Wales Women shake up contracting post review

NEWS: The Welsh Rugby Union has undertaken a new review into it’s processes following recent contact negotiations with it’s senior women’s international squad.

The Wales Women’s squad were awarded 37 new fulltime professional contracts last month, making them one of the best looked after international sides in the sport.

The new contacts were welcomed by all the parties, but protracted and sometimes challenging negotiations in advance of agreement being reached were the main subject of the review.

The WRU will publish it’s findings after key recommendations have been ratified by a formal board meeting in the coming weeks, but it’s keen to share the headline points in a more timely manner to achieve greater transparency for all involved.

The review was conducted by board members Alison Thorne who’s an independent Non-Executive Director and Claire Donovan who’s a National Council Member – with chair Richard Collier-Keywood and CEO Abi Tierney key contributors.

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“We have been primarily motivated by a need to do the very best that we can for our players, but it has also been necessary to take a balanced approach and build a framework that is financially sustainable,” said CEO Tierney

“The review examines processes and behaviours at the WRU with regards to the consultation process on new contracts and we have listened to the concerns it highlights and already committed to a series of improvements in this area.

“We are responding to the recommendations of an extremely thorough review process which saw 50 or more hours of interviews take place and listened to around 30 people throughout the playing squad and other individuals involved in negotiations.

“We have found further areas to improve upon. Over the last few years, the way the WRU has invested in our senior women’s high-performance squad has changed significantly – with more funding and focus and more professional players and opportunities.

“This year has been a significant year of transition for the Wales Women’s squad. With high expectations and new ways of working come significant pressure and challenges, and it is clear that we need to work harder to make sure that we develop an effective and rewarding relationship with our players.

“Our intention was always to invest further and expand the opportunities so that more women can become professional players.

“We are grateful to the players for working with us and highlighting that contract negotiations were not handled as they should.

“This constructive engagement led to a review undertaken by an independent Board member and a nationally elected board member to consider what had happened and how we can continue to learn and improve.”

WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood said:

“What we saw highlighted significant problems that should have been tackled earlier and with better communication across the year, and we are very sorry for the additional and avoidable pressure that several people described to us.

“In contrast to the senior male players, the women in the national squad are direct employees of the WRU.

“The review has highlighted that we should have prepared better for the implications of that responsibility and avoided, as far as possible, the breakdown in trust that ensued.

“There are a number of practical steps we can now take to ensure we improve the way we support our high-performance players and create an employment framework that encompasses development, performance, culture, and behaviours, shaped by the players and the coaching team alongside external expertise.”

Abi Tierney added:

“We have been delighted to confirm 37 new fulltime contracts which make our Wales squad one of the best looked after in the world game.

“The WRU will continue to invest in the women and girls’ game which will receive in total £26m in funding over the new five-year strategy we will be confirming in the next weeks. This amounts to a £6m uplift recently approved by the WRU Board.

“These moves are indicative of how WRU has learned from previous experiences and show the improved governance processes we now have in place.”