Prudent approach required as Steele takes over

The former Northampton player and coach succeeded Sir Francis Baron last month as the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, and where his predecessor made millions for the game through commercial enterprises, Steele's pledge is to ensure that money is invested as prudently as possible to enhance the development of the game nationwide.

Steele has outlined a three-pronged attack to improve the community game and has challenged clubs in the professional arena to be more self-sufficient and less reliant on central funding.

Altering perceptions of the RFU as an entity concerned only with England and southern heartlands is also high on the agenda, hence his decision to choose Morley Rugby Club in Leeds as the second port of call on his whistle-stop tour of the country.

"My priority has been to get around clubs in all the different regions and find out what state the game is in; what people think is going well, where things can be improved, how the RFU can support the game – basically to get the in-depth view of how people are feeling within the game," he said before conducting a question and answer session at Scatcherd Lane.

"There are lots of positives, there's some great rugby being played across the country at all different levels, so in that regard it's thriving.

"Having said that there are some challenges. Firstly, we have to look carefully at the workload and what's expected of volunteers – because without them we don't have a sport.

"We have to streamline and minimise the regulatory procedures, all the bureaucracy, and ensure we support them. They're there to set up an environment where players, coaches and referees can thrive.

"Secondly, it's making sure we keep people in the game. The statistics show we have issues with people aged between 16 and 24 who are moving on and not returning or joining another club.

"Lastly, making sure rugby is fun. There's lots of other things young people can do nowadays and unless rugby is fun they will find other things to do.

"Whether you're a player at a local club or a player running out at Twickenham, you should enjoy the game."

Fulfilling those criteria in a county as vast as Yorkshire, with its myriad of clubs, is never easy, but is a challenge the former fly-half is relishing.

Yorkshire has five divisions of community rugby plus 19 teams dotted throughout the national and northern league pyramid.

At its head are Leeds Carnegie, whose Premiership status Steele believes is integral to the success of rugby in the county.

"Leeds have big competition in soccer and rugby league but we have to ensure they are supported so we have a good spread of the game geographically around the country," he said.

"It's possible for people to enjoy rugby without a standard- bearer, but for me the complete package is thriving community clubs with a good network. If kids aspire to develop into professional rugby they have to have a flagship club, role models playing on their patch they can emulate."

One of the big criticisms levelled at the RFU is the incremental reduction of central funding which has forced some clubs in recent times, like Otley, to sail close to the wind.

Steele, though, is not touring the country with bottomless pockets and he stressed the need for clubs to be more self-sufficient.

"Rugby as a business model isn't that robust – we have to face facts. Most professional clubs will have benefactors that invest money, otherwise they would find it very difficult to sustain what they do," he said.

"Every club has to be its own master – we're there to support them but they're also a business and they have to balance their books, they have to make sure they don't overstretch in terms of player payments.

"There needs to be prudent management around what's spent on players and what a club is aspiring to be.

"We are in difficult economic times, we all have to be thoughtful about how we invest and spend money. I and the board are open-minded about how we move and grow the game in the future and that's what the next few months are about; let's look at what we want, what we're about and how we're going to develop the game.

"The challenge is determining where we get most value and where our priorities are in the future. There is still a considerable amount of money invested in the community game. A lot of people feel the money is spent at the top end – it's not, it's almost half and half.

"I don't think there will ever be enough funding – that's the nature of funding. What we have to ensure is that, not just with the money, but with our field-based staff we are supporting clubs in what they are aspiring to do. It's early days. What I wouldn't do after six weeks is tell clubs what I think they should be doing because I don't have enough insight yet.

"What I will be saying is I want to understand how we can best work with clubs.

"We don't want this image where it's the RFU against the game – it's not. It is one game and I'm determined to ensure that decisions made put rugby at the heart of what we're doing.

"We're not a FTSE 100 company hell-bent on driving profit, we want to drive as much profit as we can to invest back into the game.

"So I hope to develop some much better partnerships with clubs, notwithstanding that we can't please everyone all the time, but we can be open with them, we can be honest, we can try and develop together."

Steele talks a good game. The rugby fraternity in Yorkshire and England will be keen to ensure he delivers on his ideas.

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