Roger Lewis, CEO of Welsh Rugby

Roger Lewis now earns a staggering £353,000. That is 2 and a half times the amount that the British Prime Minister earns.

That's an annual pay increase of £16,000, in the year that a vote of no confidence was brought against him, professional rugby in Wales nearly collapsed and the entire community league structure in Wales remains at breaking point.

What a corrupt, disgusting, vile organisation the Welsh Rugby Union is.

Disgusting amount of money. Have to wonder what he does to earn it, bar sorting Barclays out to the detriment of Welsh Rugby.

Surely this needs looking into, how can he be on that much money ? How can he justify that amount ? Are the banks paying him bonuses for paying the debts off ? Half of that is way too much.

New numbers out for the WRU aswell. Turnover down from the previous year (not winning the 6 nations? How many 6 nation home games?). But record investments. Interestingly (assuming these are the 2013/14 numbers) it compares reasonably well with the IRFU ones. Using online currency converter you have WRU spending £21.4M on the pro games (not premiership) and the IRFU £24.6M. Given the extra £2M from next year that should be up to just over £1M difference (or £250k for each team).

Although as I understand it the IRFU have cut back how much support they give the provinces as they generate a lot more of their own money now through tickets and sponsorship.

The trouble with all this is in the latest WRU accounts a massive amount of the turnover quoted is the money the Regions earn in TV deals that is automatically handed on, the WRU apologists on here and in the Community clubs will not accept this, and think the sun shines out of one of his orifices.
One has been got shot of and the sooner this pariah has gone the better.

wayne wrote:The trouble with all this is in the latest WRU accounts a massive amount of the turnover quoted is the money the Regions earn in TV deals that is automatically handed on, the WRU apologists on here and in the Community clubs will not accept this, and think the sun shines out of one of his orifices.
One has been got shot of and the sooner this pariah has gone the better.

Yup. £10m competition money. Will that change from this season with the RCC coming into play?

And the IRFU and SRU do the same, so they can be compared.

Does anyone really care about the absolute figures for turnover? At least in the general public, it's the changes that are of interest.

Just looked and 2014 saw 3 home games in the 6 Nations. If turnover dropped compared to a year with 2 (2013) that's probably a concern as usually it's the other way round.

HammerofThunor wrote:

Does anyone really care about the absolute figures for turnover?

When it's used in the media as a triumph to dupe the layman and thickies, it's a bit of a disgrace.

HammerofThunor wrote: Using online currency converter you have WRU spending £21.4M on the pro games (not premiership) and the IRFU £24.6M.  .

1) Where do you get £21.4m from?
2) Does the Irish figure include comeptition money?
3) Does the Irish figure include central contract wages?

Rugby in Wales, and everywhere else I would have thought, is not owned by one person, the game in Wales belongs to the people, the people who play it, the people who run it at all levels, and most importantly the people who spend their hard earned cash supporting it at all levels, Roger Lewis needs to answer to these people and justify why he is taking that much out of the game, half his wages could keep an entire district funded for a season FFS, something is not right in all this, and I have a sneaky feeling that it is the banks that are running our game, not the WRU.

LordDowlais wrote: Roger Lewis needs to answer to these people and justify why he is taking that much out of the game.

He did. In August. And only 4 out of 320 clubs had the spine to question his regime.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-29435833

Welsh Rugby Union - Financial figures for 2014

Turnover down to £58.5m from £61m in 2013
Profit up from £2.3m to £2.4m
Reinvestment of £17.1m for the regions, £1.1m for the Premiership and £4.3m for the community game
Operating costs of £4.3m for the elite game, £2.7m for community rugby, and just under £5m for the Millennium Stadium
Repayable bank debt reduced from £19.5m to £15m
The WRU Board also approved a 13% increase in funding to community rugby to £2.6m for the 2014/15 season

£17.1M to the regions and £4.3M operating costs for elite rugby.  That assuming that the operating costs cover the international wages, etc.  That's the closest analogy to the Irish Pro rugby costs (that I can see).

