The Business of Rugby - People - Ricoh Premiership Rugby ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Business of Rugby People
People
The success of Mako Jamie Vincent 2017/2018
Saracens
1 2 3
Premiership Rugby Final
Vunipola George Koch
4 Maro 5 George
Itoje Kruis
Since 2015, Saracens have won the Premiership Rugby title three 6 Nick 7 Jackson
Isiekwe Wray
Billy
times and twice been crowned European champions. They are one
8
Vunipola
of the dominant forces in club rugby union. 9 Richard
Wigglesworth
“What matters more,” Wray said, When a team or a business knows Owen 7 of the Saracens starting
10
speaking to the Financial Times in what it is working for, not only will its Farrell
the early weeks of last season, members work together, but they will XV in the 2017/2018
“is understanding what created that also work in service of something that Premiership Rugby Final
success, and sticking to it when you will outlast them. 12 Brad
Barritt
came from their Academy
aren’t successful – taking the long view,
having continuity, caring about people.” Talented people are drawn together 13 Alex
Lozowski
and savvier companies make the most
“Businesses generally don’t understand of that. At Saracens, Academy players Replacements
‘team’ at all,” said Wray to the Financial eat meals with the first XV. Players take 16. Schalk Brits
17. Richard Barrington
20. Michael Rhodes
21. Ben Spencer
Chris Alex Sean
Times. “And for years, I didn’t either. holidays together and take part in group
11 15 16
Wyles Goode Maitland 18. Juan Figallo 22. Marcelo Bosch
19. Will Skelton 23. Nathan Earle
So this has been one of the greatest exercises to understand each other
learning lessons of my life. Today, in better as people.
business or in rugby, I have no interest
in anything short-term. I just want to
work with people who want to build
The Saracens way
something. That should be the point Ricoh Rugby explores how Saracens have cultivated an
with companies, too.” inclusive culture which breeds successful development
of young talent through their academy system.
Watch the video
People
Longevity breeds
success
These are days of accelerated turnover
at the top of major organisations.
Worldwide, the median tenure of a
CEO is around five years. Among the
Having the stability of a consistent leader like Dai has made the club
300 biggest companies in the UK, much stronger in its transition and allowed him to continue to foster
according to a 2017 study by PwC,
it is 4.8 years. a successful winning culture amongst the players.
The lesson from Gallagher Premiership
Nick Eastwood, Wasps CEO
Rugby is that even in challenging
environments, it often pays to give
leaders time to make an impact.
In 2017/18, the league’s four longest- The capacity of their Sandy Park home in 2014, relocating a historically English rugby, according to trends
serving directors of rugby finished in will soon be expanded to 20,000. London-based club to a permanent recorded last season, had the most
order in the top four positions. But their rise has also been founded new home at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. stable squads, with more players
on commitment and community. Director of rugby Dai Young has been having been in place for four years
Exeter Chiefs were Premiership through all of it with them, bringing or longer. They also had the highest
champions in 2017, and were beaten In third place were Wasps, whose stability and a connection to the past, proportion of Academy graduates on
by Saracens in the final in the years play-off campaign in their 150th year with an eye on the opportunities the their first team playing staff.
either side. Since former Royal Marine ended at Saracens’ hands in the future brings.
and telecoms entrepreneur Tony Rowe semi-final. They finished 11th back in
took over as Chairman in 1998, their 2011, but now regularly challenge And the link between continuity and
annual income has risen from again for honours with a young and success goes further than the presence
UK£150,000 to UK£17.4 million. hungry unit. New owners arrived of a single leader. The best teams in -
People
Longevity breeds
success
2017-18 Finishing Positions Seasons in-charge
12 9
8
10
7
8 6
Season in Charge
Season in Charge
5
6
4
4 3
2
2
1
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Connor O’Shea Richard Cockerill Jim Mallinder Mark McCall Mark McCall Rob Baxter Mark McCall
2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18
Position in League
People
The importance of
internal culture
At the rebranded Bristol Bears, the goal is to have a home grown
matchday figure of 33% at Champions Cup level within the
next five years.
