The high profile role will directly manage the Wales Women head coach as well as set and implement strategy for the Women’s and Girls’ game across Wales and form an integral part of the WRU’s high-performance team.
The appointment is set to be made in 2025 and a raft of other changes as a result of recommendations of the review will also be implemented, with some changes also already in place.
Details from the review were shared publicly last month but formal publication had been delayed, due to valuable feedback received from players and other participants after consulting on the first draft of the report.
This feedback has been welcomed and helped inform the thorough report which is published today, on the WRU website.
Alison Thorne conducted the review alongside Claire Donovan (below)
The Wales Women’s squad were awarded over 30 new full-time professional contracts in September, making them competitive with the best international sides in the world game.
The new contracts were welcomed but protracted and sometimes challenging negotiations in advance of agreement being reached were the main subject of the review.
The review was conducted by Board members Alison Thorne (an Independent Non-Executive Director) and Claire Donovan (an elected Board member and National Council Member) on behalf of the WRU Board.
Claire Donovan
Its key recommendations are:
– To create a new Women’s Game lead responsible for all aspects of the Women’s game. This is a senior position charged with setting and implementing strategy and also directly managing the Wales Women head coach, with new and clear lines of responsibilities to be established throughout the management team and high-performance structure at the WRU.
– Changes to the way future negotiations are constructed, maximising transparency and enabling all parties to be properly represented. This includes the idea that players may need and require independent third-party involvement during negotiations and an acknowledgment that pathway players need to also be provided for in future.
– A central premise is to be established where contracted players are treated as primary employees of the WRU, even where other club or employment contracts are also be present.
– To assess values and culture in the Women’s squad, reset professional working practices and put in place engagement work (‘Have a Voice’ sessions have already started) which helps support the mental and physical well-being of all colleagues
– To continue to benchmark the WRU’s progress against other governing bodies, rugby leadership and performance management teams and continue to evolve based on learnings and best in class practices
Abi Tierney
“This review has been hugely informative and its recommendations will significantly advance the women’s and girls’ game in Wales,” said WRU CEO Abi Tierney.
“It is important and right to note that apologies have been made on behalf of the WRU for our role in protracted negotiations.
“By bringing matters to our attention in August, our players have been instrumental in helping us establish a new way of working together and they have brought about changes which will pay dividends to those that follow them long into the future.
“The job is not complete but we are confident that we are now in a good place and, with a new head coach due to be appointed in January, the Wales Women’s national squad can look forward to the New Year with enthusiasm and optimism about what it may bring.
“We have been humbled by this process but we are not jaded by it. We are confident that a positive outcome has been achieved and are grateful to all those who have participated for their honesty and constructive input.”
The WRU has kept its Oversight Group appraised of developments and expects them to continue to be interested in the ongoing changes.
