The WRU have put together a glossy strategy document, that is high on presentation, but short on content.

The Five goals have made the press, there are also four "pillars" and four "enablers".

They admit the Union has debts of £24 million and deficit of £15m.

And they will therefore give up on bringing all the marquee players back to Wales and not support the Wales Sevens squad.

The report hints that they may need to cut funding to the regions. 

I think it may be drastic.

https://d2cx26qpfwuhvu.cloudfront.net/wales/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/26172025/One-Wales-Welsh-Rugby-Strategy-2024-29.pdf" rel="nofollow - https://d2cx26qpfwuhvu.cloudfront.net/wales/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/26172025/One-Wales-Welsh-Rugby-Strategy-2024-29.pdf

Thanks for sharing!

I like this report but I am a Management Accountant.

I like that the WRU talks about clubs not regions.

I like stopping trying to bring back elite players once they leave wales. Bringing back Halfpenny and J Davies cost Scarlets a fortune it didn't have and inflated over players cost.

I like the emphasis on quality of club rather than quantity of clubs in community rugby. Ammanford was a town of 20,000 when I left and had over 10 rugby clubs as i remember - every youth game was within a 20 minutes drive. Adult player numbers have dropped but all those clubs still exist.

As the pro clubs had to now it is time for the community clubs to merge.

£35M is a big number

But the WRU has the principality stadium and the welsh rugby teams so hopefully the finances can be better managed.

Those debts are secured on the Stadium, some are from building the hotel - which opened just before Covid.

The concerts this summer and the motor events should bring in needed cash.

I am hoping there is more detail behind it.

While it is good as far as it goes, I am not sure that I could take it and build a project plan to implement.

(Thankfully!) I'm not a Management Accountant but I agree with all you say although I'm not sure about community clubs merging which suggests the creation of new "artificial" clubs with no history or tradition. (Welsh regions anyone?).

Which I'd love obviously, but from our current starting point it seems impossible.

What benefits to the game are there in merging the Community clubs? 

Does it save millions?
Does it increase player numbers?
Does it guarantee fixtures are played?

Lets address the elephant in the room, the game - not just in Wales but across the UK is in debt because we pay the professional clubs too much money and they in turn spend even more money on players.  Saving a few thousands on merging a few community clubs - which are probably better run than their professional counterparts - is like sticking a plaster on a broken leg.