English Rugby Union: Governance

Stephanie Peacock Excerpts

Tuesday 11th March 2025 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I am pleased to be responding to the debate, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (Perran Moon) on securing it. He also represents Hayle, as I understand, and he speaks with great experience on this issue.

Like the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Mr French), I start by saying that rugby—both union and league—makes a huge contribution to our country. I congratulate England and Scotland on their success in the men’s Six Nations this weekend, and my commiserations go to Wales and Ireland on their hard-fought defeats. The Six Nations is a jewel in the crown of international rugby union. As we approach the last weekend of the Six Nations, I wish all the home nations every success.

Besides the international level, professional and grassroots rugby clubs are often at the heart of communities. It is right that we take a moment to celebrate the sport and the volunteers who keep clubs running across the country. The huge contribution they make has been outlined by Members across the Chamber today, in particular my hon. Friend the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Dan Aldridge) and the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George), who spoke about the heritage of the game and the importance of aspiration for young people.

I will discuss some of the concerns that have been raised about the governance of rugby union, in particular in the context of grassroots rugby, which is how my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth framed his opening contribution. Good governance is an important bedrock on which the sport sector stands, and I have been pleased to see steps taken in recent years to address governance issues in the sector.

Governance is vital to ensuring transparency, accountability and fairness in the sport and physical activity sector. The revised code for sports governance sets out the levels of transparency, diversity and inclusion, accountability and integrity that are required from sporting governing bodies—including the RFU—that seek and are in receipt of DCMS and national lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. The code has proved successful in setting clear expectations around good governance and diversity. Indeed, 88% of organisations funded by Sport England and UK Sport have said that the code has tightened their governance.

Turning to the governance of rugby union specifically, I am aware of some of the recent challenges that the sport has faced. I met with the RFU and Premiership Rugby in early November to discuss the future of the sport. It was valuable to hear about the actions that the sport is taking to address some of the challenges that have been discussed today. I am committed to continuing to work with the sport to support its long-term financial sustainability. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) asked about devolved Governments. I am hoping to visit all the devolved Governments in the coming weeks, so I will reach out to him when I do that.

My hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth rightly raises the importance of good governance in the sport at all levels, and he specifically raised grassroots representation on the RFU board. I note that there is a board member with responsibility for the community game, and he is one of the nine representatives on the board. I am not able to comment more specifically on the board arrangements of the RFU, as that is a matter for them, but I note the concerns that my hon. Friend has outlined, and I am sure that the RFU will have heard the argument for greater grassroots representation.

Central to good governance is the effective communication between a governing body, its members and grassroots club. It is imperative to a healthy sport. It does, however, mean suitable independence of decision making on any publicly funded board. I am aware that, after a period of engagement between the RFU and grassroots clubs, the RFU has said that it will take action to improve communications with the rest of the sport, including by proactively communicating and seeking input from members on key issues. The shadow Minister spoke in detail about that, so I will not repeat him, but the points he made were correct and welcome. I welcome this work and encourage the RFU to continue to focus on engagement with its community and grassroots clubs.

My hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth raised the issue of tackle height in the community game. The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in the sport is paramount. The Government understand that there are ongoing concerns about this important issue. National governing bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports. Although DCMS cannot comment on individual cases, we do expect NGBs to make the health and safety of players their top priority.

I understand that the RFU council approved lowering tackle height in community rugby in England after the RFU analysed other international case studies, including from South Africa, New Zealand and France, but my hon. Friend makes a valid point that changes to rules, particularly around tackle height, must be based on the best possible evidence. I will take away his specific question about concussion data on match day cards. The Government will continue to advocate for sports to consider how safety can be best approached, but I am sure that the RFU will have heard my hon. Friend’s specific points today.

The first national guidance for concussion in grassroots sport was introduced in 2023, and was developed by international experts on concussion and acquired brain injury to better identify, manage and prevent the issue. We continue to encourage national governing bodies to adapt the guidance to their own sport where appropriate. We recognise the important work done recently on UK-wide grassroots sport concussion guidelines, which were produced to support sports, players and parents across the country. The Government will continue to prioritise participant safety to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.

I recognise the financial difficulties faced by many clubs involved in rugby union. I recognise the positive contribution that clubs such as the Cornish Pirates RFC and many others make through the community and school sports programme, which the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup mentioned. During the pandemic, organisations could apply to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for loans through the sport survival package to support the sector. Those loans were provided to ensure the survival of clubs during the pandemic, but it remains the clubs’ responsibility to ensure the longer-term sustainability of their funding.

