AGM 2020 DRAFT MINUTES OF MEETING (TO BE APPROVED BY MEMBERS AT THE 2021 AGM) Rugby House, Twickenham Stadium, 200 Whitton Road, Twickenham, TW2 7BA www.englandrugby.com 1 of 11 DRAFT MINUTES OF MEETING ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Virtual Meeting held at 17:00 on Friday 12 June 2020 The following Unions and Clubs were represented: Aldermaston RFC Chosen Hill Former Pupils RFC Hertford RFC Ampthill & District RFC Cleethorpes RUFC Hertford RFC (Oxford) Anselmians RUFC Colchester RFC Hertfordshire Army Rugby Union (CB) Colerne RFC Hope Valley RUFC Aylesbury RFC Corpus Christie/Somerville RFC Hove RFC Balliol RFC Coventry University RFC Hungerford RFC Banbury RFC Crewe & Nantwich RUFC Jesus College RFC Barnes RFC CS Stags 1863 Kenilworth RFC Bedford Athletic RFC Datchworth RFC Kent Bedworth RUFC De Montfort University (Leicester) Kesteven RUFC Berkshire RFC Kettering RFC Berkshire County RFU (CB) Devizes RFC Keynsham RFC Berwick Upon Tweed RFC Devon RFU (CB) Keyworth RFC Bingham RFC Devonport Services RFC Kidderminster Carolians RFC Birstall RFC Dorset & Wilts Kings Norton RFC Bishops Castle & Onny Valley RFC Dorset & Wiltshire RFU (CB) Law Society RFC Black Horse RFC East Midlands Rugby Union (CB) Ledbury RFC Blackheath FC Eccleshall RUFC Leicestershire Rugby Union Ltd (CB) Blandford RFC Edwardian FC Liskeard-Looe RFC Bletchley RUFC Egham Hollowegians RFC London Irish Amateur RFC Bournville RFC Emmanuel College RFC Long Buckby RFC Bredon Star RFC Erdington RFC Longton RFC Brixham RFC Esher RFC Lutterworth RFC Broadstreet RFC Essex County RFU (CB) Lymm RFC Bromyard RFC Fairford RFC Marlborough RFC Buckingham RUFC Five Ways Old Edwardians FC Marlow Rugby Union Football Club Burntwood Rugby Club Limited Girton College RFC Melksham RFC Burton RFC Ltd Gloucester & District Mellish RFC Camborne RFC Ltd Gloucestershire RFU (CB) Morley RFC Cambridge University RFC Goole RFC New Brighton Football Club (RU) Cambridge University RFU (CB) Gosford All Blacks RFC Newbury RFC Camp Hill RFC Halifax Vandals RUFC Newcastle (Staffs) RUFC Ltd Castle Donington RUFC Hammersmith & Fulham RFC Norman Robertson Cheltenham Civil Service RFC Hampshire RFU Ltd. (CB) North Hykeham RUFC Cheshire RFU (CB) Hampstead RFC North Midlands RFU (CB) Cheshunt RFC Haslemere Community Rugby Club North Petherton RFC Chester RFC Haywards Heath RFC North Yorks & Cleveland Chesterfield Panthers RUFC Henley Rugby Club Ltd Northampton Old Scouts RFC Hereford RFC 2 of 11 Northumberland Rosslyn Park FC Sussex Northumberland Rugby Union (CB) Rugby Football Referees Union Sussex RFU Ltd. (CB) Northwich RFC Rugby Lions RFC Swaffham RUFC Norton RFC Ruislip RFC Swanage & Wareham RFC Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire RFU (CB) Saracens Amateur RFC Ltd Teignmouth RFC Oadby Wyggestonian RFC Scarborough RFC Tonbridge Juddians RFC Oakham RFC Seaford RFC Trentham RFC Oakmeadians RFC Seghill RFC University of Essex RFC Old Halesonians RFC Selwyn College RFC University of Manchester RFC Old Leamingtonians RFC Sileby Town RFC Uxbridge RFC Old Merchant Taylors' FC Sleaford RFC Vale of Lune RUFC Old Otliensians RUFC Ltd Slough RFC Warwickshire Old Priorians RFC Somerset County RFU Limited(CB) Warwickshire RFU (CB) Old Saltleians RFC South Leicester RFC Wasps FC Olney RFC Southam RFC Wednesbury RUFC Oxford University RFC Southampton RFC Westbury RFC Oxfordshire RFU (CB) Southend RFC Westcliff RFC Penrith RFC St Edmund Hall RFC Widden Old Boys RFC Penryn RFC St Hilda's College RFC Wimborne RFC Peterborough RUFC St John's College RFC Windermere RUFC Plymouth St Mary's Old Boys RFC Wisbech RFC Pocklington RUFC Staffordshire County RFU (CB) Wortley RUFC Prudhoe and Stocksfield RFC Stanley Rodillians RUFC Wymondham RFC Quintin RFC Stockport RUFC Yardley & District RFC Ramsey RUFC Stourport RFC Yeovil Rugby Club Redditch RFC Stow-on-the-Wold & District RFC York RUFC Richmond FC Suffolk & North Essex Yorkshire RFU (CB) Ripon RUFC Ltd. Surrey Rugby (CB) The following Council Members were represented: Peter Wheeler (President) Ivor Smith Paula Carter Jeff Blackett (SVP) James Cook OBE Pete Whiting Andy Cosslett (Chairman) Jeff Blackett Peter Howard Bill Sweeney (CEO) Jim Chapman Phil de Glanville Alan Milliner MBE John Rogers Rob Briers Allan Butcher Jonathan Webb Rob Udwin Andy Shorney Ken Andrews Robert Walsh Charlie McGinty Louise Latter Robin Wannop Chris Cuthbertson Maggie Alphonsi MBE Roger Clarke Chris Kelly Malcolm Caird Roger Pierson Christopher Smith Malcolm Wharton CBE Ron Jones Danny Hodgson BEM Maureen Jackson Simon Collyer-Bristow David Ewing Michael Procter Stephen Guy David McAteer Mike Waplington Stephen Pearson David Roberts Nigel Gillingham OBE (JVP) Steve Miles Deborah Griffin OBE Nigel Orton JP Ted Atkinson Fred Batchelor Norman Robertson Terry Burwell Genevieve Glover Paul Kaminski Tracy Edmundson Ian Metcalfe 3 of 11 *Please note due to the virtual nature of this meeting, questions from members were submitted via the AGM portal, it was explained at the start of the meeting that now all questions would be addressed in order to keep to the timings. 