The ARA has been leading negotiations with the WRU over central contracts for Welsh players picked in Warren Gatland elite squad.

As many would have seen in the news since the new deal was struck between the WRU and the Welsh Regions (RRW), a number of players are being offered central contracts. Mark Spoors, ARA’s Chairman and Tony Copsey, ARA’s CEO, have held negotiations with the WRU around central contracts and a number of concerns raised by those agents who have clients affected.

There have been a number of areas to ensure contracts are fit for use and a standard format is adopted., with the joint approach introduced through the ARA having certainly helped in this process.

Major areas of agreement needed are:

• Agent’s fees and how these will be agreed and paid for all.
• Commercial arrangements within the central contract.
• Secondment agreements and potential movement of players

What are national dual contracts?

They are a new form of contract where the WRU pays 60 per cent of the player’s wages, with the other 40 per cent being paid by the region. There is a £3.3m pot of money set aside to fund the contracts, £2m provided by the Union and £1.3m from the regions. Primacy of contract rests with the governing body.

How do they differ to the central contracts we see in Ireland for example?

In Ireland, the centrally contracted players are employed by the IRFU, who pay their wages. The IRFU and the provinces, such as Leinster and Munster, are essentially one and the same. In Wales, the regions are independent businesses.

Which region will they play for?

Where applicable, players will normally continue with their original regions. However, that could change according to the WRU if “there are specific and agreed reasons for them to join a new team.”

To ensure that we have proper representation at the Agents Review Board and with the home union governing bodies, we now more than ever need all agents to join the ARA.

The ARA is a not-for-profit organisation and these fees will help us further develop services to members, which include:

• Funding of an independent CEO
• Development of our new website to enable us to communicate with agents and help provide you with support.

It is vital that Rugby Agents in the UK and Ireland have a voice – without your membership and support we will simply be unable to do this – so please join today! 

Membership of the ARA is only £120 including vat and we need these fees to help fund our activities.

 

You can make payment via the ARA Bank:

The Association of Rugby Agents

Lloyds TSB – Butler Place Branch

Sort Code – 30-98-97

Account Number – 02315587

BIC LOYDGB21031

IBAN: GB36 LOYD 3098 9702 3155 87

 

Alternatively you can send a cheque made out to The Association of Rugby Agents to The Association of Rugby Agents c/o Sarah Abt, Office Manager, Essentially – Southside, 6^th Floor, 105, Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QT.

Please also send a completed application form with your up to date details – this can be either posted, or emailed to Sarah Abt at – Sarah.Abt@essentiallygroup.com.

 

Where your membership funds go?

Funds are raised for ARA activities by a combination of membership fees, commercial partnerships and sponsorship.  Membership fees are not only important from a revenue point of view but also ensuring the ARA is a body that represents all agents. Without ARA agents in the UK and Ireland will lose their voice and ability to have representation with governing bodies such as RFU, WRU, IRFU, SRU and the RPA, Pro 12 and Premiership Rugby.

• The employment of an independent CEO at £500 a month was a priority to help drive the ARA forward and ensure independence at the top of our organisation.
• Our new website has been developed in line with other sites such as the RPA and includes not only Rugby News, but also news from our industry; as well as a knowledge centre for agents, advice on all aspects of our industry, offers and useful contacts.

Features include:

• ARA members only login Knowledge Centre packed full of valuable information and resources to help Rugby Agents:
• Agents Fees & P11D
• Agents Player Contract
• Agents Regulations
• Anti-Corruption
• Anti-Doping
• Discipline
• EQP Guidelines
• Contracts
• IP and Media Rights
• Other RFU Regulations
• Player Regulations
• Regional Academies Overview
• Registered Agents List

 

It has been confirmed that the RFU Registered Agents Annual 2014 Seminar for all registered agents in the UK and Ireland will form part of Rugby Expo 2014 and will be held in the morning of the first day of the Rugby Expo event.

This means that all registered agents and other stakeholders responsible for the management and wellbeing of professional rugby players will be attending Rugby Expo and will be given full access to both days of the event.

The Agents Seminar will take place at Twickenham Stadium on the morning of Wednesday 22nd October, as agents, clubs, and RFU, PRL and RPA representatives gather to discuss topical issues, regulatory changes, industry developments and updates that affect agents, clubs and players alike.

