Doug Arnot to Step Down as CEO of USA Rugby

April 16, 2006

Arnot To Step Down As CEO

USA Rugby press release

4-14-2006

BOULDER- USA Rugby Chairman Bob Latham announced Friday that he has accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Doug Arnot, effective July 14, which is concurrent with the completion of the national governing body’s eight-month strategic planning process and governance restructure.

Arnot, who was named USA Rugby’s first CEO on Nov. 14, 2002, offered his resignation to allow the newly structured Board of Directors a clear path in selecting their leadership team.

“Doug Arnot has worked tirelessly to advance USA Rugby during his three and-a-half years as CEO,” said Latham. “He brought a wealth of sports administration experience to the organization and certainly has upgraded our events and services considerably. As but one example, we would not have been able to stage the USA Sevens without his experience and energy. USA Rugby is a much better organization as a result of Doug’s involvement.”

Arnot will continue to have complete oversight and act on behalf of USA Rugby until July 14, when it is expected that the new Board will be seated following the next Board meeting in Chicago.

Arnot came to USA Rugby from the Salt Lake City Winter Games where he was the director of operations.

In his three-plus years, the national office has become an effective business operation, with an annual operating budget that has increased 400 percent from $1 million in 2002 to its current $4.5 million; the membership of USA Rugby continues to grow, nearly 10,000 members, from 55,300 year end 2002 to an all-time high 64,718 in ’05; the United States has been awarded an International Sevens tournament in the USA Sevens, which saw attendance eclipse the 20,000 fan mark in 2006 in the annual calendar fixture and the International Rugby Board has recognized the United States as a nation likely to affect the sport on the world’s stage and awarded the national governing body with a 3-year $2.67 million grant to improve its high performance pathways.

Membership has transitioned to an online process and has vastly improved its level of service. Game Development programs have expanded substantially, reaching and teaching new coaches and referees across the country. Increased service to the membership has improved with growing the national office staff from five to its current 13.

Arnot has been integral in negotiations that will bring more international level rugby to the United States than ever before in 2006. In addition to February’s USA Sevens, the first U.S. pool of the Churchill Cup will be hosted by the Union in June, followed by the North American Four Series, pitting Canada and the U.S. in cross-border competition, in late July. USA Rugby will also host a Rugby World Cup qualifier against Barbados in August. His strong events background has grown the attention, facilities and resources of the USA Rugby Championships.

“USA Rugby has come a long way in three years. It is a much bigger, much stronger organization. With the newly adopted strategic play, overseen by the new governance structure, the future is very bright. We have brought new International events to the United States, established television contracts for those events as well as our USA Rugby Championships, a thriving Game Development program as well as the women’s NCAA Initiative. The list goes on. So too do the plans for new programs. There is a promising future for the sport,” Arnot said.

Source: USA Rugby