The Bears aim to become the first
newly promoted side since the Everything’s about bringing the team
Worcester Warriors in 2015/16 to together, bringing players together,
escape immediate relegation. Head
coach Pat Lam, however, has his sights
being part of a bigger cause.
on a far longer-term objective: a vision
Steve Lansdown, Bristol Bears owner
to become an established European
rugby power. That means keeping
the best young players within the Over a term of five to seven years, a
club’s Academy catchment area successful leader is really a custodian,
together. animating a group with new ideas
while defending deeper-held principles
That endeavour will be handsomely and needs.
backed by owner Steve Lansdown but
it is clear to Lam, who led unheralded Companies with a strong internal culture
Irish side Connacht Rugby to what was are also better at fostering the kind of
the Pro12 title in 2016, that unity is change they need to meet the challenges
fundamental. ahead.People
The importance of The Business of Rugby:
internal culture Culture
“Vision drives the leadership, the leadership
A January 2018 study by the Boston drives the culture, the culture drives the
performance and that then creates the
Consulting Group found that more
legacy that we’re trying to achieve.”
diverse companies are more successful;
those with diverse management teams In this video, Ricoh Rugby talks to Pat Lam,
have 19% higher revenue thanks to the Rob Baxter, Mark McCall and other
innovation that springs from drawing on Premiership Rugby Directors of Rugby
about the importance of culture for
different perspectives. team success.
But that change rarely arrives at the top: Watch the video
in the PwC survey cited above, just
three of the 41 new CEOs appointed
by British companies were women.
Instead, diversity is better developed by
introducing people from a range of
backgrounds at all levels. And if
newcomers meet leaders who know
their company’s story – like Exeter
Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter,
a former player and head coach who
has followed the team from the lower
tiers – then their overall contribution is
likelier to be positive.
End Learn More >The Business of Rugby Technology
Technology
Technology: changing the
game of rugby
Rugby union changed forever when it turned professional in 1995.
Players who could make a career from the sport trained longer and
harder, became fitter, faster and more powerful. Coaches in turn
could dedicate more time to preparation, analysis and tactics.
Now, a generation later, developments top-flight feed algorithms to monitor as well as detailed, high-quality footage According to research by Domo in 2017,
off the field are inspiring further physical performance, technical of practice and matches. These sessions the world in the Internet of Things (IoT)
landmark evolution. As in almost any execution and positional play. take place as group activities too. era produces 2.5 quintillion bytes of data
other work environment, the primary This information is stored after each At Leicester Tigers, for example, their every single day. For any company,
driver of that change has been game and training session, and can indoor gym facility now incorporates a smartly assessing information will be
technology. be accessed on demand by coaching Ricoh Interactive Whiteboard to enable fundamental to future success. As the
staff from the cloud. teaching sessions in team meetings scale of it increases, that will mean
An elite training ground in 2018/19 attended by the whole squad. turning to systems powered by
would be unrecognisable from even a Further information is provided through artificial intelligence (AI).
few years ago. All Premiership Rugby video. Drones and ‘lamppost cameras’ As a game of mixed goals and random
clubs have invested in technology to are in common use across several variables – one in which, as Harlequins
100%
aid performance and coaching. training facilities in Gallagher Premiership Head of Sports Science and Conditioning
Rugby, including at Leicester Tigers, Tom Batchelor noted to Business Insider
Mobile GPS devices have been used Worcester Warriors, Bath Rugby and in July 2017, the “ball is purposely
for some time, sitting in pouches on Newcastle Falcons. After training players designed not to bounce evenly”
of Premiership Rugby clubs have invested
players’ shirts to record movement. will now frequently retire to video booths – rugby union provides a powerful in technology on the training ground over
Units like the Catapult OptimEye S5 in which they can watch whole-pitch showcase for the intelligent application the past two seasons.
employed by teams throughout the reviews of training sessions, of technology and data.Technology Leicester Tigers Ricoh ambassador Ben Kay visits his former club Leicester Tigers to talk to Head Coach Geordan Murphy and Performance Analyst Simon Barbour about how they use technology for training, analysis and player welfare. Watch the video
Technology
Making safety
smarter Hawk-Eye
The most visible influence of technology for the average rugby
fan has been apparent in the role of the Television Match Officials,
or TMOs, which have been used in all Premiership Rugby
games since 2013/2014.