Chunky, turnover is down this year. I fail to see how that is triumph. The Truimph part is that they're investing more money in rugby. Now that is only really appreciable when you compare it to other cases, either previous years or with other unions (ideally similar ones).

A British CEO gets £353,000?

Okay.................... what do other CEOs get in Britain? What does the RFU head guy get - Ian Ritchie?

How much do the top players earn? How about Gats? I think whoever in charge of an organisation should be earning towards the top end of that organisation. If lewis wasn't in job someone else would be.

HammerofThunor wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-29435833

Welsh Rugby Union - Financial figures for 2014

Turnover down to £58.5m from £61m in 2013
Profit up from £2.3m to £2.4m
Reinvestment of £17.1m for the regions, £1.1m for the Premiership and £4.3m for the community game
Operating costs of £4.3m for the elite game, £2.7m for community rugby, and just under £5m for the Millennium Stadium
Repayable bank debt reduced from £19.5m to £15m
The WRU Board also approved a 13% increase in funding to community rugby to £2.6m for the 2014/15 season

£17.1M to the regions and £4.3M operating costs for elite rugby.  That assuming that the operating costs cover the international wages, etc.  That's the closest analogy to the Irish Pro rugby costs (that I can see).

Chunky, turnover is down this year. I fail to see how that is triumph. The Truimph part is that they're investing more money in rugby. Now that is only really appreciable when you compare it to other cases, either previous years or with other unions (ideally similar ones).

So that includes £10m of competition money. Does the Irish figure include that? I don't think it does.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2074149/Ian-Ritchie-named-RFU-chief-executive.html

More than £350k (so probably similar to Lewis). Although everyone knows the RFU have loads of money and splash to cash.

Can't find the IRFU or SRU CEO's.

As for CEO in general? No idea. Too much.

The average salary for a uk CEO is 398k

Has Welsh rugby improved 61% since Roger Lewis was employed? If not, why is he getting paid 61% more than when he stared?

Chunky Norwich wrote:The average salary for a uk CEO is 398k

Has Welsh rugby improved 61% since Roger Lewis was employed? If not, why is he getting paid 61% more than when he stared?

Well, you tell me. Has his crowd won a few 6N things (3 in his time?) and did they come close (some might suggest a Warburton 'red' close) to having a shocking contribution to the last world cup? Is that progress?

CEOs get market rates. That's what they get. If they're all there or thereabouts Lewis's rate then this thread has little purpose.

Would a new CEO take less or ask for more?

Chunky Norwich wrote:So that includes £10m of competition money. Does the Irish figure include that? I don't think it does.

Yes it is.  Page 51 of the 2014 Annual Report.


IRFU income is broken down into

e33M from international rugby
e6M from commercial stuff
e16M from deferred tickets
e10M from ERC and provincial income

So yes, the IRFU do take in the ERC and PRO12 money and dish it back out again.
The IRFU gave the provinces e23.8M in total, e10.3M was competition money, e13.5M was in addition (£10.5M) from the international rugby pot.

HammerofThunor wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:So that includes £10m of competition money. Does the Irish figure include that? I don't think it does.

Yes it is.  Page 51 of the 2014 Annual Report.

e33M from international rugby
e6M from commercial stuff
e16M from deferred tickets
e10M from ERC and provincial income

So yes, the IRFU do take in the ERC and PRO12 money and dish it back out again.

So the IRFU only fund elite rugby to the tune of £14m a year?

B0ll0cks.

SecretFly wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:The average salary for a uk CEO is 398k

Has Welsh rugby improved 61% since Roger Lewis was employed?

Well, you tell me.  

I will:


No. It hasn't.

SecretFly wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:The average salary for a uk CEO is 398k

Has Welsh rugby improved 61% since Roger Lewis was employed? If not, why is he getting paid 61% more than when he stared?

Well, you tell me.  Has his crowd won a few 6N things (3 in his time?) and did they come close (some might suggest a Warburton 'red' close) to having a shocking contribution to the last world cup?  Is that progress?

Thats just team Wales though SF, the regions have gone backwards, rapidly.

