RFU Financials
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 8:54 pm
This is what we are up against
Thanks To RWC 2015 RFU Post Record Turnover £400m+ And Rugby Investment £100m+
14 October 2016
The RFU has released financial results for 2015-16 season, reporting revenue of over £400m and rugby investment of more than £100m for the first time.
The exceptional year and the positive financial impact of hosting Rugby World Cup 2015. Revenues almost doubled from the previous year, with total revenue increasing by £199.2m (€221m), from £207.9m (€231m) to £407.1m (€452m) driven by £228.1m (€253m) income from the Rugby World Cup.
As a result the governing body directed rugby investment of £102.3m into the game in England, topping £100m for the first time and up 37% on the prior year.
"Despite the huge disappointment of England’s early exit from our home Rugby World Cup, by running the widely acclaimed ‘most successful Rugby World Cup ever’ we have delivered significant investment into rugby both at home and globally," said RFU CEO Ian Ritchie.
"The legacy will continue to benefit our community clubs and the sport at every level.”
The past four years’ actual rugby investment exceeded the ambitious target set by the RFU Strategic Plan by £28m.
In the past year, the RFU invested £89.8m into rugby, 17% more than in the previous year, with £55.7m investment in professional rugby and £34.1m investment in rugby development.
This was the fifth consecutive year of increased investment in rugby development, and included spending on a range of participation growth initiatives and delivering a lasting World Cup legacy in the community game.
Investment in the game was facilitated by underlying revenue growth in broadcasting (up 39% to £44m thanks largely to a new agreement with Sky), sponsorship (up 8% to almost £30m with renewed agreements with O2 and Canterbury and a new partner in Old Mutual Wealth), match day hospitality and non-match day conference & events (up 3% to £44.6m), and travel revenues, with England Rugby Travel (the official travel operator for RWC 2015 wholly owned by the RFU) seeing an eight fold revenue increase to £5.7m.
In what would ordinarily be a loss making season, the union achieved a retained profit of £3.9m, compared to a loss of £6.7m in 2014/15, a move of almost £11m year on year.
“We are very proud to have exceeded our Strategic Plan target for rugby investment by £28m over the past four years," said chief financial officer Stephen Brown.
“Ultimately the union is in a very good place financially, which enables the game as a whole in England to benefit directly from this success.”
http://www.englandrugbyfiles.com/annual ... .html#p=80