World Rugby Council Members Steve Brown (Rugby Football Union) and Steve Tew (New Zealand Rugby) have been appointed to the Rugby World Cup Limited Board by the international federation’s Executive Committee.
The pair, who presided over the delivery of two of the most successful Rugby World Cups ever – RWC 2015 in England and RWC 2011 in New Zealand – will take up their positions in May and join with a wealth of hosting and rugby administration experience.
They join Bill Beaumont (Chairman), Agustín Pichot (Vice-Chairman), Gareth Davies (Wales), Mike Hawker (Independent) and Brett Gosper (Chief Executive) on the body that presides over all Rugby World Cup matters.
Brown, CEO of the Rugby Football Union, was instrumental in the success of Rugby World Cup 2015. As managing director of England Rugby 2015, Brown was at the heart of the planning and delivery of a tournament that broke all records as the best attended, most viewed, most socially engaged, most competitive and most commercially successful to date.
As New Zealand Rugby CEO, Tew was at the heart of a Rugby World Cup in 2011 that raised the bar in terms of delivering a unique, nationwide festival of rugby, generating significant economic benefits to the host nation, exceeding expectations on tourism and setting new standards in competitiveness.
Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s biggest, most prestigious and successful major sporting events and is the financial engine that generates record revenues for reinvestment in the global game. For hosts, it is a proven return-on-investment model, generating significant economic and promotional returns.
The 2019 edition in Japan will be the first Rugby World Cup in Asia and is driving record participation growth within the world’s most populous region through the Impact Beyond legacy programme, while Rugby World Cup 2023 in France promises to deliver record financial outcomes, furthering the reach of the sport in new and emerging rugby markets.
World Rugby Chairman Beaumont said: “We are delighted that both Steve Brown and Steve Tew are joining the Rugby World Cup Board. Both have exceptionally strong track records delivering world-class tournaments that set new standards for the sport of rugby. Their combined wealth of experience and expert knowledge will be invaluable as we look ahead to Japan 2019, a ground-breaking tournament that will bring Rugby World Cup to Asia for the first time, and France 2023.”
Brown said: “It is a real privilege to be asked to formally join World Rugby in its aims to engage and inspire the world through the Rugby World Cup tournament. England 2015 and the RFU worked hand in hand with World Rugby to stage and host a very successful event, and I am keen to draw on the learnings from 2015 to ensure that future World Cups provide the best possible stage for unions, players and ultimately the game to shine ”
Tew added: “Rugby World Cup is rugby’s pinnacle tournament and I am honoured to be part of the team. It’s important that we build on the success of the record-breaking event in 2015, and continue to showcase the best of both the men’s and women’s game to new audiences worldwide.”
Source: www.worldrugby.org
