RFU Announces New Rugby Operations Director

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Rugby Development Director

New RFU Rugby Development Director Steve Grainger & Rugby Operations Director Rob Andrew

Following its appointment recently of a new Chief Operating Officer, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has today announced two further senior appointments for its new Rugby Department.

Rob Andrew is appointed Rugby Operations Director and Steve Grainger joins as Rugby Development Director. Both were subject to the comprehensive and intensive selection process which is being used for all the senior appointments that the RFU is making.

Rob Andrew becomes Rugby Operations Director having spent 5 years as the Elite Rugby Director at the RFU, a role which will no longer exist in the new organisation structure announced on 6^th January. Andrew has played a major role at the RFU in its development so far and in particular led the negotiations around the 8 year agreement with the Premier Clubs which has proved vital in enabling England teams to gain access to players. He has also managed that Premiership Rugby relationship since maintaining a positive and balanced approach to the needs of the clubs and the national team.

In his new wide-ranging role, unique in world rugby, Andrew will work closely with the Development Director and Performance Director in the lead up to RWC 2015 to optimise competition structures, coaching and referee development, medicine and sports science and research and innovation. He will take up that role with immediate effect, looking at how to transition those current capabilities into the new structure. Andrew will also maintain responsibility for managing the Elite Player Squad agreement and the England Qualified Player scheme that has created the platform for England’s emerging success on the field. 

Grainger joins from the Youth Sport Trust where he was CEO. He is regarded as a leading expert in sport development and has had huge success in building the Youth Sport Trust (YST) into a vital part of the sport infrastructure over his 6 years as CEO. Overall he has 16 years experience working with a range of NGBs at the YST and prior to that spent 3 years at the National Coaching Foundation having started his career in sports development and management in Mansfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council.

Grainger will join in June and his role at the RFU will see him take responsibility for all grassroots development ensuring the RFU’s clubs and schools have the capacity and capabilities required to take advantage of the huge opportunity offered by RWC2015. He will oversee the club and Constituent Body services team as well as the RFU’s school and university programmes and in particular will take responsibility for growing the leisure formats of the game – 7s, Touch and Tag – that will be so vital for that growth over the coming years. In addition he will lead the RFU’s volunteer programme and the hugely successful Facilities and Funding programme that has invested over £100m in RFU clubs over 10 years.

John Steele, CEO of the RFU, commented, “Our restructure has given us the chance to attract the very best talent to the RFU for the future. Rob has had great success in building and developing a platform for the success we are starting to see in our England teams. We will now be looking for him to turn his talent to the whole game from professional to grassroots rugby. Steve is one of the UK’s leading experts in sports development and now the RFU has the opportunity to harness that talent. Both will be key members of the leadership team as we look forward to re-energising the RFU and our clubs in the lead up to RWC2015. The next five years are going to be exciting times in English rugby and will define the next 20 years. I am delighted to have two such capable sports leaders to improve the quality of experience for all involved in the game.”

Steve Grainger added, “I am thrilled to have secured this new position at the RFU and I look forward to playing such an important role in the development of rugby union in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and to use this fantastic opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the sport. It is an exciting time for the sport and for the RFU as an organisation and I welcome the opportunity to work alongside John Steele, the new Executive team, the RFU Council and Board of Directors to ensure the grassroots quality of experience that John has rightly made such an important part of the RFU's strategy.”

Rob Andrew concluded, “I am excited by the opportunity to maintain many of my key responsibilities at the RFU and to add new ones to my remit. Continuing to work closely with Premiership Rugby and the clubs on our eight year agreement will provide continuity and allow me to influence the elite game.This is a massive role across the whole of rugby and I am looking forward to working very closely with the new rugby directors and executive team to shape the RFU going towards 2015. We will be creating one rugby department to serve the game and I will be using my experience to develop a joined up approach as I have done with the elite department over the last 5 years. As part of that I am looking forward to re-engaging with the grassroots game where, like all players, I started my rugby journey."