Rugby sa国际传媒 continues to consolidate more of its resources in Langford with the announcement Monday that many of its corporate operations are being shifted from its other offices in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Most of the national-team players, in both sevens and XVs, are centralized at the Rugby sa国际传媒 Centre of Excellence in Langford and it was thought to make more sense to have more business operations there as well.
鈥淚t is more operationally efficient to have all the braintrust together under one roof,鈥� said Allen Vansen, CEO of Rugby sa国际传媒, as he prepared to board a flight in Toronto for Victoria on Monday for meetings.
鈥淲e will have more of our structures and business functions aligned.鈥�
Rugby sa国际传媒鈥檚 finance, marketing and communications, general operations and governance departments will relocate to Langford. Positions being established in Langford include chief operating officer, director of communications and marketing, director of finance, and finance co-ordinators. Six people will be losing their positions in Richmond Hill. Vansen thanked them for their service.
鈥淭his marks the beginning of a new era for Rugby sa国际传媒, as one of sa国际传媒鈥檚 fastest growing sports. While always difficult to reach these tough decisions, this is the best path forward to reach our organization鈥檚 performance and growth objectives,鈥� he said.
The Rugby sa国际传媒 offices are located behind Westhills Stadium. The adjacent $7.9-million Al Charron National Training Centre indoor facility has been under construction since last fall and is nearing completion.
鈥淚t will open in the new year and we are very excited about that,鈥� said Vansen.
Part of Monday鈥檚 announcement was that Jim Dixon, general-manager of rugby operations and performance for Rugby sa国际传媒 since April of 2015, will not be continuing in that role.
It has been an era of mixed results, highlighted by sa国际传媒鈥檚 bronze medal in women鈥檚 sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but also marked by sa国际传媒鈥檚 failure to qualify for Rio in men鈥檚 sevens and the prolonged slide to 24th in the world in men鈥檚 XVs.
鈥淚t was not performance related with Jim [Dixon]. Sometimes, you have to make broader changes in leadership,鈥� said Vansen.
Rugby sa国际传媒 is one of three national sporting federations which have most of their national-team athletes and operations located in Greater Victoria, including Triathlon sa国际传媒 and Rowing sa国际传媒. As well, Swimming sa国际传媒, Athletics sa国际传媒, Golf sa国际传媒, Tennis sa国际传媒 and Cycling sa国际传媒 have national-team training centres located on the Lower Island.