Video technology specialist Hawk-Eye – Hawk-Eye and Premiership Rugby are Clubs throughout the league are Watch the video
whose ball-tracking and 3D modelling now making their own joint contribution engaging technology in smaller yet still
products have been used to great effect to the player safety drive. For the first significant ways, some of which are
in sports like cricket, tennis and football – time in the 2018/2019 season every club relevant to any employer concerned
became a part of the set-up in 2015 is using a dedicated matchday Pitchside about their team’s wellbeing.
when it gave TMOs the capacity to Video Reviewer (PVR). Watching up to At Harlequins, for example, all squad
view multiple camera angles at once eight angles simultaneously with the members can access a smartphone app
and get a complete picture of key Synchronised Multi-Angle Replay to respond to questions about quality
incidents. Now that is being used in a Technology (SMART) system, these of sleep, muscular soreness, lower back
new and unexpected way. individuals can keep an eye on as much pain and other issues. Their answers are
of the pitch as possible and respond recorded and measured against typical
Sixty-seven per cent of Directors of immediately if a player is involved in a expectations.
Rugby would prioritise investment in collision which carries a risk of concussion
injury rehabilitation and prevention or other brain injury. If their responses do not show evidence
techniques over any other spending on of improvement during the week after a
technology. Coaching teams employ game, training programmes can be
GPS data to monitor fatigue and tailored to improve recovery. Further
‘significant load’ on vulnerable parts of analysis over the course of a season can
the body, factors which can lead to injury. tease out deeper-lying issues.Technology
A new economic
game
Technology is making what was
unimaginable possible in the world
of sport and the world of work. You’re always looking at what has the biggest impact based on the
It is also creating efficiencies
everywhere, in both budget and budget you have… it could be a piece of training ground equipment
workflow.
or a piece of software or a piece of hardware…we bought a drone
Every team and every company is
looking for competitive advantages as
which has had a massive impact on the way in which we trained
an age of unprecedented disruption and the feedback we could give to players during training
approaches. According to Gartner,
75 per cent of the world’s top brands
will lose 20 per cent of their brand Dean Richards, Director of Rugby, Newcastle Falcons
equity by 2020 due to changes in
consumer behaviour.
New products and methods have forever economies with relatively high pay like Building teams that can adapt to the
Spending budgets wisely is a priority for
altered the shape of a Premiership France, Japan and the US – with around demands of technology, and harness its
any business and investment in the right
Rugby coaching staff. Video producers, three per cent set to change occupational potential, has never been more important.
tech assets can help money go further.
More than that, it can ensure that time systems analysts and sports scientists categories in the same period. Yet at the
invested by employees is used more take their place alongside coaches, same time, additional labour demands
powerfully – with AI and automation, physios and nutritionists. are expected to more than offset the jobs Drone
for example, cutting hours spent on lost, with new occupations generating as
labour-intensive tasks and allowing McKinsey reports that automation could much as ten per cent of new positions Footage
staff to concentrate on creative activity displace up to 15 per cent of the global around the world in the next decade. Watch the video
and problem-solving. workforce by 2030 – 25 per cent inTechnology
We asked the 12 Premiership Rugby Directors of Rugby
If you were able to invest in one of the following
technologies which would you choose?
2
Virtual Reality simulating
match day experience and
8
Acceleration of injury
rehabilitation and injury
1
Smart wearables
optimising players'
1
Live feedback to
players during training
a pressure environment prevention technology sleep patterns and diet
for playersThe Business of Rugby Place
Place
The right environment
When Bruce Craig completed his takeover
of Bath Rugby back in 2010,
“This is yours, this will be your new home” was my message. There was a
one of the first things he did to real wow factor and look of pride – that’s what I was hoping for. Individuals
demonstrate the change in possibilities
he saw for the club was to move the need to be inspired and I believe this wonderful setting and our plans and
playing and coaching staff to their
new place of work. From now on, training
commitment to the future will help do that.
would take place at Farleigh House. Bruce Craig, Owner, Bath Rugby
Today, the grounds have been fully
converted to include a cutting-edge gym,
comfortable changing rooms, a strapping
area, a medical centre and space for
rehabilitation, and high-end meeting
Bath Rugby’s training ground
areas. Bath players, coaches, medical staff
at Farleigh House
and analysts are now joined by the The right choice of base can also make a
administration staff at the same venue. statement about expectations. Ricoh Rugby spoke to Todd Blackadder
and Bath Rugby players Chris Cook and
Not every training facility is as advanced That is why Premiership clubs are Will Chudley to explore what makes
as Farleigh House, but when polled, every investing more heavily than ever in getting Farleigh House the right environment
for players.
single Premiership Rugby Director of their training facilities right. Wasps, for
Rugby agreed very strongly that having example, are now deep into planning for a
the right training environment is essential new home at The Crofts, having secured a
for optimising player performance. lease from Old Leamingtonians RFC.Place
The changing
workplace
In business as well as sport, the workplace is undergoing a period
of considerable transformation. Spaces are becoming more fluid,
particularly with days working from home or on a freelance basis
now common.
