19th August
Update from the Chair
The new Board of Northumberland County Rugby Ltd, “the County”, was appointed 27th June this year, and as we approach the 2-month mark it seems a suitable time to give you an update.
Not all of the positions were initially filled, with all bar one of the last board standing down, and some of the nominees deciding not to stand. This left us with an immediate need to fill these roles to become quorate. Within a short time frame this was done with a very experienced (both in their professional and rugby lives) new team.
The second order of business was to get up to speed with “all things County”. This not only means our legal obligations as directors, but also our obligations to our membership and partners. At the General Meeting on the 15th July we outlined our headline plan:
Focus on rugby development
Do the “must do’s” first and “nice to do’s” second
Have some fun
Whenever personnel change, it is inevitable that they will bring new ideas and thinking. Change can, for some, be a challenge, whereas others embrace it. The directors have been involved with the playing, coaching and officiating of the Game as well as its delivery and administration for many years and this experience is driving change that will benefit our game across the County.
The directors have been working hard to develop their plans and strategies and we will, very shortly, be presenting our Development Plan to you. You may have already noticed, or been involved in some of the more visible changes from our Rugby and Club Development directors, however there are numerous “behind the scenes” tasks that you may not be aware of. These tend to be around making improvements to our Finance, Governance and Marketing & Communications directorates. Some of these are longer term and we’ll keep you apprised as we move forward.
Work is underway to improve our website that continues to develop as the knowledge hub for all things County. The layout has been changed making navigation easier and further improvements are underway. We will be updating the website with director profiles and a goal is for us to be more visible in clubs. Throughout the season the directors plan to accompany the Presidential team on their club visits, however we are keen to support directly, whenever possible, if needed.
One area for concern is the amount of time that has been spent managing and resolving issues that could be avoided. NRU has, for some time, suffered from a culture that would give Game of Thrones a run for its money.
This must stop. It is draining our limited resources and diverting attention from rugby development. The issues we have dealt with typically stem from misinformed chatter or a lack of understanding of a situation.
We would respectfully suggest that if anyone has a query or concern, their first point of contact should be the relevant director who can provide more details. Myself and Graham Crozier, the Honorary Secretary, are also contactable and we thank you for your support in this area. We hope that when the Development Plan is launched, all the pieces will fall into place, and you will see the direction we are moving in is a positive one.
The remit is simple: the Board are the custodians of the Game in Northumberland and are tasked with supporting the growth and development of the game. That means we need to work effectively with our partners – clubs, schools, referees, trusts, sponsors, the Falcons and our professional partners at the RFU. We can only do this with continued support from you, our volunteer network of doers.
Thank you for all your efforts and best wishes for the new season.
Lee Weatherley, Chair
