Update from Tony Rowe CBE
To the Exeter Chiefs Community,
With the 23/24 season appearing on the horizon, the summer break affords us the opportunity to take stock, review our position and reflect on our recent journey.
The last three years have been challenging for all clubs, with the lasting commercial impact of the coronavirus pandemic taking its toll. We have moved forward, despite the burdens that we were forced to accumulate during the difficult period when our stands were empty, and the legacy of that time has been testing.
However, I am confident that by the conclusion of the 23/24 season, we will have left these issues in the past and can move forward with the vision that we have long held for this club. Our budgetary forecasts for the season should see us operating once again within the black, and that is incredibly significant for the long-term security and growth of rugby both here in Exeter as well as across the wider landscape of the sport.
Over the past 25 years, we have always looked to ensure that our growth is sustainable, and the decisions we made particularly during, and following on from the closures enforced by the pandemic, have been in keeping with those principles.
The most significant advancement, the Courtyard Exeter Sandy Park Hotel, has now been operational for over a year and is busier than ever, with the stunning top floor ‘View Restaurant’ open to the general public and forming the crowning glory of what has become an immediate Exeter landmark.
An important asset in the Rugby Club Group’s portfolio, the hotel currently run by the team at Marriot Bonvoy, has been key in ensuring our long-term growth and will form a vital segment of the wider Sandy Park complex as it continues to develop. We have been thrilled to welcome travelling teams visiting not only ourselves but also other sports clubs across the Southwest, as well as a host of fans, businesses with corporate clients and holiday makers exploring Devon and beyond.
It is also worth recognising the continuing evolution of the Sandy Park stadium itself. 22/23 was the first season to feature our newly developed East Stand, increasing the overall capacity of the ground to 15,000 and introducing a new debenture scheme which was a huge success with all availability snapped up by fans.
For both projects to be completed, despite the significant pressures of the coronavirus pandemic, is testament to the incredible hard work of the team here at Sandy Park and with a brand-new South Stand taking shape ahead of the 23/24 season, the improvement and development never stops.
We were also thrilled to announce this week that Sandy Park has been chosen as one of the host venues for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, something which I am personally incredibly proud of. The legacy of the 2015 tournament was significant for our club, as well as the wider rugby community in Devon, and I have no doubt that we will see the impact of the 2025 tournament for many years to come.
The stadium has always been about so much more than rugby and utilising the space as a conferencing & events facility is key to ensuring the diversity of revenue streams that is so vital to our business.
22/23 saw a remarkable bounce back from the pandemic in this sector, with record numbers through our doors, and the Sandy Park Conferencing arm of our business achieving their most successful year to date. We are now recognised as the premier events facility in the region as well as hosting record numbers for Christmas Parties, with seemingly half of Devon enjoying the festive season with us!
The past decade has seen truly remarkable successes for us on the field, with Director of Rugby Rob Baxter spearheading our charge to the very pinnacle of the sport, culminating in the remarkable double triumph achieved in 2020, claiming both the Premiership and Champions Cup titles.
Our attention is now firmly on building the next squad that will reach those heights and whilst it is always difficult to see players who have been so integral moving on, there is real excitement around the camp about what the new generation of talent can go on to achieve. The victory in the Premiership Cup last season gives an indication of the pedigree we have within the ranks here at the Chiefs and with some of the best and brightest players from around the country travelling to Devon to challenge themselves in our development pathway, the future looks incredibly promising.
For Susie Appleby and the Chiefs Women, the sky is the limit. They have made a truly incredible impression on the sport in only three seasons as a competitive outfit, claiming back-to-back Allianz Cup titles and reaching the Premier 15s final in consecutive seasons.
With a focus on creating a performance pathway, a huge amount of work has been done with our partners at Exeter College and the University of Exeter to ensure that there is a clear roadmap for any girls who wish to pursue a career in professional rugby. I have been delighted to witness the success stories of this pathway already, with Maisy Allen, Katie Buchanan and Nancy McGillivray, all products of this route, achieving England development contracts for the upcoming season.
We recognise the enormous growth potential with Women’s sport and with swelling fan numbers coming through the gates to support the Chiefs, I for one am excited about what the future holds for this team.
The business of sport is a challenging one, but we believe that for Exeter Rugby Club, the outlook is overwhelmingly positive and let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for joining us on this journey.
I look forward to seeing you all here on the 9th of September for our opening home fixture against Bristol Bears.
Tony Rowe CBE
Chairman & CEO
Exeter Rugby Club