Bill Sweeney: RFU chief’s bonus and the ongoing controversy
As well as bonuses, Sweeney’s basic salary has increased significantly during his five years in office, from £430,000 to £742,000. While the RFU said his salary was in line with other similarly sized companies, Sweeney remains one of the highest paid executives in British sport.
He has spent much of his tenure putting out fires – be it for the performance of the men’s senior team, his decision to give Eddie Jones a new contract in 2020, the botched handling of tackle heights at community level, or the secondary the future of the Championship, or the collapse of four professional clubs under his stewardship – but there is no doubt that Sweeney has an enviably wide-ranging mandate and huge responsibilities.
As head of the RFU, he has primary responsibility for everything from doubles rugby at community level to England head coach Steve Borthwick’s line management.
He has also represented the RFU at World Rugby, European Professional Rugby, the Six Nations and the British and Irish Lions. It’s a tough job and deserves a good salary, although whether a salary of up to £742,000 a year is needed is open to debate, as is whether the RFU should have as extensive a brief as it currently does.
As for the bonus, it is a three-year long-term incentive scheme which was approved by the RFU Remuneration Committee in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dangerously difficult period which Sweeney has weathered well. period.
Tom Ilube, RFU chairman and member of the remuneration committee, explained: “During the pandemic, the executive team has taken deeper and longer pay cuts than other parts of the organization, while bonuses have also been reduced.”
“The (Long-term Incentive Plan) implemented in the wake of COVID-19 recognizes significant voluntary reductions in compensation despite an unusual increase in workload, while also incentivizing the executive team to stay on board to achieve challenging multi-year targets.”
Sweeney needs to meet a variety of criteria in order to cash out the winnings. While he achieved 100% in ‘Financial Performance’ (the most important area) and ‘Men’s Community Rugby Participation’, he scored 100% in ‘Rugby Inclusion’ and ‘Women and Girls’ Community Rugby Participation’. 0%. “
He scored 75% in the Men’s and Women’s Senior Win Percentage, which is a mixed percentage and was strongly supported by the performance of the Red Roses. This means he received 77.5% of the winnings, totaling £358,000.
