First of all I’d like to thank you for your patience, understanding and support during what has been one of the most challenging periods in the club’s long history.
I fully accept that most supporters will have felt frustrated by the lack of communication from the club during this period, but our hands have been tied both in relation to our discussions with the WRU and then with regard to the position with Dai Young.
As I am sure most of you will appreciate, there is not a lot more I can say in relation to the latter other than what was released in the press announcement, which can be found here.
What I can say is that the board responded to concerns raised in an appropriate fashion and that the subsequent process was carried out in a fully independent, professional, and thorough manner. It was unfortunate that this took far longer than anticipated, but this was due to circumstances beyond our control.
It is regrettable that the club and Dai have parted company, but we are now focussed on the future and ensuring we move forward during what continues to be a challenging time for the professional game in Wales.
For legal reasons, we were unable to make any rugby-related announcements during the investigation but we are now in a position to confirm a number of signings and re-signings. We can also resume work on recruitment and retention, albeit with the reduced budgets arising from the new agreement with the WRU. You can expect plenty of announcements on this in coming days.
The above constraints aside, we recognise that our communication with you needs to improve, and we have agreed a revised communications framework which will be implemented immediately. This includes a recommitment to communications from myself, our CEO, Richard Holland, and bi-annual Q&As with board members.
Our immediate priority now is of course on securing and implementing a succession plan for rugby and once this in place we can really begin building for the future. It is important to acknowledge the fact that next season is going to be incredibly challenging on the pitch but the most important thing is we as a club are here, we are secure, and we have a foundation to build from.
Growing from within will be a significant part of our strategy going forward and we are fortunate to boast a superb player pathway. It is vitally important now that we harness its full potential as well as further develop the relationship with the Rags.
It is also now four months since we lost our Life President Peter Thomas CBE and this has had an enormous impact on the club.
We were all devastated by the sad loss of Peter, who had contributed so much to the club over so many years. It is no understatement to say we would not be here if it were not for Peter’s support and generosity, and we continue to owe Peter and his family a great deal of gratitude.
It filled me with immense pride to see the scenes as we paid tribute to Peter at Cardiff Arms Park ahead of a superb victory over Sale Sharks in April, and it is now about continuing and delivering his legacy.
We are hugely grateful to the Thomas family’s continued support as part of the new agreement with the Union. This provides a sustainable foundation from which we can begin to build.
In the wake of this agreement, there has been much media speculation about new potential investors in the company, including stories linking us with Y11 Sport. We clarified our position in relation to Y11 earlier this month, which can be read in full here.
As we stated at that time, it is our duty as a board of directors to listen to and consider all approaches from interested parties, who could invest in and improve this great club. We will update you on any discussions as and when able to do so.
Though we have had to navigate a whole series of difficult events in recent months, we have now come through these and I truly believe that we have a bright and exciting future. Your support both now and in future is critically important.
We have witnessed time and time again the energy and passion you bring to the Arms Park and how it translates to the boys on the pitch.
As I have already mentioned we’re going to experience some challenges in the next year or so, but we have done so before, and we will emerge stronger as a result.
As someone who has grown up supporting this club and stood on the terraces, I implore you to do everything that you can to continue to support us going forward and as we start to look towards celebrating the 150th anniversary. You are the lifeblood of the club, whether cheering us on from the stands or terraces – we simply cannot do it without you.
I hope that this brief update goes some way to clarifying our position on several important issues and please rest assured that both myself, the board and the executive at Cardiff Rugby remain fiercely committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the club.
While it might not always seem that way from the outside, a vast amount of hard work continues behind the scenes to ensure that Cardiff Rugby not just continues but thrives. We commit to providing you with regular updates from hereon and will confirm details of a board Q&A at Cardiff Arms Park very soon.
Kind regards,
Alun Jones – Cardiff Rugby Chair