Patrick Wolff, vice-Chairman of Ligue Nationale de Rugby, was today elected as chairman of the European Professional Club Rugby Association – the body formed to allow the top European clubs to share ideas and best practices and discuss the way forward for the club game in Europe.
Wolff will have a wide-ranging brief and overall responsibility for the working parties set up to look into improving areas of the club game including squad capping and agent registration as well as the implementation of a common European structure to the season, taking into account the welfare of the players.
‘It is important that the European clubs have a regular forum for discussion as we are all affected by the same issues,’ said Howard Thomas, acting Chief Executive of EFDR. ‘We can then present a united front and facilitate necessary changes to the game to the eventual benefit of the players, the unions, the clubs and the fans.’
Today’s meeting also confirmed the participants for the various working parties and established their agendas and terms of reference. Serge Blanco will act as Chairman of the Rugby working party and Howard Thomas as Chairman of the Operations working party. Both working parties have been asked to report back by the end of May 2001.
The EPCRA also agreed on the appointment of a secretary to the Association and on the officers from the Member Leagues. The EPCRA will initially be based at the offices of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby in Paris – 3 rue de Liege, 75009 Paris – with Arnaud Dagorne appointed as the secretary of the Association.
The officers of the member Leagues are:
John McIver & Bob Chrystie – SCA
Marcus Russell & Stuart Gallagher – WPCA
Fabrizio Gaetaniello & Mauro Miccio – IRCA
Jose Carlos Maldona & Manuel Fieraro Martione – ACR
Patrick Wolff & Serge Blanco – LNR
Howard Thomas & Rob Andrew – EFDR
Damian Hopley (English players representative) – PRA
Serge Simon (French Players representative)
Stephen Hornsby – The Simkins Partnership
Graeme Farmer – EFDR, Minutes
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