Business of Sport Ep.15: David Buttress, Owner @ Dragons RFC & Just Eat Co-Founder, ‘Rugby is one of the greatest sports, but it must adapt to maintain its relevance’

Today, we are delighted to welcome David Buttress. David was the co-founder and CEO of Just Eat, launching the UK business in 2006 and taking it from startup to Europe’s largest technology stock market floatation in a decade in 2014. In the world of sport, David is the owner the of Welsh United Rugby Championship club, Dragons, as well as acting as Non Executive Director of the Welsh Rugby Union’s Professional Rugby Board. 

It’s a crucial time for club rugby. The international game, underpinned by tournaments like the Rugby World Cup and 6 Nations, is hugely successful. The club game is far more precarious. Investment, structure, packaging, distribution, governance: these are all issues that need addressing and David delivers as honest and transparent a view on what needs to be done to ensure the sports long term future. 

In today’s show, we discuss:

What makes rugby special:

• ‘Rugby is one of the last gladiatorial sports’ - there is so much to love about the game that needs to be protected and utilised to safeguard the future of the sport
• The passion of the fans is unrivalled but are the tournaments and clubs structured correctly to maximise the value of audience?
• International vs. club rugby - why is it hard to translate the success of the international game to the domestic leagues?
• Having the opportunity to own a club that means so much to its community is a privilege and the drive to achieve success is enhanced when the ownership aligns strategy on the pitch with development off it.

The problems rugby faces:

• The competition for eyeballs has never been greater and the sport needs to innovate and develop more appealing offerings and products to stay relevant.
• The governance of the game is laborious and too slow in its decision making. What needs to change at the top of the sport to ensure opportunities to create value are not missed? Are the right people managing rugby?
• Packaging and distribution - utilise media more effectively to drive engagement and create a celebritization of the players? Sport after all is increasingly creatively packaged media.
• Player welfare is an issue and the game needs to continue to work to provide a safer environment for its players.
• The finances of the game depend too much on the willingness of ownership groups to invest in the clubs they own. Can a more sustainable and reliable model be created?

The future of the sport:

• What can be done across the clubs and the leagues to create a more engaging product at club level?
• CVC have spent a lot of money investing in the rugby ecosystem. What could they or another investor do to drive commercial and participatory development?
• Does more budget need to be allocated to off field development as well as creating more value on it, and if so what are the priorities for investment?
• Building a team behind the scenes capable of driving new revenue streams across content and partnerships is crucial but doesn’t exist in the majority of organisations.