Rugby Union SA held its Annual General Meeting, on the 15th of May 2024.
Mike von Berg stood down as President after being in this role for the past 6 years. On reflection, current Chair Brett Smith, thanked Mike for his effort and support. “The wise words of Mike have been a reflection of the concerns from the community which has been valuable to the board. The connections, guidance and relationships that Mike has across the whole of Australia has been important to the game here in SA.”
David Pyper was voted as President-elect of Rugby Union SA.
Three directors also had their terms expire, with two directors re-standing in Brett Smith and Paul Brown. Elena Casciano stood down after being a director for the past 6 years and Emma Boulby was elected into her vacant position.
Our organisation has continued to see growth in regular player numbers, building from the prior COVID impacts with a further increase of regular players from 2022 by 7.6% across all clubs and programs.
We have embarked on a new Strategic Plan taking us through to 2027, when we aim to capitalise on the opportunities created by the Rugby World Cup. The Strategy has been supported by an implementation plan supporting seven pillars: People, Partnerships, Programs, Places, Promotion, Performance and Governance. The main focus of the plan is growth, aiming to increase participation to 5000.
There was extra pressure on the Senior Representative program this year; the Black Falcons Women being invited to play the ACT Brumbies and Western Force Super W teams as well as, along with the Men, travelling to Brisbane to compete in the Australian Rugby Shield. RUSA invested $70K across all Representative programs (juniors and seniors), with some funds offset by sponsorship.
RUSA engaged a number of consultants in 2023; a Sports Lawyer to assist in the constitutional review; a Human Resource consultant to assist in the streamlining of our internal HR processes and there was some hangover from the Strategic Planning. RUSA was aware of this and had budgeted for a $31K deficit, however were made aware of the additional provision that needed to be made for Long Service Leave adding a further $16K to our expenses. This resulted in a final position of $42.5k deficit.
In closing, Mike von Berg addressed the room, stating “it’s a privilege and an honour to be the President of Rugby SA. Have enjoyed the friendships and rugby over the past 6 years. I’m not lost to the community - I will still be around and want to help support the community moving forward in whatever capacity that may be.”