One of the most compelling effects of this made flexible through technology.
has been the emergence of the coworking Connected buildings offer the possibility
space – a shared venue where sole traders of controlling everything from heating
and small companies can pool resources – and cooling preferences to security to
and the subsequent rise of WeWork, boardroom allocation, all through
which manages over 10,000,000 square automated feedback from employees’
feet of office space worldwide. Following mobile devices.
investment from Japanese conglomerate
SoftBank, WeWork now has a valuation With most elite teams recruiting across a
At Leicester Tigers’ Oval Park centre,
of US$47 billion and has grown into greater range of specialisms, from medical
the coaching and analytics teams use
The We Company – with plans to move and logistics functions to analytics, the
a Ricoh Interactive Whiteboard to run
into accommodation, luxury gyms and idea of what constitutes a working
through specific plans in the gym.
private schools. environment in rugby is also changing.
This allows them to review video from
Every Premiership side, for example, needs
training sessions and outline tactical
The workplaces of tomorrow will be areas for players where they can absorb
ideas that can then be prepared
defined by a greater array of spaces, with individual and team feedback.
immediately on the gym floor.
room to collaborate and more confined
areas to give individuals the freedom to get Watch the video
their own work done. And they will also bePlace
The 21st century
stadium
At the Stoop, Harlequins now operate a completely
At the top end of the game, of course,
teams have two places of business: the
cashless stadium with Apple Pay and credit cards,
training ground, and the stadium. Clubs and their unique ecash currency is used
across Gallagher Premiership Rugby have
invested in their home venues in recent predominantly in bars and shops.
years, with Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers
and Harlequins among those planning or
continuing with extensive developments.
At the Ricoh Arena – which also stages stadium. In October, Wasps signed a deal
At Gloucester Rugby and Exeter Chiefs, conferences, as well as Coventry City with LA-based provider AXS for a digital
revenues from non-matchday events like football matches and summer concerts – ticketing platform, offering frictionless
conferences are worth as much as ten Wasps have increased their average purchase and entry, and virtual reality
per cent of turnover. Saracens moved to attendance by over 230% since the maps previewing every seat in the house.
Allianz Park in 2013 after being tenants move from Adams Park. Now the drive
at Watford’s Vicarage Road, and now for upgrades continues, improving the Speaking in December, Wasps chief
make upwards of £5 million a year from matchday experience and creating new executive Nick Eastwood told the
stadium-related activities. possibilities for generating income. Coventry Telegraph that if the club got
that environment right, more fans would
Some improvements have an impact on A 72 square metre high-resolution LED want to keep coming back.
the field, such as all-weather surfaces, video screen has been installed this
and robust data networks that help season on the South Stand, displaying
analysts generate real-time insights and replays, clips explaining rules and social
communicate them to the coaching staff. posts, and giving sponsors ample space
The primary focus, however, is in the for their own content. A high-density
stands. Average attendances in the WiFi system is being paired with a
2017/18 season were 14,165 with bespoke mobile app and contactless
aspirations to continue to grow. payment capabilities throughout thePlace
Wasps and
the Ricoh Arena
Wasps have increased their average
attendance by over 230% since the
move from Adams Park to the Ricoh
Arena. Ricoh Rugby spoke to Dai Young
and other Wasps’ stakeholders who
have been involved in the transition
about the importance of creating the
optimal environment for the club
to generate results.
Watch the video
PLA
ACEPlace
The 21st century
stadium
ADAMS PARK RICOH ARENA
2016/17
2015/16
19,330 2017/18
17,814
16,916
2014/15
11,401
2011/12
6,745
2012/13
6,654
2013/14
5,862
2300
23 %
ATTENDANCE
GROWTHYou can also read