LordDowlais wrote:

Thats just team Wales though SF, the regions have gone backwards, rapidly.

Secretfly thinks like the thickie welsh public do..............15 men playing at the national stadium is the be all and end all of rugby.

Looking at the size of the job, Lewis is getting pretty much what anyone in charge of a similar sized organisation would do - and the comparison with the Prime Ministers wages is not accurate as the P.M. gets lots of benefits outwith the salary - two free homes, travel, staff ect. that a "normal" CEO would be expected to find themselves.
As a PLC it would be the decision of the board or the remuneration committee to decide his wages - he presumably had a set of targets to meet this year and has met them so gets the increase. i should imagine that his main driver is getting the debt on the MS paid off as fast as possible but that's a target he's set by the board - they could set another one if they wished.
I should also imagine that in the boardroom at Cardiff, winning the vote of confidence and getting shot of Moffett permanently would be getting him lots of credit.
They could set him the target of getting a 50% increase in the number of children playing rugby, of supporting a regional side to win the HEC (other cups are available) or of ensuring every club has at least 10 qualified coaches by 2015 - the point is they haven't.
The point is that if it wasn't Lewis in charge and I appreciate he's a contentious figure rather like Rob Andrew in the RFU, someone else would be in charge, getting at least the same money and unless the board of the WRU change what they want to see, doing exactly the same things as Lewis.
If you want to change Welsh Rugby you have to change the WRU board - not Lewis.
These are the people who don't care if clubs fold across Wales thanks to the league restructure, who aren't worried about the Regions failing to keep Welsh players or develop new ones, etc. as they see their primary job is to keep the MS full and balance the books.

LordDowlais wrote:Thats just team Wales though SF, the regions have gone backwards, rapidly.

Who is running them? Do they have high paid CEOs?

Chunky Norwich wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:So that includes £10m of competition money. Does the Irish figure include that? I don't think it does.

Yes it is.  Page 51 of the 2014 Annual Report.

e33M from international rugby
e6M from commercial stuff
e16M from deferred tickets
e10M from ERC and provincial income

So yes, the IRFU do take in the ERC and PRO12 money and dish it back out again.

So the IRFU only fund elite rugby to the tune of £14m a year?

B0ll0cks.

Actually it's £10.5M (14M euros) - although how that relates to central contracts I have no idea.

SecretFly wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:Thats just team Wales though SF, the regions have gone backwards, rapidly.

Who is running them?  Do they have high paid CEOs?

The guy who runs the one I support doesn’t take a penny out of the club.

Irish Londoner wrote:Looking at the size of the job, Lewis is getting pretty much what anyone in charge of a similar sized organisation would do - and the comparison with the Prime Ministers wages is not accurate as the P.M. gets lots of benefits outwith the salary - two free homes, travel, staff ect. that a "normal" CEO would be expected to find themselves.
As a PLC it would be the decision of the board or the remuneration committee to decide his wages - he presumably had a set of targets to meet this year and has met them so gets the increase. i should imagine that his main driver is getting the debt on the MS paid off as fast as possible but that's a target he's set by the board - they could set another one if they wished.
I should also imagine that in the boardroom at Cardiff, winning the vote of confidence and getting shot of Moffett permanently would be getting him lots of credit.
They could set him the target of getting a 50% increase in the number of children playing rugby, of supporting a regional side to win the HEC (other cups are available) or of ensuring every club has at least 10 qualified coaches by 2015 - the point is they haven't.
The point is that if it wasn't Lewis in charge and I appreciate he's a contentious figure rather like Rob Andrew in the RFU, someone else would be in charge, getting at least the same money and unless the board of the WRU change what they want to see, doing exactly the same things as Lewis.
If you want to change Welsh Rugby you have to change the WRU board - not Lewis.
These are the people who don't care if clubs fold across Wales thanks to the league restructure, who aren't worried about the Regions failing to keep Welsh players or develop new ones, etc. as they see their primary job is to keep the MS full and balance the books.