The principal objective of the seminar and the scheme as a whole is to try to ensure a minimum level of awareness of rugby agents with the ultimate aim of driving standards upwards with education, up-skilling and integrity being at the forefront. Presentations will be given by representatives from the RFU, PRL, ARA and RPA, including presentations by England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster, ARA chairman Mark Spoors and acting CEO Tony Copsey, and Head of Sport for Twitter, Alex Trickett.

The Association of Registered Agents will also be holding its annual general meeting in advance of the Agents Seminar.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Jonathan Wilson, Rugby Expo event director, said: “We are delighted to confirm the presence of the Agents Seminar at Rugby Expo 2014: the annual seminar is a key date of the RFU Agents Registration Scheme’s calendar and is attended by all registered agents as well as other rugby stakeholders.

“It will be the first time Rugby Expo has had all registered rugby agents in attendance and provides the opportunity for our event’s exhibitors and delegates to meet and engage with the individuals and companies that work closely with the sport’s professionals; it is another reason why Rugby Expo maintains its position as the meeting place for those in the sport of club rugby.”

Mark Spoors, ARA chairman, added: “It’s a great opportunity for us to be able to combine the annual seminar with Rugby Expo. By including access to Rugby Expo to all our members it is a fantastic way to provide further support to our members and is indicative of ways in which we continue to explore wider opportunities to help maximise their ARA membership.”

RFU Professional Rugby Director, Rob Andrew, commented: “Holding the Agents Seminar as part of the wider Rugby Expo event is a fantastic forum to enable agents, clubs, rugby stakeholders and the RFU alike to meet and discuss important topical issues in a dynamic rugby environment. Education, communication and awareness of important issues affecting rugby is key to rugby being a successful professional sport and the presence of the Agents Seminar at Rugby Expo provides a great forum for facilitating this”.

Today’s news follows on from recent announcements that have seen both Premiership Rugby and PRO12 not only confirm full club attendance but also a series of meetings scheduled to take place at this year’s Rugby Expo. In addition, a new partnership with the RFL and Super League has confirmed the attendance of senior management staff from the RFL and a number of clubs, as Rugby Expo 2014 is set to deliver the largest ever club attendance since the event moved to Twickenham in 2010.

For more information about the RFU Agents Registration Schemevisit http://www.englandrugby.com/governance/player-agents.

For more information about the Association of Rugby Agents, visit www.aragents.co.uk.

The new ARA website was today launched – www.aragents.co.uk – this represents a major milestone in the ARA’s development.

What’s included:
Current news from the world of Rugby, the ARA and our members and partners
A number of partnerships and services to compliment our members activities and support their business. Partner agreements have been agreed with the ESRG Group, Spring Law, Harbottle & Lewis, RT Robertson Taylor W&P Longreach, UHY Hacker.

ARA members only login Knowledge Centre packed full of valuable information and resources to help Rugby Agents:

• Agents Fees & P11D
• Agents Player Contract
• Agents Regulations
• Anti Corruption
• Anti Doping
• Discipline
• EQP Guidelines
• Contracts
• IP and Media Rights
• Other RFU Regulations
• Player Regulations
• Regional Academies Overview
• Registered Agents List

 

After much work behind the scenes the ARA managed to help get the agents seminar at Rugby Expo this year.

Rugby Expo is the world’s largest conference, exhibition and interactive event focused on the business of club and provincial rugby covering all levels of the game. Run in partnership and supported by Premiership Rugby, RFU, SRU, WRU, Pro12 , ARA and Championship, the event, being run for the fourth consecutive year at Twickenham, is now regarded as the meeting place for the key decision makers of the sport.

Building on the success of previous years, Rugby Expo 2014 will host more than 50 leading speakers from across the sports industry, 40 rugby focused exhibitors and more than 800 attendees including over 400 grass roots clubs.

The agents seminar will be hosted on the morning of day 1 at Rugby Expo and amongst other matters Stuart Lancaster and Sophie Goldschmidt will be presenting on the issues that they face in relation to players’ personal commercial endorsement deals leading up to the Rugby World Cup in 2015.