Two positions on the WRU Council will be vacated at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) this November, with Anthony Buchanan (National Council Member and elected as a Director) and Geraint Edwards (District Council Member for District E) both announcing their intentions to stand down, respectively.
Prospective candidates must be nominated by two WRU member clubs, with voting and the appointment process set to take place over the coming months, and Chairman Gareth Davies is hoping a strong and diverse field will take an interest in the two influential positions.
“We have made no secret of the fact we want to ‘kick the habit’ in terms of the skillset, background, age and gender of a traditional WRU Board member and this is an ideal opportunity to do so,” said Davies.
“Of course our Board must be representative of our member clubs, but we are asking our clubs to really examine what that means in 2019, to look inwardly and to examine the faces in their clubhouses, in the crowds and on their pitches to help us find new blood to help revitalise our governance.
“A candidate with a strong background in club rugby or who has served the country on the international stage will always be an asset, and that will never change, but this could mean Women’s international rugby or our junior club game, for example – someone directly from the sharp end of the professional game would be a strong contender, but a leader in an unrelated field of business could also provide vital skills and experience.
“We have recently introduced governance and structural change and these are exciting times, but the future of our national game is finely balanced and needs the guiding hand of an experienced and intellectually invested Council and Board as much as ever.
“We have talked about breaking the mould in terms of the kind of candidates we are seeking and call on our clubs to do all they can to help and encourage this process.”
The new WRU Council Members will be eligible to stand as candidates for future vacated Board positions, as the Council elects eight of its members (two National Council Members and six District Council Members, one of whom is the chairperson of the Community Game Board) to the WRU Board.
In addition, a further four District Council Members also reach the ends of their current terms of office at the AGM: Ian Jeffery (District Council Member for District A), Gwyn Bowden (District Council Member for District B), Robert Butcher (District Council Member for District C and elected as Director) and Alan Jones (District Council Member for District D).
Meanwhile, a new WRU President must also be elected ahead of the next AGM, with nominations also closing for this position on Monday 5th August, as incumbent Dennis Gethin stands down at the conclusion of the next AGM, having completed 12 years in office.
The Professional Rugby Board (PRB), whose chairperson is appointed to the WRU Board, is also currently looking to appoint a second independent member with a specific remit for overseeing the pro-game in Wales.
