On Friday, Deborah Griffin took office as the first woman to lead the rugby football union in its 154-year history and serve as its president to promote change.
Her new position marks the culmination of her rugby-related life, which has led her to transition from playing to being the most senior backroom position in the English game.
The former Richmond player’s passion for rugby was immediately apparent when she first started playing the sport in college.
She said, “I just loved the game, and this was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.”
“I only ever want other people to have the same thing because it has given me so much.”
Her impressive rugby resume demonstrates her commitment to giving others the opportunity to experience the same rewards.
She was one of four women to organize the first women’s rugby world championship in 1991, the first woman to serve on the RFU Council in 2010, and the first woman to serve on the RFU Board in 2014. She was also a founding member of the then Women’s Rugby Football Union.
She served for nine years on the RFU Audit Committee while also serving as a member of the World Rugby Council, a qualified chartered accountant.
One of her first responsibilities as RFU president will be the rapidly advancing Women’s Rugby World Cup, for which she received an OBE in 2011.
She said, “It’s about the entire game,” not just the women playing, you know.
Griffin travels to the tournament in a special way, driving to games on her campervan and staying overnight.
“My daughter will accompany me.” She will be working from the camper van for a year because she only gets three weeks of vacation per year in New York, so I need to make sure I have good WiFi spots there.
As England’s women prepare for the World Cup, Griffin recently met with them at their training facility.
The Red Roses have been frequently referred to as attempting to emulate the success of England’s football Lionesses, who have just won back-to-back European titles.
The Red Roses have won 25 games in a row and will be the favorites to win the tournament on home soil, but they have only once emerged as world champions despite reaching the final six World Cup matches.
My heart, which is obviously hoping that the trophy will be won at the tournament’s conclusion, said Griffin.
Griffin is entangled in reforming the government.
Griffin will soon face opposition from the World Cup, but in the fall the RFU’s governance reform will be in the spotlight.
After surviving a vote of no confidence last season, RFU CEO Bill Sweeney’s focus will be on assisting English rugby.
She said, “I do think that every aspect of the game wants us to evolve and strengthen our governance.”
“That’s really, really important,” and a lot of it was caused by societal changes. We can’t stand still, just like the world can’t.
It won’t move as quickly as some might believe, but I don’t believe that’s a problem.
“We won’t have another significant governance review until after ten or more years,” the statement read. Therefore, getting this right is really, really important because I prefer to do it.
The RFU Council will receive the governance review’s findings in the fall, but work on transferring more devolved authority to various regions might start sooner.
She wants the union to become more adaptable and responsive to the needs of each region after having previously visited clubs all over England.
“I believe people want to have more influence over regional conversations and decisions,” she said.
“Hampton’s solution differs from one for Cumbria,”’ says the statement. We’ve been considering how to make those decisions, particularly in light of the expansion of rugby at more local levels, for a number of years.
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- Rugby Union of England
- Rugby Union
- Rugby in English
