🔷 THIS WEEK IN CONSULTATION 1.
5 September 2025
This is a short weekly update for everyone interested in the WRU consultation and engagement into the future of Welsh rugby. We will publish it on a Friday during the period of the consultation itself, which ends on 26 September 2025
🗓️ Week at a Glance
| Day | Activity |
| Monday 1 September | Consultation period officially opens |
| Monday 1 September | Public engagement survey goes live at 5pm |
| Tuesday–Friday 2-5 September | Formal consultation meetings are underway |
| Friday 5 September | First WRU consultation update published |
📣 Consultation Launch
The WRU’s four-week consultation period is now live. This is the most significant strategic review of elite rugby in Wales in a generation. We’ve published our current optimal system. Now we want to hear views from around the nation.
- The public survey is open at https://ymlaencymru.com/consultation
- The consultation document sets out a bold vision for change
- We are meeting stakeholders across the game throughout the month
📊 Survey Engagement Snapshot (First few days)
We ae pleased with the initial engagement with our public survey, with thousands of people who care about Welsh rugby giving us their views. We are encouraging everyone to continue to participate and we would really welcome more responses from around Wales especially those in North and Mid Wales who are yet to contribute.
| Metric | Data |
| Completed responses | 4,709 |
| Top 5 postcodes | Not yet processed |
| Gender split | 88.7% male, 9.6% female, 0.3% non-binary, 1.4% prefer not to say |
| Respondent types | All identify as supporters or fans of these there are currently: 121 current or former professional players, 661 community players, 958 community club members, coaches volunteers or officials, 676 parents or relations of players, 639 regional club members or season ticket holders and 127 from the commercial or business side of rugby. |
| Age demographic | 27% Under35. 43% 36to55yrs. 30% 56 and over |
Graphic: Map of Wales showing engagement hotspots
👥 Stakeholder Engagements
This week, the WRU met with:
- Senior leadership from three of the four regional clubs, Dragons RFC, Cardiff Rugby and Ospreys
All meetings were led in person by Dave Reddin, WRU Director of Rugby and Elite Performance.
🏉 Other WRU milestones this week
- 1 September: Dave Reddin and Steve Tandy officially begin their roles
- 6 September: Wales Women vs Fiji, 2.45pm, Sandy Park, Exeter
- Domestic season begins in Wales
- Annual General Meetings of WRU districts begin, with meetings taking place in Districts D and G
🗣️ How to Get Involved
- Take the survey
- Read the consultation document
- Share your views — every voice matters
Update from Dave Reddin:
Three consultation meetings have been held during this first week and have been cordial, professional, detailed, informative and engaging.
We have met with Dragons RFC, Cardiff Rugby and the Ospreys so far, with an open invitation remaining in place for more meetings with each before the process ends. These initial meetings have been constructive and collaborative and we welcome the positive contributions that each participant has made. These contributions will help us reach the right conclusions in our shared endeavour to create a sustainable and successful future for the game in Wales.
The consultation process is taking the form of a series of in person meetings where our consultees discuss the consultation document in depth; provide feedback; and are able put forward alternative proposals for consideration. In addition, the results of the public survey – including the feedback from an open question asking for individuals’ own thoughts – will continue to feed our analysis and future thinking.
We also launched our public survey on 1st September, with over a 1,000 people responded in the first 24hrs and 4,709 have filled in our questionnaire to date. This is a fantastic response and we are delighted to have heard from so many people already with a range of views presenting some really positive points as well as challenges. It is great to see so many people engaging with us and shows the passion for Welsh rugby.
We have received contributions from all over Wales and beyond and I would encourage anyone who has not yet done so to visit https://ymlaencymru.com/ and give us their views.
This is incredibly valuable feedback. These views and thoughts will continue to feed our future thinking and we are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to contribute.
It is vitally important to us that everyone with an interest or stake in Welsh rugby has a chance to give their view.
We are also very grateful for the answers to the open ended question at the end of the survey, which continue underline the strength of feeling and passion of the Welsh nation. Thank you.
The formal consultation process itself is very focussed and highly structured.
We will be keeping our own counsel on the detailed contents of these discussions until the consultation is over as we are very much in listening mode at the moment.
We continue to evolve our thinking and remain focussed on reaching a resolution that we can take to the WRU Board at the end of October. At that point we expect a public announcement to be made which will define a new and positive future for Welsh rugby.
In the meantime, we remain committed to an open and fair process and to keeping all parties as informed as possible about our progress, whilst respecting the privacy of the meetings we are undertaking.
Thank you once again to all who have contributed to the debate so far and, to those preparing to engage in the near future. We very much welcome your thoughts and insights.
This is a pivotal time for Welsh rugby, but it is also an exciting time as we plan for a successful and sustainable future and a return to winning ways.
Dave Reddin
WRU Director of Rugby & Elite Performance
See link to Dave Reddin blogpost here: