Bill Sweeney: Why is RFU chief executive facing demands for removal after huge bonus?

We look at the reasons behind RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney facing demands for his removal after 141 member clubs signed a letter requesting a special general meeting…

What happened to kick things off?

A total of 141 signatories are included on a letter that was sent to the RFU on Thursday, easily exceeding the 100 member clubs needed to trigger an SGM under the governing body’s rules.

A statement released by the Rugby Football Referees Union (RFRU), which is leading the grassroots uprising, revealed that the initial resolution under debate at the SGM will include a call for the board to terminate Sweeney’s employment “as soon as practicably possible”.

RFU chairman Tom Ilube had been the main target for the rebellion but he stepped down from his post last month in response to the outcry over the executives pay and bonus scandal that has gripped Twickenham.

What has been the RFU’s response?

Upon receiving the letter, the RFU claimed it contained “a number of inaccuracies” and that “it does not comply with the relevant requirements and is therefore invalid as a requisition for an SGM.”

It also said that the nine professional referees it employs have distanced themselves from the RFRU, with the officials declaring that “we have not endorsed any statements or meetings proposed by them.”

A spokesperson for the 141 clubs seeking the vote of no confidence in Sweeney hit back by insisting the RFU were using technicalities to avoid being held to account.

“The RFU can play for time all it likes, but this is a mass movement by a stronger, united team,” the spokesperson said.

“Splitting hairs about the rules of what is or isn’t a valid complaint form is merely postponing the inevitable.”

Bill Beaumont, who has since been ratified as interim chair of the RFU Board, has written an open letter to clubs (see in full below) and the RFU confirmed in a statement on Friday a special general meeting will be heard some time after the Men’s Six Nations.

“The RFU is in the process of validating the additional information that has now been provided to request a Special General Meeting (SGM),” its statement read.

“The notice to request an SGM contained a significant number of inaccuracies, however, the RFU respects the right of its members to call for an SGM and for their views to be heard.

“A date for the SGM will be announced in the next two weeks and it will take place after the Guinness Men’s Six Nations has concluded.”

Why is Sweeney so unpopular?

The issues are wide-ranging and some date back to financial cuts made during Covid.

This latest revolt was sparked by the decision to award Sweeney a £358,000 bonus this year, despite the RFU announcing record operating losses of nearly £40m. Meanwhile the RFU made 42 people redundant in September.

It was revealed in the RFU’s accounts published in November that Sweeney received pay of £1.1m for the 2023-24 financial year, which comprised of an increased salary of £742,000 and a bonus of £358,000.

Bonuses totalling almost £1m were paid to a further five executives, even though the RFU reported an operating loss of £37.9m for 2023/24, the highest it has ever recorded.

In addition, the England men’s team won just five of their 12 matches in 2024 and grassroots participation is in decline.

Other areas of contention mentioned in the letter sent to the RFU are its excessive bureaucracy and poor governance, the cutting of development officers, the “debacle” over the introduction of the new tackle-height in the community game and the cost of sacking former England head coach Eddie Jones.

“What you are seeing is the result of years of frustration that have affected every level of our game,” Chichester RFC chairman Paddy McAlpine said.

“Now that has erupted as a result of the anger clubs felt when the executive were paid their bonuses. Every club I know wants to see change at the top.”

In the meantime, several professional clubs in the country have been liquated in the shape of Wasps, London Irish, Worcester Warriors and Jersey Reds due to financial issues.

Who is calling for him to be sacked?

The group consists of 10 Championship clubs from the second tier of rugby in England, various refereeing bodies, as well as clubs from lower leagues and the community game.

Their number totalled 152 on Thursday evening – but they say that has now risen to over 250 by the same time Friday. They are calling for a Special General Meeting (SGM) and a vote of no confidence in Sweeney.

As well as the executive bonuses awarded at the end of last year, they also point to the following failures of governance:

• Excessive bureaucracy and a flawed GMS computer system that has caused huge additional workloads to the thousands of volunteers who keep rugby alive in the towns and villages of England
• Poor financial results, including losses of £130m over the last two World Cup cycles and a background of staffing cuts both at Twickenham and among the ranks of development-officers serving the lower tiers of English rugby
• The “debacle” over the introduction of a new tackle-height in the community game
• Poor governance of the game at the highest levels of the RFU
• The wasted money spent on sacking England coaching staff

What are the rules on forcing through change? Why now?

