Ulster need a captain to rescue this sinking ship
Search begins for Petrie’s successor, but do any worthy candidates want the job?
AS the search begins for a new Chief Executive Officer at Ulster, the inbox is going to keep filling up at Ravenhill for Jonny Petrie’s eventual successor.
Accordingly, sources have told the Belfast Telegraph that Ulster’s current Head of Operations and Recruitment Bryn Cunningham will be handed that role as the province, which is haemorrhaging money and slashing the wage bill, look to cut costs by not making an external interim hire.
But for the individual who will be brought in on a full-time basis — which could yet be Cunningham but is not assured to be, with the IRFU wanting to make sure they make the right appointment to try and turn the province around — it will be a thankless task having to mop up the mess left behind by the Scot.
With a disillusioned fanbase, a vitally important stadium naming deal to negotiate over the next year after the departure of Kingspan, rumours abounding that star players want out of their contracts early and a reported £900,000 loss in the annual report last year, it’s a grim situation. Indeed, perhaps the biggest thing that IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys, who will know more than anyone what Ulster need to get back on their feet, will be looking for in the next CEO is someone who will offer stability.
In the midst of a period of turmoil and change, Ulster are now entering an era where they will have both an interim CEO and head coach in place, are facing departures from their squad at the end of the season numbering in the double-figures and are not yet assured of their place in next season’s Champions Cup, which would be another significant financial blow if they couldn’t manage to work their way back into the URC’S top-eight.
While they will be powerless to determine what happens on the pitch for the remainder of the season, trying to at least show that the province is capable of arresting its alarming skid and stopping short of flipping over and bursting into flames will be the remit of the interim chief.
That remit also includes taking over Petrie’s role within the structure of “working with the IRFU to get to a sustainable solution” to their financial problems, as he himself explained to season ticket holders earlier in the month. Good luck with that one.
Now Ulster have to start looking for his replacement with a job description that would turn the stomach of even the most robust of candidates.
Finding a company willing to invest as much as Kingspan did for the naming rights at Ravenhill — believed to be £4m over 10 years — is perhaps the first item on the agenda and, while the cost of living crisis means that will be tough, that will go a long way to determining the budget moving forward.
Finding a less controversial title sponsor wouldn’t go amiss either.
Getting Ulster back on a stable financial footing will be a longterm plan, but someone with experience in working their way out of debt would help in that regard, too, and that, in turn, should help on-field matters, too.
It is no secret that Ulster are axing a plethora of players to save money rather than just to trim their squad, and having a few extra quid in the coffers should help with handing out a few extra contracts come the end of each season, as well as ward off interest in the likes of Steven Kitshoff and Stuart Mccloskey.
Still, trying to foster a better relationship between the senior rugby set-up and the club game should also be paramount. If the province isn’t able to keep hold of their top stars, or even their fringe contributors, then they need to be producing at grassroots level to fill in the gaps, something that sources say is not adequate at present.
There are several intriguing candidates who could be in the mix, such as the likes of former winger Andrew Trimble who has just sold his sports tech business, Kairos, to an American investor for a reported £15m and has a razor-sharp business acumen.
Ex-flanker Matt Mccullough is now a Managing Director of financial advice service Beltrae while long-time Dungannon RFC man Paul Magee is highly respected as the Head of Corporate Banking in Northern Ireland for Bank of Ireland.
All worthy candidates. Question is, is the Ulster job attractive enough to bring in the person they need to right the sinking ship? Only time will tell.