You could be onto something here, Roger is just a mouthpiece for the blazers at WRU headquaters, and I think you are right, there are TOO MANY Cardiff RFC influenced board members within the WRU and things need to change, perhpas Gareth Davies might change things, but he spent 12yrs playing for Cardiff RFC, perhaps we can see a pattern emerging.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:

Thats just team Wales though SF, the regions have gone backwards, rapidly.

Secretfly thinks like the thickie welsh public do..............15 men playing at the national stadium is the be all and end all of rugby.

I'm saying that's success. That's full stadiums... that's trophies. That's sponsorship. That's stadiums getting paid for. That's economics. Hard economics. That's what sporting CEOs get paid for.

Now, what do the Regional CEOS get paid for and where do their demands match their perdfomances to date?

HammerofThunor wrote:

Actually it's £10.5M (14M euros) - although how that relates to central contracts I have no idea.

What is £10.5m?

Chunky Norwich wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:

Actually it's £10.5M (14M euros) - although how that relates to central contracts I have no idea.

What is £10.5m?

That the IRFU gave the Provinces on top of competition money in 2014.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

SecretFly wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:Thats just team Wales though SF, the regions have gone backwards, rapidly.

Who is running them?  Do they have high paid CEOs?

The guy who runs the one I support doesn’t take a penny out of the club.

He's in it for the rugby?  Grand. I heard of a few of them in the PRL too.  The guys who only do it for the sport and the rugby...but who kicked up a storm because rugby wasn't 'paying its way' in profit terms - and was 'selling itself cheaply' in TV rights terms.  Yes, I do love the auld philantropists who are still in a Professional game of contacts-mean-money just for the joy of the game.
Professional rugby is an investment - you're in it to have some of it - money - whichever way that money arrives - and there are many many ways to be paid for services rendered without getting paid - just ask the GAA.  I know all about people just doing it 'for the love of the game'.

HammerofThunor wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:

Actually it's £10.5M (14M euros) - although how that relates to central contracts I have no idea.

What is £10.5m?

That the IRFU gave the Provinces on top of competition money in 2014.

Does that £10.5m include the wages of the Ireland players like Paul O'Connell?

Chunky Norwich wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:

Actually it's £10.5M (14M euros) - although how that relates to central contracts I have no idea.

What is £10.5m?

That the IRFU gave the Provinces on top of competition money in 2014.

Does that £10.5m include the wages of the Ireland players like Paul O'Connell?

As I said in my post you quoted (I've left it in), I have no idea how that relates to central contracts. I have a feeling (not sure where from) that it doesn't but that is pure speculation.

HammerofThunor wrote:

As I said in my post you quoted (I've left it in), I have no idea how that relates to central contracts.  I have a feeling (not sure where from) that it doesn't but that is pure speculation.

It doesn't include the centrally contracted players. So you have:

£10.5m paid to provinces by IRFU and that doesn't even include Ireland's best players!

So thanks for clarifying the huge funding mismatch.

Connacht are funded more than any Welsh region I suspect

Irish Londoner wrote:
If you want to change Welsh Rugby you have to change the WRU board - not Lewis.
These are the people who don't care if clubs fold across Wales thanks to the league restructure, who aren't worried about the Regions failing to keep Welsh players or develop new ones, etc. as they see their primary job is to keep the MS full and balance the books.

I also agree with this. The whole structure needs to get out of it's Draconian roots and align itself with the 21st century.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Irish Londoner wrote:
If you want to change Welsh Rugby you have to change the WRU board - not Lewis.
These are the people who don't care if clubs fold across Wales thanks to the league restructure, who aren't worried about the Regions failing to keep Welsh players or develop new ones, etc. as they see their primary job is to keep the MS full and balance the books.

I also agree with this. The whole structure needs to get out of it's Draconian roots and align itself with the 21st century.

And get rid of the PRO Cardiff influence within the WRU.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Irish Londoner wrote:
If you want to change Welsh Rugby you have to change the WRU board - not Lewis.
These are the people who don't care if clubs fold across Wales thanks to the league restructure, who aren't worried about the Regions failing to keep Welsh players or develop new ones, etc. as they see their primary job is to keep the MS full and balance the books.

