CEO Update: Jonny Petrie

In Friday's match programme, Ulster Rugby CEO Jonny Petrie provided an update ahead of the start of the new season... It has felt like something of a long off-season break this year with the World Cup being in play, but at the same time, the Guinness PRO14 Championship kick-off has come upon us pretty quickly. It’s great to get everyone back to competitive rugby, and I’m looking forward to seeing the team perform in front of our home crowd here at Kingspan Stadium. The summer has been a very useful period for me; providing a natural break to be able to take stock after a very busy first season at the helm here at the club. I have hugely enjoyed my time so far and continue to feel very proud at having this opportunity, but at the same time, it is also important to recognise the work that we still have to do across all aspects of the sport in the Province. Under the guidance of Dan, the professional team made huge strides last year and delivered perhaps beyond expectations going into the campaign – making the semi-finals of the PRO14 and coming within a whisker of getting to the same stage in Europe was a great achievement with a new coaching team and a young playing group. Having done that though, we rightly have to set the benchmark higher now, and keep ourselves moving forward; every other team will have improved and we need to keep getting better at a quicker rate. I’m really pleased with the way that the professional group is developing. We have recruited really well, with more Irish talent coming into the setup, and with a few ‘blow-ins’ adding international experience and an extra dimension to our group which will stand us in good stead during a season in which the World Cup provides some disruption. This, combined with the outstanding talent that we have coming through the system and now pushing through into the senior team, means that we are in good shape now, and for the future.  When you have young players who, at 20 or 21 years old, are playing very well and already have significant competitive game time under their belts, then that is a good place for us to be. The performances of the Ulster A team recently also point to the depth of quality that we are developing in the Province – it’s great to see. However, we also need to be prepared to be patient. We are far from being the finished article and we need to work hard every day to keep ourselves going in the right direction. It is right that we place major investment in our professional and development setups such that we can make ourselves competitive now, and also long into the future – that’s exactly what we’re doing. It’s important to recognise that our responsibilities extend well beyond the professional game though, and there is a huge amount of work underway as to how we continue to work to ensure the health and improvement of the domestic game. I have enjoyed being able to get out and about and spend time listening to the issues and challenges that our clubs and schools have, and it’s now crucial that we act to protect the future of the amateur game at all levels; providing greater opportunity for people to get involved in rugby in ways that fit their lifestyle; providing quality experiences for anyone who plays the game; helping clubs develop in a sustainable way and working to grow our volunteer base. On that last point, it has been just fantastic for me to see at first hand quite how much work is undertaken by volunteers to support and sustain our game. That is something we need to foster and protect. Here at the stadium as well, we need to ensure that we are looking after our supporters and partners, and that includes investing in the match-day experience and the facilities that we offer.  We want this to be the place to be in Ulster on a Friday night, and we are making the right improvements to make it feel that way. We have replaced our big screens so that they are full HD quality; our floodlights will be upgraded in January to LED quality, with a major increase to the lux levels; our corporate offering will be improved; our bars will be better organised with more payment options to reduce queues and speed up transactions and the brass band have even learned some new tunes… So, there is work to do and we don’t underestimate that. I want this to be a club and a sport of which the whole Province is proud and that may take some time, but it’s important that people feel that it is in the hands of people who genuinely care, and who are passionate about making it everything that it can be. That begins tonight against tough opposition in the Ospreys and it will be a challenge to come out on top. Momentum is key for us, and hopefully we can get off to a good start in the competition. Your support is a huge part of that – time to SUFTUM. Jonny