Bristol CEO steps down following salary cap errors
NEWS: Mark Tainton will step down as CEO of Bristol Bears at the end of the season citing personal reasons, the Premiership club revealed.
According to reports Tainton – the former interim head coach and current chief executive officer – is being held accountable for the error that has seen a slew of players heading to the exit as Bristol look to remain under the new Premiership salary cap.
Big-name players like Dave Attwood, John Afoa, Nathan Hughes and Alapati Leiua are all departing the club this season.
It was reported that the club missed a deadline to offload a total of six players, a backstop which meant a year extension on their contracts kicked in.
Commenting on resignations, Tainton said: “It’s always a hard decision to make a change, but I feel after so many years of service to the sport and club that I love, now is the right time to move on.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with my wife Catherine and I’m excited about exploring different opportunities both inside and outside of the game.
“As a proud Bristolian, Bears will always remain close to my heart, and I wish the club every success going forward.”
Tainton was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2017 and CEO in 2019. During his last five years at the helm, Tainton oversaw the Bears’ return to the Premiership, the commercial rebrand of the club, along with the construction and delivery of the new multi-million-pound Bears High Performance Centre.
Bears Chairman Chris Booy commented: “Mark has been a tremendous servant to the club. Aside from his excellent playing and coaching career he has steered the club through an incredible five years of growth and the last two years of a global pandemic which had a huge impact on the club and professional sport.
“During that time Mark worked tirelessly to ensure our players and staff were safe and able to compete at the highest level. Seeing Bears secure our first silverware in Europe in the European Challenge Cup in 2020 – albeit behind closed doors – was one of the proudest moments of my life and I’m sure will be a memory that will stay with Mark forever too as a testament to his tireless efforts during the pandemic.
“I’d personally like to thank Mark for all he has done for the club, over so many years, and the club wishes him the very best for his next endeavours.”
Additional Source: Rugbypass
