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 Women's Rugby Strategic Plan 2005-2010: Download PDF
In today’s sporting environment, the need for organisations involved in the development and delivery of sport to be professional and business orientated is vital. Women’s rugby is no exception: competition on the field is as tough as ever and competition off the field is becoming even more so. For each of our various stakeholders, there is competition for support, resources and funding. These stakeholders demand results and accountability in all areas: the Women's Rugby Department at the Welsh Rugby Union - formerly the Welsh Women’s Rugby Union (WWRU) -therefore needs to be able deliver these and deliver them effectively.
No one can dispute the growth of women’s and girls’ rugby in Wales. This has occurred, however, without all the necessary structures in place and this need to be rectified. It is vital that an effective and efficient governing body supports and sustains this growth. Women's Rugby should aim to be at the forefront of the development of the game worldwide, a blue-print that other nations aspire to and learn from.
The first and fundamental element for the Women's Rugby in Wales to move forward is the production of a strategic plan. This will give direction and purpose and provide clear guidelines for day-to-day work.
The plan encompasses the women’s game setting specific targets for growth and improved performance. Alongside this, many generic targets are set providing a holistic approach to the development of the sport. The main focus will be the sustainability of everything that is put in place. It is crucial that we are realistic in what we can achieve: far fetched wish lists do not provide any purpose and inevitably lead to disappointment. This does not mean, however, that we will sell ourselves short. On the contrary our systems, structure and policies need to be sustainable, credible and feasible.
The document above outlines the organisational requirements and strategic priorities that now need to be put in place to achieve success for Women's Rugby in Wales at both the community and elite level of the game in 2005-2010. The organisational structure in terms of job roles and key requirements for each role are clearly spelt out, as are the governance and financial prerequisites. Fortunately, the systems and structures being applied to the WRU can and will be utilised to meet many of the organisational needs of the women’s game. Similarly, complete financial self-sufficiency for Women's Rugby in Wales is not realistic: pro-active cooperation with others will be needed. The close alignment of objectives with principal Stakeholders will be crucial to utilise grants and funding effectively and efficiently.
With the right organisation, appropriate strategies then need to be put in place at both the community and elite levels of the game.
At the Community level, commitment to the game needs to be enthusiastic and sustainable. Given that a professional structure is not feasible, intrinsic motivation at grass roots level is vital and this is gained through individual and collective passion, pride and enjoyment of the sport. Volunteer recruitment, retention and development are inherent to the success of this and will provide a major area of focus.
At the Elite level, success is required on a more regular basis. Without success at national level, grass-root development is impeded. Success provides role models, inspiration and motivation, as everyone wants to be a part of a winning team. Similarly, success will bring its own commercial rewards. A full review at the elite level has already commenced, from which it is apparent that there will be a need to concentrate the funding, resources and support only a smaller squad of players that are exceptional or have the potential to be so.
The Women's Rugby Strategic Plan 2005-2010 document, formerly the WWRU Strategic Plan 2005-2010, available as a PDF document at the top of this article, provides a much fuller description of the strategy and action plan implemented to drive the Women's game forward in Wales. |
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