Marilyn Hedley’s Post

We've all been buzzing since winning a Rugby Black List award and feel more than ever that serious discussion and action needs to be taken around this fundamental question: "If rugby in England wants to engage with diverse communities how will this be achieved if diverse communities have no access to rugby?" In highly populated urban areas the required space for schools and clubs to play rugby on doesn't exist in sufficient amounts. Interesting fact - 50% of the total BAME population in England live in 3 cities. London, Birmingham & Manchester. Any thoughts? Also consider that you can't start to fudge the game (which is something the powers that be are currently working on) to create 5 a side touch and call it rugby. The beauty of rugby as we know it is that all shapes and sizes have an equal and important part to play on the pitch. Without this element it simply isn't rugby.

Given the current schism in New Zealand Rugby, Roger Mitchell's well-articulated recent article on #Rugby & talk of #Saudi money coming to create a Rugby version LIV Golf on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast (with Mark Foster), the storm clouds of #disruption seem imminent. For me, it comes down to the fact that when compared to other high-profile sports, elite Rugby players play too much, get absolutely battered week-in week-out for quite frankly relatively pitiful remuneration. No matter how much tinkering is done with rules, governance, player vs country contracts, concussion protocols, etc. this lack of money going to its stars leaves the sport more vulnerable than ever for someone to come along with a big cheque and mix things up a bit. The inevitability of this is almost palpable but the nuanced cause and effect, fragmentation and revolution it may cause is up for debate. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a nice day out on Saturday attending European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)'s showcase Championship Cup, final Stade Toulousain Rugby v Leinster Rugby at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, who knows I might have to go to #Riyadh to watch it next year! 😉 RugbyDAO World Rugby AYNE - are you not entertained? podcast Public Investment Fund (PIF)

Six Nations Showdown: England's Resilience Secures Victory Over Wales! 🏉 The clash between England and Wales at Twickenham in the 2024 Six Nations was a rollercoaster of intensity and determination. Despite Wales' strong start and impressive attacking stats, England's resilience and strategic second-half play led them to a narrow 2-point victory, remaining undefeated in the tournament. 🔥 Key stats reveal the pivotal moments of the match, showcasing England's strategic turnaround and Wales' missed opportunities. The fluctuating possession and territory, scrum success, lineout challenges, and defensive efforts paint a compelling picture of the game's dynamic nature. 🌟 It's a testament to the unpredictability and exhilaration of rugby, where every moment can shift the tide of the game. Cheers to both teams for an exhilarating display of skill and sportsmanship! #SixNations #EnglandVsWales #RugbyClash #ResiliencePrevails 🏆

A very disappointing day for rugby in Australia. It seems history is set to repeat itself with another Australian Super Rugby Team ceasing to exist. It is naive to think reducing the professional contracting opportunities by 20% will increase depth and competition. The NRL and AFL have 17 and 18 teams respectively, Rugby will have 4. Which code do you think juniors will steer towards? A 1/4 chance or a 1/17 or 1/18, less career opportunities will equal less depth as potential players seek certainty and better odds of making it professional. How could a governing body be ignorant to a franchise operating insolvent for multiple years? I question whether this failure of corporate governance raises more concerns for the future of professional rugby in Australia.

According to website Rugby365, the sale of Newlands Rugby Stadium - to an undisclosed buyer - was voted on, and approved, at a recent Western Province Rugby Football Union council meeting. Following the move of Western Province Rugby’s professional teams to DHL Stadium in early 2022, Newlands Rugby has ceased to be a rugby venue. When Western Province Rugby was placed under administration by SARU in October 2021, one of the major tasks assigned to the administrator was to finalise the sale of the stadium. One of the obstacles included a proposal to have the stadium declared a heritage site however, an independent report by a heritage specialist suggested otherwise. Rugby365: https://bit.ly/4bKLJPr Western Province Rugby: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR The independent report by Bridget O’Donoghue: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR #newlandsrugbystadium #sport #rugby #commercialrealestate #rugbystadium #realestateinvestment #capetownproperty #assetmanagement #capetown #propertydevelopment #realestatenews #propertynews

As we go into the second weekend of a thrilling Six Nations, here’s a really timely story about the unintended benefits of lowering the tackle height (from shoulder height to sternum) in schools and across much of amateur Rugby Union. This was a controversial change. A year ago traditionalists were up in arms. Many feared it would ruin the sport as they knew it. In reality it has proved to do the opposite. While it’s too early to conclusively say that it has lowered the incidence of concussion, the anecdotal evidence is that there has been a significant improvement. And it has had another unintended consequence - because the rule leads to fewer two-on-one tackles, the ball-carrier can often offload the ball to a team mate. So as well as improving safety, rugby is getting faster and more enjoyable to watch, with fewer set-piece interruptions. Those of us in positions of influence in the game should take heart from this example. * Increasing player safety doesn’t have to come at the expense of the sporting spectacle. * Innovation is critical to the future of the sport. See you at Murrayfield. Come on Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 https://lnkd.in/eeBsRhR2

Cracking list on here

It will be extremely useful in preparing the teams and their High Performance plans, with objectives set for the qualifying process for Rugby World Cup 2027.

New article for Redbrick Newspaper! Here I explore five ways in which rugby union can be revived in what is undoubtedly a very difficult period for the sport. The success of Derby Weekend in the Gallagher Premiership shows there are ways to attract more viewers but more methods are needed. Have a read below:

According to website Rugby365, the sale of Newlands Rugby Stadium - to an undisclosed buyer - was voted on, and approved, at a recent Western Province Rugby Football Union council meeting. Following the move of Western Province Rugby’s professional teams to DHL Stadium in early 2022, Newlands Rugby has ceased to be a rugby venue. When Western Province Rugby was placed under administration by SARU in October 2021, one of the major tasks assigned to the administrator was to finalise the sale of the stadium. One of the obstacles included a proposal to have the stadium declared a heritage site however, an independent report by a heritage specialist suggested otherwise. Rugby365: https://bit.ly/4bKLJPr Western Province Rugby: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR The independent report by Bridget O’Donoghue: https://bit.ly/3LiXRfR #newlandsrugbystadium #sport #rugby #commercialrealestate #rugbystadium #realestateinvestment #capetownproperty #assetmanagement #capetown #propertydevelopment #realestatenews #propertynews