The Rugby Football Union (RFU) collaborated with Hult Ashridge Executive Education to co-design and deliver a development program for volunteer leaders of its Constituent Bodies. In this case study, we explore how effective volunteer leadership development helped drive impactful change and shape rugby at county level.
Client story: Rugby Football Union
Enabling a culture of growth and change through L&D
Encouraging rugby, and its values, to flourish across England
Our partnership
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The RFU is the national governing body for grassroots and professional rugby in England, with 2,000 autonomous rugby clubs in its membership.
The clubs are grouped into 35 Constituent Bodies (CBs) comprising counties; the 3 armed forces; Oxford and Cambridge Universities; England Rugby Football Schools' Union; and England Students. The RFU employs around 500 paid staff and helps to train and support over 60,000 volunteers.
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“By managing the game efficiently and effectively, CBs can support clubs to deliver activity that meets their needs through transparent planning and decision making.”
Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director, RFU
The challenge
The RFU identified an underinvestment in voluntary leaders providing support at county level, which placed volunteers under great pressure and led to burnout.
They also recognized a lack of opportunity for Constituent Bodies (CBs) to maximize the RFU's potential, which required a transformation of leadership support. This meant exploring factors like internal politics, managing change and impact on others, and offering CB leaders an opportunity for self-reflection.
The RFU partnered with Hult Ashridge on a transformational journey to implement a custom program that would reflect the complex nature of local sports administration and governance in the unique context of a rugby union, while meeting the development needs of CB leaders to create lasting change in the RFU of the future.
Our impact
Building better leaders to drive lasting change
Since the program launched, CB leaders report being more focused, strategic, and confident in their leadership; collaborative through an independent network of CB leaders; resilient when facing challenges and willing to drive change; and increasingly influential, vocal, and engaged at a local and national level.
By investing in current and future CB leaders, the RFU has realized its ambition of growing and strengthening each local rugby club and laid the foundation work for achieving many of its priorities in its current and future Strategic Plan.
Empowered leaders, encouraging change
The program has created an empowered volunteer leadership team equipped with the relevant skills to influence and drive lasting county-level change within rugby.
Success beyond the RFU
Participants can apply their learnings to their work with the RFU and apply enhanced leadership skills to their professional careers – creating a domino effect of success.
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