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Rugby Football Union plans to make 139 jobs redundant due to COVID-19

Rugby

By Reuters | Jul 06, 2020

England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) is planning to make 139 positions redundant due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, chief executive Bill Sweeney said on Monday.

Professional rugby in England has been suspended since March and the RFU has projected a short-term revenue loss of 107 million pounds ($133.79 million) due to the closure of the Twickenham Stadium.

"As you will be aware the long-term financial challenges are significant for the whole economy. We like many rugby clubs rely on revenue from matches and events at Twickenham Stadium and we re-invest this revenue back into the game," Sweeney said in a statement here

“...We are projecting a 4-5 year recovery with cumulative revenue reductions of around 20%”

“We are having to make difficult decisions on what we can continue to invest in as well as what is the right size and shape of our business for the future.”

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The RFU has implemented short-term cost-cutting measures, including furloughing 60% of their staff and imposing temporary wage cuts, but Sweeney said a long-term solution was needed.

“We need to maintain our organisation for the long term, this is not a short-term cost reduction exercise, the RFU will still stand, but the impact of COVID-19 will continue to affect us for many years to come,” he said.

The English Premiership, which has nine rounds remaining, is hoping to resume on the weekend of Aug. 14-16 after clubs were given permission to resume close contact training last week.

On the international front, England are scheduled to host New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia in November.