The threshold to call for an SGM is 100 clubs, so the rebels were confident they would succeed in forcing a vote.

Alistair Bow, chairman of Nottingham RFC, has insisted all along they do have the necessary signatories.

This has been building for a while. It was triggered by the latest exec bonuses but goes back much further.

The Championship clubs are aggrieved by numerous funding cuts – including those cuts made during Covid that were never reinstated.

They also believe the Premiership is effectively being ring-fenced, with regulations put in place to prevent promotion from the second tier.

At community level, the decision to lower the tackle height law in 2023, without consultation with grassroots clubs, went down very badly and remains the root of much ill-feeling.

Bow is calling for a complete overhaul of the governance structure, including halving the RFU Council from 66 to 33 members.

Are these bonuses and salaries normal in other sporting bodies?

Performance-related bonuses are common – but the issue for many, is that the bonuses didn’t reflect the RFU’s performance.

They reported record operating losses of nearly £40m – while the England men’s team won less than 42 per cent of their Test fixtures in 2024.

What has Sweeney said?

Nothing – he’s not spoken publicly since the publishing of the RFU’s annual accounts in late November.

He was also absent from the emergency council meeting on December 18, where it was decided chairman Ilube should stand down over the exec bonuses.

What happens next?

The rebels will hope to gather more support and ensure an SGM does take place in early 2025.

Failing that, they hope the unwanted publicity forces Sweeney himself, or indeed the RFU Council, to make a decision on his future.

Meanwhile Beaumont was ratified as interim chairman at a council meeting on Friday, where Sweeney could face some tough questions.

Bill Beaumont’s open letter in full sent to clubs:

Today the RFU Council ratified my appointment as interim chair of the RFU Board; it is a great honour to be taking on this role and I thank Council for their support.

I’ve had a busy few weeks engaging with the RFU Board and Council, and listening to players, volunteers, match officials and fans. From those conversations it is very clear the game wants and needs unity, and it is my priority to help to bring the game together.

Unity does not mean no challenge or debate. I hear and empathise with some of the concerns around the payment of a long-term incentive plan. I want to understand how decisions were taken, and it is right that an independent review of the process has been commissioned. The review should be allowed to run its natural course, and I look forward to its outcomes.

This is a serious moment for the game of rugby in England. There have been demands for change without clarity on the real reasons why, or proposals for an alternative vision. There has been a call for a Special General Meeting (SGM) and we will respect the right of members to have their views heard.

Our sport has a long history of in-fighting and we sometimes lose sight of what is best for rugby as a whole. Whatever we do next, it needs to be for the good of the English game.

We need to listen and be supportive of one another. That is why I will be hitting the road on a nationwide tour of rugby clubs in January and February, so we can debate and agree a united way forward.

We also need to reflect on how hard the last few years have been. I can offer a wider context on that from my recent position as Chair of World Rugby. The impact Covid, inflation and a cost-of-living crisis has had on the game around the globe has been significant in terms of participation, confidence, and finances at every level. 

Objectively, we should ask whether English rugby, in the aftermath, was managed effectively. Having seen all countries wrangle the same problems, I can say with confidence in comparison to many other countries the RFU has come out of this period very well.

The RFU did not receive any government or World Rugby loans. It did, however, successfully negotiate support on behalf of community clubs, and facilitated professional clubs’ access to government loans, which ensured rugby received more financial support in England than any other sport.

There is much work needed to reset and come together as a united game, and I am committed to supporting that. In the short time I have been back in this role, I have also seen that rugby in England has lots of positives to build on.

The RFU has committed to an investment programme in the community game that will see more coaches, more resources for clubs, and accessible forms of rugby being taken into thousands of schools.

We are set to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup – a generational opportunity to get more women and girls playing rugby. Participation in the men’s game has also bounced back close to where it was pre-Covid.

When I’m on the road I will be listening to your feedback and input so do please sign up to join one of the sessions which will be announced in next week’s Community Game Update.

We all want winning men’s and women’s England teams, and this can’t happen without a thriving community game. I want us to have unity, and the stability required to deliver this. If we work together, we will succeed. If we work against each other, English rugby will not be the winner on or off the pitch.