Rowena Davenport has been elected as the new Chairperson of Otago Rugby Football Union Board. Rowena has been on the Board since 2014, and is the first female Chairperson of the Union.

Davenport said “I joined the Board of the Otago Rugby Football Union in 2014, encouraged by previous changes to the constitution, which sought Directors with a broad range of skills and experience in response to the difficulties faced in 2012.

In my last five years with the Board I have gained an understanding of what is required from a governance perspective to support management to administer rugby throughout Otago.  It has been great to see the progress made towards sustaining and creating rugby opportunities for all in the province in that time, and the strong leadership and efforts of all who have contributed to this, including fellow Board members, management and staff, should be acknowledged.

The Board continues to be aware of the balance needed between high performance and community rugby and supports the growth of services available to stakeholders throughout the province for the development of the community game, as this is the pathway for participation and high performance.

Our strategic plan, which was reviewed recently, has a strong focus on supporting grass roots rugby. We are also focused on growing commercial revenue and exploring other funding options to support the programmes we deliver.  Uncertainty and challenges in the evolving rugby landscape, including the implications of offshore competitions such as Global Rapid Rugby and Major League Rugby, is also something the Board is well aware of and is seeking to better understand through the wider rugby community.

I am looking forward to working with the Board, management and other stakeholders to better understand the challenges ahead so that we may also realise the opportunities and continue developing rugby in our province.”

A Deputy Chairman will be appointed at the next Board meeting.

Article added: Tuesday 21 May 2019