Rugby’s new riches leave the FA trailing
A boom period for England rugby has seen the ruling body’s turnover and payment to its lead executive top those of the FA for the first time.
FA accounts for last season show chief executive martin Glenn had a package of £591,000, with a record overall turnover of £370million.
Yet the RFU’s hosting of a successful 2015 World Cup — despite England being knocked out early — brought in £407m, double the usual figure, and led to CEo Ian Ritchie being paid £700,000.
In contrast, Gareth Southgate, who has yet to take charge of a game as permanent England football manager, is on a basic £1.8million a year. England rugby head coach Eddie Jones, unbeaten in 15 matches, is proving remarkably good value for his £500,000-a-year terms.
CHELSEA’S
Antonio Conte is not following the vogue of British managers flying out their squads for warm-weather training at this stage of the season. The Italian (right) consulted the club’s sports scientists before deciding he didn’t want his league leaders training in different temperatures to those they will face in their next matches. There was no desire to upset the training rhythm either. SPoRT EnGlAnd hope the 1.7m social media hits on the trailers for their next big advertising campaign, which starts on Friday, point to the second This Girl Can promotion being as successful as the first. The initial campaign encouraged an astonishing 2.8m women to start exercising or do more. The government agency have spent £7.4m this time on an expanded This Girl Can theme that features a 67-year-old — ‘I am acting my age’ — and women exercising with babies — ‘Cuter than a dumbbell but just as heavy’.
THE Football League’s media advisers, charged with recommending whether to accept Sky’s rights offer of £80m for an additional season in 2019-20, surprisingly includes self-important TV analysts Oliver & Ohlbaum. Their counsel over the years has included telling the Premier League — whose last rights round brought in £8.5billion — that the way forward was pay-per-view.