I also agree with this. The whole structure needs to get out of it's Draconian roots and align itself with the 21st century.

I've said this on here before, there is a committee reporting back to to the AGM later this month with the remit to look into the make up of the WRU Board, the Board should have more Executive Members and be more in line with other organisations, there is NOT ONE person on the board before this years elections, that had any Executive experience, subsequently the Dodger has run rings around them.

"Is there a quorum present?"  That's the most important bit of knowledge for any self respecting experienced Exec to know about

"Heretotherewithfor Mr Chairman, I move that said decision to have tea at three pm should be carried by a majority or else, theretoforthwith, flasks of soup shall be issued as we sit at our desks"

That's the second most important thing an Experienced Execs, with many years of boardroom knowledge and degrees and things of general excellence in pen holding, should know.

Here they all are look, all in their crowning glory, and none of them under 60yrs of age, except for Roger:-

http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/thewru/structure/wru_board.php

Time to give youth a chance methinks.

LordDowlais wrote:Here they all are look, all in their crowning glory, and none of them under 60yrs of age, except for Roger:-

http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/thewru/structure/wru_board.php

Time to give youth a chance methinks.

Lord, by all accounts the Secretary of Bryncoch and District D Rep Alan Jones, is already lobbying to be the next Chairman.
God Help Us if he is successful

LordDowlais wrote:Here they all are look, all in their crowning glory, and none of them under 60yrs of age, except for Roger:-

http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/thewru/structure/wru_board.php

Time to give youth a chance methinks.

I heard Roy Giddings was voted off the board recently. So expect him to be replaced. Probably about time to be honest - he was born in 1933.

None of these should be on the board, let younger people who are not topping up their pension get on there, people who are in touch with the real world, if you look at half their profile's they are all retired school teachers and the what not.

LordDowlais wrote:None of these should be on the board, let younger people who are not topping up their pension get on there, people who are in touch with the real world, if you look at half their profile's they are all retired school teachers and the what not.

Yup

Chunky Norwich wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:None of these should be on the board, let younger people who are not topping up their pension get on there, people who are in touch with the real world, if you look at half their profile's they are all retired school teachers and the what not.

Yup

The thing is, these lot were in charge when we were still in amateur mode, we need bright young go getters now, people who know what it is like to be pro, and only know the professional way, these old farts have been hanging around for too long, they came through amateur and they still think the old ways are the best, lets get some exciting FRESH idea's on the board.

Some nonsense here.  Firstly he is way over paid.  He runs an organisation with 60m turnover and 30m direct cost base. That's not that large and very few CEO's in the UK with a business that size will make 350k.  I run a business (part of a public company) with 10x that turnover and I have young professionals in their twenties responsible for 50m revenue earning a fraction of that.

The WRU is a bloated organisation with an inflated executive board, further sub-committees, and a WRU Ltd board of another 15+ people.  

The clue is in the name - it's a UNION calling itself a business.  If the WRU thinks it needs a CEO who pulls 350k then it should be run like a business with proper governance.  It's still an old boys club!

I doubt it will ever happen but would be nice if he had decency to come out and at least TRY and justify how he earns that much and what he does for it.

bedfordwelsh wrote:I doubt it will ever happen but would be nice if he had decency to come out and at least TRY and justify how he earns that much and what he does for it.

I can just imagine it. Did you see the news interview he did a few months ago regarding this Cardiff city region doo-dah aka his other job? Spoke a lot, but said sweet FA.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Irish Londoner wrote:
If you want to change Welsh Rugby you have to change the WRU board - not Lewis.
These are the people who don't care if clubs fold across Wales thanks to the league restructure, who aren't worried about the Regions failing to keep Welsh players or develop new ones, etc. as they see their primary job is to keep the MS full and balance the books.

I also agree with this. The whole structure needs to get out of it's Draconian roots and align itself with the 21st century.

Like my old man's garden, it needs a total blitzing to make it ship-shape and Bristol fashion.