed the commission and said that his city’s bid was “no risk” as questions remain over the efficiency of staging the Games in difficult financial climates.

“We are not going to have a huge Olympic village that is going to be abandoned right afterwards,” Garcetti said. “We have UCLA, which is extraordinary, with beautiful rooms which can feed 10,000 people a day already. So we don’t have to work out any kinks.”

The IOC has set up a working group to examine the option of whether it would make sense to award the host of the 2028 Games at the same time as 2024 at the IOC session in Lima, Peru on September 13.

Garcetti said he would be open to the idea but insisted that LA should be preferred as the host for 2024.

The evaluation commission will be ferried around LA to inspect all the potential Games sites, including the LA Coliseum which was the centrepiece for the city’s two previous Olympics in 1932 and 1984.

“We are very well prepared, we are enthusiastic, we have been rehearsing, literally every minute is planned,” LA2024 chief executive Gene Sykes said.

IOC member Patrick Baumann heads up the evaluation commission team, who were treated to an LA Dodgers game on their first day in the city.

Paris 2024 Leaves Door Open For President Macron to Join Lima Delegation – EXCLUSIVE

By Christian Radnedge

The cochair of Paris’ bid to host the 2024 Olympics has refused to rule out new French President Emmanuel Macron being part of the delegation that heads to the decisive IOC session in Lima, Peru in September.

Following his election victory on Sunday, President Macron is due to meet with the Paris 2024 team this week as the city bids to host the Games for the first time since 1924.

Tony Estanguet did not say yes or no on whether the new president would be part of the Lima delegation, but told iSportconnect that his endorsement is a “great asset for the bid”.

“Following his election victory, Paris 2024 will continue to work with President Macron on the campaign,” Estanguet said.

“Our plans for Lima are still evolving but the bid already has full support from all levels of national and city government and President Macron’s endorsement is a great asset for the bid.”

Macron had already thrown his weight behind Paris’ bid before the election, and is expected to continue the front-line role that his predecessor Francois Hollande took in the process, to bring the Games to the city for a third time.

Paris is currently preparing for the IOC’s evaluation commission who will arrive on Saturday for their three-day inspection of the city, following a similar visit to rival candidate Los Angeles this week.

With the French capital basing their bid on having pre-planned and existing venues, the bid team are hopeful of giving the evaluation commission a good idea of how a Games would look in 2024 in Paris.

“Paris 2024 is looking forward to the IOC Evaluation Commission visit and we have planned an interesting, informative and fun programme that will showcase the great assets of the city” Estanguet explained toiSportconnect.

“This visit is an opportunity for us to share our vision and ambition for the 2024 Games, further cement our relations with the IOC and continue to build trust.

“When they arrive, the IOC will see how Paris can serve as an Olympic Park with amazing city-centre venues and a wonderful passion for the Games. Paris is ready to welcome the IOC and international media to the City of Light!”

Following the culmination of their two visits, the evaluation commission will return to Lausanne and prepare their final report, which will be published in June.

The two cities will then get to present to the IOC once more in July before preparing for session in Lima in September.

Live Premiership Rugby to Air on Terrestrial TV for First Time

Premiership Rugby matches will be shown live on terrestrial television for the first time in the competition’s history, as Premiership Rugby and Channel 5 today confirm a landmark four-year deal.

The agreement will see Channel 5 broadcast five live games each season from 2017-18, as well as show a highlights programme every Sunday night, covering Premiership Rugby, Anglo-Welsh Cup and Premiership Rugby 7s.

The new contract has been agreed after a competitive bidding process and will see Channel 5 simulcast five live games with BT Sport, who will continue to broadcast up to 80 live Premiership games per season.

This new deal for club rugby adds to Channel 5’s growing sports portfolio, which includes live boxing and motor sports (including live Formula E Racing), weekly football highlights from across the EFL, as well as its acclaimed cricket highlights package showcasing all England home games. The channel also demonstrated its commitment to live sport recently by providing a terrestrial home for live cricket (also simulcast with BT Sport) for the first time in over a decade, earlier this year, when it broadcast five T20 fixtures from the Australian Big Bash League.

Earlier in the season Premiership Rugby extended its agreement with Perform, one of the world’s leading digital sports content and media groups. The five-year deal with Perform Group confirms that they will continue producing the Premiership Rugby Highlights show.

“This agreement with Channel 5 will supplement the brilliant, season-long coverage we have with BT Sport,” said Mark McCafferty, Chief Executive, Premiership Rugby. “It will give even more fans a taste of the excitement, incredible skills and unpredictability on show in Premiership Rugby every week.

“We have a very successful partnership with BT Sport that has seen our ratings grow by more than 40% across the last four years. This new agreement with Channel 5 complements that partnership and will bring club rugby to a new audience to provide a fantastic shop window.”

Paul Dunthorne, COO of VIMN UK, Northern and Eastern Europe commented: “We’re delighted to build on our growing sports portfolio and give a terrestrial home to Premiership Rugby. This deal underlines our commitment to live sport following our coverage of the Big Bash League, with terrestrial TV viewers enjoying live cricket for the first time in over a decade.

“Premiership Rugby is one of the most exciting competitions in UK sport; we hope our national reach aligned with our commitment to the sport will enable Premiership Rugby to reach new audiences.”

Manchester City Partners With Power Management Company Eaton

Manchester City has partnered with Eaton, to become the Club’s Official Home Energy Storage Partner in the UK.

The power management company, with over 100 years of experience, will join in a multi-year deal that further demonstrates Manchester City’s commitment to leading the way in sustainability.

Manchester City adopts a wholly sustainable approach to energy and utility use and this partnership will support the Club to further develop in this area. Eaton will share their best practice in energy storage to help amplify the Club’s efforts across all its daily operations at the Etihad Stadium and City Football Academy.

The partnership also marks the launch of Eaton’s limited edition xStorage Home, one of the most reliable and affordable energy storage systems on the market.

Damian Willoughby, Senior VP of Partnerships at City Football Group, explains, “We are delighted to be partnering with Eaton as this relationship exemplifies the Club’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. Eaton shares City’s values of operating in a way that promotes a positive impact on our community and environment.

“We are looking forward to working with Eaton and tapping into their heritage and expertise to further grow our knowledge in this field.”

Cyrille Brisson, EMEA Vice President at Eaton continues: “At Eaton, we make what matters work. Aside from making power safe and reliable, it also needs to be sustainable to improve our overall quality of life and contribute to a better environment. Energy storage is a key part of that strategy and part of Eaton’s ongoing commitment to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. We’re proud to partner with Manchester City – a club that also supports our vision of a greener tomorrow.”

Australian Rugby Union COO Rob Clarke Resigns

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has confirmed the resignation of its Chief Operating Officer, Rob Clarke.

Clarke, who returned to the ARU in 2014 as General Manager Professional Rugby, Marketing and Operations before being promoted to COO in 2015, has called time on a decade-long career in Rugby administration.

Clarke had previously held the COO role at the ARU from 2006-2007 and has also served at the helm of the Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels as Chief Executive Officer.

ARU CEO, Bill Pulver said:  “His resignation was difficult to accept but Rob has decided the time is right to pursue a different course along with his family and he deserves to be incredibly proud of his career in the game.

Clarke will conclude his role with the ARU in June 2017. He has chosen not to comment on his personal decision until the ongoing process in Super Rugby has concluded.