1. Approval of the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 14th June 2019 No substantive comments were received, the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 14th June 2019 were APPROVED. 2. Chief Executive’s Report for Season 2019/2020 Bill Sweeney welcomed those who had joined the virtual AGM and started by noting that this is the most challenging period for our sport in modern times. The global pandemic means the RFU has to focus on the immediate need to preserve the RFU, maintain our liquidity and support the community game, while taking advantage of any opportunities that this crisis presents. Currently, the RFU is focused on short-term stabilisation of the business and longer term planning for our future in the new environment. Supporting grassroots clubs and a thriving community game, consistently winning England teams, a focus on our people and a strong business model remain at the forefront of all planning and decision-making. The RFU is working with the Department of Digital, Media Culture and Sport (DCMS) on the specific financial impact of Covid-19 on the RFU and making suggestions on potential Treasury help to support rugby and other National Governing Bodies. The RFU will, however, have to make important and difficult decisions on managing our resources for the long term as consequences of this crisis will have a lengthy and significant impact. The RFU is involved in preparation for the elite return to play guidance and working, led by Sport England, on the return to community sport guidance. Our roadmap of steps to restart training and playing rugby was shared with the rugby community last week. Most clubs will want a swift return given concerns over retaining players and generating revenue streams but the RFU decisions must be based on the best interests of players, volunteers and clubs and so the RFU will only move from one stage to the next when guidance and advice says that it is safe to do so. Sweeney went on to note that on 16th March the RFU became one of the first sports to suspend play, ending the season outside of the Premiership four days later, providing clarity and allowing clubs to reduce costs. On 2nd April the RFU announced the mechanism to determine final league standings for the season. On 25th March the RFU announced pay cuts within the RFU and immediately reduced costs throughout the business by stopping all non-essential activity. On the same day the RFU launched a £7 million support fund for the community game as well as helping clubs to access small business grants from government and financial aid from Sport England. The RFU furloughed 60% of RFU staff, while providing regular updates, advice and webinars for the game. Twickenham’s North Car Park became a drive-through coronavirus testing facility on 18th April reaching a peak capacity of just over 1000 tests per day. The 2019/2020 season was already budgeted to be a loss-making year within a four-year cycle, due to the costs of the 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign and only hosting two home Six Nations games. The financial impact of coronavirus on sport has been dramatic and the RFU laid out the repercussions to a DCMS Select Committee in early May.The RFU has considered a range of potential scenarios that project a revenue reduction of between £27m and £103m for the financial year 2020/2021. For the remainder of the 2019/2020 season the situation is constantly moving, but the RFU expect to achieve figures within £2-3m of budget, which is an excellent result given that the RFU have lost over £15m of revenues in March to June 2020 due to cancelled events. Our business model is similar to most rugby clubs: the RFU earns revenue from events on and off the field, with 55% of revenue coming from ticketing & hospitality, and invest that back into the game. The RFU benefits from strong Twickenham Stadium revenues but is also affected if there is widespread cancellation of games and events. Twickenham welcomed 471,992 rugby fans, with capacity crowds at the Quilter Summer Internationals and our two Guinness Six Nations Test matches, but in lockdown the revenues these fans bring cease and no longer fuel the game. Sweeney explained that Project Union defined our purpose, vision and mission and a clear set of objectives. The RFU had to refocus and launch Project Rise to coordinate the considerable amount of change required. This has included concentrating on restarting our core activity and reshaping what the RFU does over the next 12 to 18 months and beyond. From this, the RFU 4 of 11 now has two equally important objectives: to ensure that it has the right capabilities across the organisation to deliver our core activities and strategy with the resources available. Additionally, the organisation will have to focus on doing less and with fewer resources as Covid-19 hits both our short and longer-term revenues.