The fallout from the Welsh Rugby Union’s botched contract negotiations with its women’s team continued with sponsor Vodafone saying it is “very concerned” by fresh allegations of sexism.
The WRU threatened to pull the team from next year’s home World Cup if players did not sign new contracts while many were left “emotionally unwell” after allegedly being bullied by some members of the coaching team and senior management. Last week, Ioan Cunningham left his role as head coach of the women’s team following the saga, which was exclusively revealed by Telegraph Sport.
The WRU admitted the scandal had been “reputationally damaging” and now Vodafone – the principal partner of Wales’s senior men’s, women’s and pathway teams in a deal reportedly worth £16 million – has raised concerns.
In a statement, Vodafone said: “As the founding principal partner of Wales Women’s and Girls’ Rugby, we are passionately invested in the growth of the game in Wales.
“We were aware of contract negotiations taking place, but the specifics of these discussions have been between the WRU and Women’s Rugby Association [WRA], however we are very concerned about the nature of the allegations that have been made.”
Despite those concerns, the WRU looks set to keep one of its biggest sponsors with Vodafone adding: “Investment into women’s rugby through sponsorship is vitally important to the development of the sport, from the grass roots right through to the professional game. As such, we intend to continue to support the growth of women’s rugby through our partnership.”
Wales finished bottom of this year’s Women’s Six Nations and many questioned why the team, then in their third year of full-time contracts, was unable to produce results.
It is now known many of the players were being pressured into signing new deals before the summer, despite having appointed the WRA to negotiate on their behalf.
The WRU, which has promised to apologise to players, is finalising a review of the contract negotiations, to be published later this month.
The organisation has already found a number of key failings in how the process was conducted, including the bombshell revelation that Nigel Walker, the WRU’s executive director of rugby, threatened players with World Cup withdrawal if they did not sign the contracts. Walker, who watched Wales men’s 24-19 defeat by Fiji at the Principality Stadium last Sunday, remains in his role.
The WRU also acknowledged that it had failed to keep pace with the growth and rapid change of the women’s professional game, but denied that it was a sexist organisation.
Analysis: WRU faces battle to attract other big-name sponsors
At a time when Welsh rugby has been plunged into a financial crisis, with the men’s national team being squeezed for every last penny, news that Vodafone will continue its relationship with the WRU will come as a huge relief.
A source had indicated to Telegraph Sport just last week that the relationship between both parties had been on “thin ice” in the wake of the stalled contract negotiations with its women’s team. After being in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – a year after an independent review highlighted a sexist culture within the organisation – the WRU faces an uphill battle to clean up its public image. It looks like Vodafone will stick rather than twist, but other commercial sponsors might not be as tolerant and it could harm the union’s ability to attract new partners too.
After years of swatting away criticism for underinvesting in the female game at all levels in Wales, the WRU appeared to strike gold when Vodafone came on board as a key partner with Wales women in September 2022.
As well as becoming the front-of-shirt sponsor for the women’s team, the mobile phone and broadband operator helped introduce a series of innovations for the side and unveiled a menstrual cycle tracking app for players to help with recovery and performance.
During this year’s Women’s Six Nations, Vodafone began trialling new concussion technology in the app, Player Connect, allowing head injury data to be cross-referenced with data from a player’s menstrual cycle. However, the PR around the “revolutionary” feature could not mask the team’s disappointing performances in the championship.
While the union has stood still – many still see the women’s senior side as a financial burden rather than a long-term investment – Vodafone has been busy expanding its women’s rugby portfolio.
The telecoms giant has partnered with Scotland, Ireland and Fiji’s women’s teams and last month became performance innovation partner of Gloucester-Hartpury, the reigning Premiership Women’s Rugby champions. Having indicated it will honour its relationship with Welsh rugby, the WRU might have just been handed its biggest get out of jail free card.