The Government monitor the financial situation of rugby union closely, but we also have a responsibility to the taxpayer. That includes the recovery of moneys loaned during the SSP.

[Andrew George]

Surely the Minister understands that if a club such as the Cornish Pirates were to fold, that responsibility to the taxpayer would not be served, because that debt would be unpaid, so it is far better for her to intervene and assist those clubs to overcome that problem.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephanie Peacock]

I appreciate that, and that is why the Government continue to monitor the situation. I am not able to comment on the repayments of individual borrowers or leagues, given the commercial sensitivity, but we encourage any SSP borrower with concerns about repayments to speak to the Sport England team dedicated to managing the loans.

My hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth raised concerns about the levels of funding from the RFU to grassroots rugby clubs. I appreciate that some rugby union clubs, and many members and fans, feel that grassroots funding is not sufficient. The Government recognise the importance and value that a financially sustainable rugby pyramid offers to players, fans and the wider sporting community. Following the collapse of several premiership clubs in 2022 and 2023, the previous Government appointed two independent advisers to produce a plan to stabilise rugby union. The independent advisers worked with the RFU, the premiership and the championship on the Men’s Professional Game Partnership, and we welcome the progress made on a funding framework for the future of the sport.

[Dr Luke Evans]

The Minister is right that the last Government appointed two people to look at this issue, but we are three years on and still the clouds are coming. Will she commit to a review of the finances and governance, a bit like the fan-led review, to ensure transparency and open up this debate so that the fans, the volunteers, the players and the Executive can all see the state of play? We as a country can then make a judgment about the best way to handle that.

[Stephanie Peacock]

I appreciate that the hon. Gentleman has great experience of and interest in this subject. I noted that he quoted extensively from my speech on the Football Governance Bill. I gently remind him that we have been in many a debate together in which he has been less than enthusiastic about that piece of legislation. If he is now in favour of a similar thing for rugby—

[Dr Evans]

A fan-led review.

[Stephanie Peacock]

He says “a fan-led review” from a sedentary position. I suggest that he speaks to his leader, who has obviously U-turned on football governance. As I said in my written answer, my Department does not intend to conduct a review at this time, but we keep everything under review. I will now make some progress.

The RFU is independent of Government and is responsible for the governance of the sport at all levels, including how it distributes funding. I understand that it has now committed to £120 million to support grassroots rugby over four years. It is worth noting that it has said that it is exploring offering sizeable loans to clubs for critical projects, including infrastructure, to support the financial sustainability of grassroots clubs for the long term. Supporting grassroots sport, including local rugby clubs, is a key priority for this Government, and that is why we are investing in grassroots sport. The DCMS provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England, which annually invests more than £250 million of national lottery and Government money to support people to get active.

Sport England has awarded the RFU, the governing body for rugby in England, £13 million for the period 2022 to 2027, as one of Sport England’s long-term system partners, to invest in community rugby initiatives that will benefit everyone. We continue to work with the RFU, representatives of premiership and championship clubs and the wider sport sector to support the ongoing sustainability of elite and community-level rugby union.

That support for grassroots rugby union, as well as other grassroots sport, is vital to helping people get active. Sport and physical activity are central to delivering the Government’s health mission, which is why we are committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their age, background or ability, has access to and can benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

In addition to men’s rugby, we should celebrate the growth of women’s rugby union in recent years. My hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth acknowledged how far the women’s game has come. I am delighted that England will be hosting the 10th edition of the women’s rugby world cup this year between August and September. The tournament provides a significant opportunity to showcase women’s rugby, provide a world stage for female athletes and drive the visibility of the women’s game.

In January, I met with the chief executive officer of the women’s rugby world cup to understand the long-term impact of hosting this exciting event. The record-breaking ticket sales, which already top 220,000—double those sold at the previous tournament—highlight the massive appetite for women’s sporting events in this country. The tournament’s Impact ’25 programme has already had a transformational impact in cementing rugby as a game for all, with funding being allocated to 850 clubs across the country.

This debate has been a fantastic opportunity to highlight the contribution that rugby makes across our country. Some real questions and concerns have been raised, but I hope that, through collaboration and rebuilding faith, the RFU will listen and move forward. I thank all hon. Members for taking part.