EPCR Club Conference 2024: collaboration, innovation and problem-solving for the future of the club game

With just one month to go until the historic 30th season of the Investec Champions Cup begins, the EPCR Club Conference demonstrated that club rugby remains at the heart of the sport. The event brought together representatives from 42 top international Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup clubs, along with key figures from across the international and professional game, for the annual conference on November 5 and 6.

The innovative forum returned to the rugby calendar following the first iteration last year – the very first time such a group of club rugby leaders had ever been brought together to discuss the successes generated by, and challenges facing, the club game.

This year’s edition once again focused on the continued spirit of collaboration to ensure a sustainable and successful future for club rugby, providing a crucial and unique platform for attendees to engage in open discussions about the opportunities and challenges facing professional clubs and tournaments.

Led by EPCR Chairman Dominic McKay and hosted at the London Headquarters of Title Partner Investec, the two days of presentations and discussions included reviews of the 2023/24 season from EPCR and Investec, an introduction to new UK and Ireland broadcaster Premier Sports, an update on the World Club Cup project and opportunities from clubs representatives to meet their counterparts from other leagues.

McKay said: “The EPCR Club Conference is an important and unique moment as we gather key stakeholders to establish ever-stronger relationships and create the opportunity for alignment with a shared vision of creating a sustainable future for the sport.

“It is vital to understand the challenges and opportunities that exist, and by working closely together we aim to have a better understanding of each other to allow us to collectively make well-informed decisions for the players, supporters and the whole rugby ecosystem. Collaboration is key as we find smart ways to future-proof and evolve our club game.

“Club rugby is the beating heart of the game. Across our three shareholder leagues and two EPCR competitions, we oversee a roster of more than 3 000 players and over 700 games per season that are watched by 7.5 million people in stadiums and millions more on TV. The Club Conference demonstrates our shared commitment to strengthening the foundations of club rugby, driving continued growth and ever-improving experiences for all to make our competitions and clubs even stronger.”

Dominic McKay - EPCR Chairman.

Over the course of two days filled with panel discussions and break-out sessions, attendees delved into a range of topics including commercial growth and financial sustainability, competition formats, boosting attendance in stadiums, expanding rugby’s TV and digital audience, player welfare and innovations, as well as new developments in broadcast and fan experiences.

Julia Chapman, CEO of Investec Champions Cup semi-finalists Northampton Saints – who faced Leinster in front of a record-breaking crowd of 82 300 at Croke Park last May – said: "I think the main thing is that we’re all facing some common challenges, whether it’s clubs, governing bodies, leagues, partners, or sponsors. The opportunity to come together, share ideas, and think about how we’re going to tackle these challenges has been really valuable."

Ian Flanagan, CEO of Munster Rugby, added: “There’s some real positivity and some exciting initiatives coming down the tracks. It’s really good to hear from our Title Partner Investec, from their key people, about how well they feel the first year of the partnership has gone, the real enthusiasm and sense of optimism about where this will go in future seasons.”

EPCR's new UK and Ireland broadcast partner, Premier Sports, generated significant interest as CEO Richard Sweeney and Founder Mickey O'Rourke outlined their strategy to put EPCR competitions at the heart of a new 24/7 rugby channel set to launch in 2025, alongside their goal of becoming the leading destination for rugby in the UK and Ireland.

Premier Sports joins an EPCR broadcast family that delivers the competitions to over 100 countries worldwide, with an aggregate audience of over 80 million.

Fittingly, there was a special focus on celebrating 30 years of history and innovating for the future of the club game, with EPCR reaffirming its commitment to its key strategic pillars of sustainability, innovation and expansion, alignment and knowledge-sharing, brilliant rugby and improving the narrative across the game.

McKay said: “Our 30th season is an important milestone for us all to reflect and celebrate the development of the club game, but more importantly to look to the next 30 years. How we continue to innovate, drive change, value and growth in rugby in a sustainable way for the benefit and future of the game is a shared objective.

“We are now in the third year of EPCR’s new strategy which has guided us successfully over the last two years, with a record-breaking number of people in stadiums, watching on TV, engaging with our digital content as well as unprecedented new sponsor interest. We will continue to work closely with the rugby ecosystem on the big topics that are facing us all.”

Peta Dixon - Head of Sponsorships at Investec and Jennifer Whiteford - Head of Brand Activation and Partnerships at Investec.

Amongst those in attendance were EPCR Board member and Chairman of the Sporting and Tournaments Committee Andrea Rinaldo and EPCR General Assembly member and FFR vice-president Abdelatif Benazzi, both of whom are nominees for the next chairman of World Rugby. McKay invited the two, who have deep roots in EPCR competitions as administrators and Benazzi as a player, to address the Club Conference, reflecting on the development of EPCR over the past 30 seasons and the importance of the club game to the international rugby ecosystem.

Benazzi commented on his experience as a club player for both Agen and Saracens in EPCR’s competitions: “Everything starts with club rugby – the first moves, the training, the education, the rules, the comradery. The values of rugby that you learn playing for a club are truly special. I played these competitions for 25 years – they are a special part of the rugby world. I love the competitions.”

Rinaldo reflected on the history of EPCR. “I have been involved for 25 out of the 30 years EPCR has existed. It has been a fantastic exercise in really finding the architecture of relationships between stakeholders, leagues and the unions in a changing world. In fact, the journey has been instrumental in making EPCR what it is now: a fantastic company that has products of amazing rugby value. Reflecting on these past 30 years, we see we have learnt a lot and we have talked a lot to the world of rugby to facilitate the basic values of education, and the societal role of this wonderful sport. So, we are very happy to celebrate the 30th season of EPCR.”

To conclude two days of collaboration, the Georgian club Black Lion shared their own inspiring story, reflecting on the club’s history and expressing their excitement and ambition to expand their presence into more international competitions. The South African team Hollywoodbets Sharks closed the event with an inspiring look at how clubs can thrive and gain international recognition through participation in EPCR competitions.

EPCR’s 30th season kicks off on Friday 6 December, with Bath Rugby taking on Stade Rochelais at The Rec in the first match of Investec Champions Cup (KO 8pm local time) and the EPCR Chellenge Cup gets underway with Dragons RFC v Montpellier Hérault Rugby (Rodney Parade, KO 8pm local time) and Gloucester Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby (Kingsholm, KO 8pm local time).

For all Investec Champions Cup fixtures, click here.

For all EPCR Challenge Cup fixtures, click here.