Wales: annual turnover of the Welsh Rugby Union from 2014-2021, by source

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Undeb Rygbi Cymru in Welsh, is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales.

History

In March 1881, following a significant defeat by England, in Wales’ first ever international rugby match, representatives from 11 welsh rugby clubs met, in the Castle Hotel in Neath, to form a union that could organise regular international matches. Although the name The Welsh Rugby Union’ was not adopted until 1934, its precursor, the Welsh Football Union, was a founding member of the sport's international governing body, World Rugby in 1887.

Objectives

The Welsh Rugby Union, in its current form, describes its primary objective as to “encourage more people to engage with the game, more often, with more enjoyment, and more success”. This objective is operationalised through re-investment in community and performance rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clubs, the Welsh national team and National Leagues and Cups. The WRU describes their success, in achieving this objective, relative to three indicators: participation levels, rugby performance, and financial performance.

Income

In 2019 the WRU earned approximately 90.5 million British pound, predominantly from international rugby matches staged at the WRU owned Principality Stadium. These matches generated 50 percent of the overall income. Although the share of the overall income attributed to match sales in greater in 2019 compared to 2018, the absolute value of match income remained constant at 44.9 million British pounds. Hospitality and catering income amounted to 14 million British pound, a decrease of approximately two million British pound, attributed to a reduction in the number of events in Principality Stadium, this reduction was offset in the match income value through higher average ticket prices and increased broadcast income.