The chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, Bill Sweeney, saw his salary rise to £1.1m during the 2023-24 financial year despite record losses and swingeing job losses at the governing body.
Sweeney’s basic salary rose from £684,000 to £742,000 – an increase of 8.5% – and he was awarded £358,000 as part of long-term incentive plan, linked to the union’s post-Covid recovery.
That Sweeney becomes the highest paid chief executive at a UK sports governing body amid losses approaching £40m and 42 redundancies has been met with widespread disbelief within the game. The RFU has pointed to fewer home matches due to the 2023 World Cup – and the added expense of the tournament – as key reasons for the losses.
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Sweeney’s additional payment of £358,000 comes because the RFU’s remuneration committee agreed three years ago that the executive team would be signed up for a long-term incentive plan (LTIP), which would be realised after three years, having taken a six-month pay cut during the Covid pandemic.
In September, the RFU announced that 42 employees were being made redundant just weeks after announcing the lucrative sale of the Twickenham naming rights to Allianz.
“The LTIP was recommended and approved by the RFU board and the remuneration Committee in recognition for the need to retain a strong and stable executive team in place to cover what has been an incredibly challenging three-year period,” said Tom Ilube, the chair of the RFU.
The RFU has announced an operating loss of £37.9m due to a £53.8m decline in year-on-year revenue. No autumn fixtures in 2023 and fewer Six Nations matches meant £25.4m less from ticket sales, £22m less received for catering and hospitality and a £6.4m drop in broadcast revenues.
Sweeney has insisted the RFU has “planned well” for such losses but his pay increase jars with the financial picture painted by the latest accounts. He was appointed in 2019 and has proven adept at riding storms, having faced down a rebellion from council members on the eve of the 2023 World Cup while he has survived the demises of Worcester, Wasps, London Irish and Jersey Reds on his watch. He also presided over the furore around the decision to lower the tackle height in the amateur game which led to calls for a vote of no confidence.
Sweeney said: “The RFU has planned well for this year, the fourth year in our business planning cycle, which is always a loss making due to increased costs associated with going to the Rugby World Cup and as a result of hosting fewer games at Allianz Stadium.
“Emerging from post-covid challenges, which saw significant lost revenues, substantial increases in costs and inflation, and a drop in player participation, we are now entering into a period of significant transformation with a great deal to be positive about.”
